I Know You Know Who I Am
by TheSecretAdmirer
Summary: 2nd of Eden Trilogy/Sequel to Enemy of My Enemy. 5 years later, Leolin returns to find everything has changed and Draco is engaged to another woman. She struggles to win back his love & trust while facing the demons of her past. As darkness begins to fall, she realises she might have to choose between the man she loves and rescuing the world from a familiar evil...REVISED! RE-READ!
1. Prologue: Five Years Later

**ATTENTION! THIS IS THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE RE-WRITE. YOU WILL BE RECEIVING UPDATE NOTIFICATIONS AS I RE-WRITE. IF THIS I GET A LOT OF FEEDBACK TELLING ME *NOT* TO DO IT I WILL STOP. HOWEVER, THIS WAY YOU WILL KNOW WHEN A RE-WRITTEN CHAPTER HAS BEEN POSTED. FEEL FREE TO LET ME KNOW IF YOU LIKE THIS OR NOT**

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_**I Know You Know Who I Am**_

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**Prologue: Five Years Later**

Leolin Lefevre sat on her balcony overlooking the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, gazing across to where Michelangelo's David used to stand. She took a long drag of her cigarette, exhaling a lungful of violet smoke into the early morning air, watching the first rays of sun jutting through the jagged teeth of the Palazzo Vecchio. She felt bad; maybe she should have left David where he was. After all, who was going to guard the city in his absence?

She wasn't reading it, but below her espresso cup sat a copy of The Daily Prophet. The headline blared: _**MUGGLE ART THIEF LA GENIE DU MAL STRIKES AGAIN; WHO IS HE? **_with a picture of David's naked pedestal underneath and muggles gathered around in despair. Leolin glanced at the headline and smiled grimly, looking out again to the piazza.

Despite everything she'd endured there, she was going to miss Florence. Over the past five years she had begrudgingly come to love the city, and though it would never be to her what Paris or London or Llangollen were—though she'd never really considered it home—she had grown to love it here.

She took another drag from her cigarette and exhaled, trying to forget the headline she'd seen just under the one about the theft of the David.

_**MALFOY HEIR ENGAGED AGAIN**_.

She bent her head, a familiar bitterness welling up. It wasn't wholly unexpected, of course. In fact, Leolin was surprised it had even taken this long. Still, that didn't soften the clenching ache she felt at the news. She rubbed the spot where her Draco's pendant used to hang, and the action instantly soothed her. It had been almost five years since Lucius had ripped it from her neck, but Leolin could still feel it's slight weight against her skin. She continued to stare across the piazza, watching the sun illuminating the stones.

"Do you miss him?" A musical voice echoed.

Leolin smiled but didn't turn or speak.

"Who?" she queried, a half-smile tugging at her lips.

"Il Gigante, of course."

That was what the Italians called The David.

Leolin finally turned around, watching as the enchanting Severina Borgia swept towards her, arms outstretched. She was smiling as well.

"Severina," Leolin said, coming forward and folding the other woman it her arms. It was hard to embrace Severina with her swollen belly. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it."

Severina gave a charming laugh, smoothing Leolin's straight black hair away from her face.

"Sciocchezze," she purred, full lips drawn its an alluring smirk. "I couldn't let you leave Italy without trying to persuade you to stay one last time."

Leolin laughed, ushering her to sit down.

"I was going to bring the girls," Severina continued, easing gracefully down despite her rounded belly. "But Xavier told that would not be fighting fair."

"He was right, as always," Leolin affirmed. "There isn't is a soul on this earth who could resist daughters as cute as yours."

"True," Severina said in mock arrogance. "Borgia children are admittedly perfection. And mine exceedingly so, since they have Borgia blood on both sides."

Leolin laughed, and Severina joined in her merriment by smiling.

"So," Severina said, her obsidian eyes studying Leolin carefully. "What have you been doing with your last morning in Florence?"

"I've just been admiring our handiwork."

Leolin jerked her head towards the piazza, where tourists still throng in dismay around David's vacant post.

Severina smiled wickedly, looking across to David's naked pedestal as well.

"All in a day's work, _genie_."

Leolin gave a small laugh.

"The International Aurors Office are still looking for _him_," Leolin said pointedly. "The 'Genie du Mal', I mean. I had a floo from Teller just this morning."

Severina laughed again, rubbing her rounded stomach.

"So I heard. Here's hoping they catch him soon." She struggled for her purse and pulled out a bottle of expensive Prosecco. "Let's drink to it."

"Come on, Ri," Leolin laughed, even as she conjured two glasses. "You can't drink. You're about to bloody pop!"

Severina gave a discontented huff.

"Let me tell you something us Italian women know that you Frenchies don't," she said in response, tugging the cork from the bottle with the satisfying snap before pouring two flutes she'd also retrieved from her bag. "A little bit doesn't hurt every once in a while. I drank with both the girls, and look: perfection."

"I can't argue with that," Leolin said as they clinked glasses. "What should we drink to?"

"To you, naturalmente," Severina said, eyes sparkling. "To the next step in your journey. I wish I could keep you here forever, tesoro, but you belong back in England. It's time to go home and set things right."

Leolin nodded, her cheeks flushed.

"So, here's to your last day in Firenze," Severina said in encouragement, and they clinked glasses again.

They both drank, and finally Severina set down her glass.

"I have something for you," she said, extending a box to Leolin. "Here, open it."

Leolin did as she was bid, pulling the soft bow undone and opening a jewelry box. Nestled inside was a platinum lock pendant that resembled the key Draco had given her. It was the lost trinket's nature companion.

She bit her lip

"So you have something from me and Xavy to hold when you feel stressed or scared, and so Draco knows you are ready to begin again," Severina explained. "May I?"

Leolin nodded and pulled her hair aside, and Severina attached it to her neck. Leolin touched it instinctively. She'd never gotten over the habit of touching the place the key had been when she needed reassurance, despite the fact that it hasn't hung there in five years.

"Ri," she began. "I just want to say—"

"No," her friend said, her gigantic wedding ring sparkling in the new dawn light. "Lasciatemi parlare prima. I have to admit that when I first laid eyes on you all those years ago in Draco's apartment I have never hated someone so much nor been so jealous. And I also admit that when you called me with your…proposition four years ago that I hated you no less. I just want to say that I have never been so wrong in my life, amore mia. You—you are the most incredible woman I have even known, and I have never loved anyone so fiercely as I have come to love you. My greatest wish in life is that my girls grow up to be as strong and brave as you. I know you're scared to go back, but I am proud of you. Xavier and I both are."

Leolin bent her head, touched.

"You saved my life," Leolin said in a quiet voice, gripping Severina's hand tightly. "I—I was dead and you brought me back. You gave me hope. I—I would never have found the courage to go back if you hadn't pushed me."

"No," Severina said, smiling. "That was all you. I just told you what you already knew; you're better than the life that Lucius had given you. Than that _strisciamento _Cristian gave you. Speaking of which, where is that little dog?"

Leolin leaned back in her chair.

"He's in Moscow fencing a Rodin statue. He should be here soon; he's bringing my fake passport."

"Why do you need one? You broke the charm, didn't you? What legal right does Lucius Malfoy have to deny you entry?"

"None, but we both know Lucius never needed the law to justify any actions. I just need to get back into London. Once I'm there, he won't be able to touch me."

Severina nodded, her perfect brows furrowed.

"Please be careful with him, tesoro. He is still very dangerous, and he is more powerful than ever."

"I'm not afraid of him anymore," Leolin bit out. "I'm not the same little girl I was when he screwed me over all those years ago. If he wants to fight, I'm ready."

"Leolin—"

"I know, and I promise I will be careful."

She bent her head before taking another heady sip of prosecco.

"To be honest, it's not Lucius I'm afraid of."

"You're worried about Draco," Severina concluded.

"He's not going to be happy to see me," Leolin said in a soft voice. "I'm sure by now he hates me."

Severina considered.

"You didn't do anything wrong, tesoro. Just tell Draco the truth. He will believe you."

"What if he doesn't?"

"Then you will have to make him," Severina said touching Leolin's hand. "Trust me, once he sees you again he will remember how it was before."

"I hope you're right."

"I am."

Again, they were silent. The piazza had begun to fill with people, and Leolin listened as the torre clock began to boom the time.

"Do you know anything about her?" Leolin asked quietly. "The fiancée?"

Severina gave a non-committal shrug.

"Not really. I don't think she's English. I think the surname is Beauchene, so I'm guessing French. Swiss, perhaps."

"Great," Leolin said miserably. "Wonderful."

"He cannot replace you," Severina said softly. "Even if he tries."

Leolin couldn't help herself.

"Is she beautiful?"

Severina shrugged again.

"There is a picture in the paper. Look for yourself."

"I can't—I'm not ready."

"Well, hurry up, amore mia," Severina said sternly. "Time's running out."

Leolin gave a tight nod before quietly croaking, "I know."

There was another ravine of silence before they heard the floo crackle from inside the luxurious flat. They both looked up.

"Leolin?" Cristian called, and Leolin stood at once as Severina rolled her eyes in disgust.

Cristian stepped out onto the balcony and gave Severina a nasty sneer. She'd always treated him like the vermon he was, and he was understandably resentful.

"There you are," he said, odd eyes finding Leolin. "Borgia," he said, addressing Severina now. "What an ugly surprise."

"Affanculo, è brutto piccolo mostro," Severina snarled.

Cristian only sneered again in response.

"Still don't speak a worth of Italian, Borgia. You know that."

"Everything settled with the Rodin?" Leolin asked tightly, and he said nothing, just picked up her forgotten glass of bubbles and took a large gulp.

"Well?" she demanded hotly. She'd grown accostumed to ordering him around like a slave.

"When have you known me to ruin a fence?" he snapped.

"You ruin a lot of things," Severina spit out. "So it is not a stretch."

"Spare me" Cristian snarled at Severina. He didn't usually have the authority for such vitriol, but Leolin's departure put him a position where he clearly felt safe to do so. "I can't stand the way you're always squawking."

She stood and slapped him so hard that he crumpled a little. "You disgust me," Sev said, as he nursed his reddening cheek. "Leolin, I have to get home. Ti amo. Floo me the minute you get to London safely."

Leolin nodded, hugging Severina tightly.

"We will see each other again soon," Severina said soothingly. "Be brave."

She kissed each of Leolin's cheeks before jamming a foot into the back of Cristian's knee, making him buckle and fall heavily to the ground.

"You fucking bitch. You'll pay for that some day."

"Doubtful," she sneered.

She left without another word.

With Severina gone, Leolin put her back to Cristian, eyes cast towards the piazza again.

"Did you bring the documents I need?"

"I did," he said, dropping them on the table with a definite thud before grabbing her roughly by the wrist. "Now let's talk about what it's going to cost you."

"I let you keep the 250 thousand from the Rodin fence!" she grit out, trying to pry his slimy hands off of her. "That's what we agreed."

"Well maybe I want to renegotiate," he snapped, touch still insistent. "Come on, lapin, just one last time. For old time's sake."

"No," she snarled, freeing herself from him embrace and scowling at him. "I gave you what you wanted when we came here five years ago. Touch me and suffer the consequences. I mean it."

"As of this morning," he said arrogantly. "I'm no longer in your employ. The days of you kicking me like a dog are _done, _Leolin."

"Fuck your empty threats," she snapped. "You have no authority over me and you know it."

"You think so?" he said in mounting irritation. "Then what about these?" he demanded, holding up the passport and igniting a flame at the end of his slender wand. He moved to touch the leather with the torch and she cried out.

"No, don't!"

She couldn't keep the panic from her voice.

"Then start cooperating," Cristian drawled, extinguishing the flame and tucking his wand back in his pocket.

"What do you want?"

He grit his teeth in annoyance.

"You know what I want."

"No," she said flatly. "Absolutely not."

"Then I guess you don't need these," he said, tucking the passport in his cloak pocket.

She considered. If she didn't get those documents, you'd never be able to evade Lucius at the border.

He took her silence for acceptance.

"I don't know why you're acting like this," Cristian said, folding his arms across his chest as his fire-kissed eyes watched her. "By the end you started to really like it."

"I never liked it," Leolin said nastily. "You're a terrible lover. The only way I could get through it was by pretending you were Draco."

Quick as a snake, he reached out a hand and slapped her across the face. Her cheek reddened, and she turned away, ashamed. It had been some time since he'd dare strike her.

"So what's it going to be," Cristian spit out as she put a cool palm to her stinging cheek. "Are you going to be accommodating?"

"Depends on what you mean by accommodating," Leolin said, having regained control of herself and thought through her next move. "_Accio_."

She snapped up the documents as they flew from his pocket.

"You really are a pathetic wizard, you know that?" she sneered.

"I will—" he began but she shook her head, brandishing her wand at him. He would never to get his in time.

"You will nothing," she spat._ "_You should have read your contract more closely, Cristian. You may not work for me anymore, but I still _own_ you. Betray me and you're dead."

"I could go to Lucius Malfoy," he warned.

Her eyes flashed.

"You can't," she said. "You're still under contract to La Genie, which guarantees your silence. Besides, even if you found a way around it, the Borgias would be jamming cantarella poison down your throat even as the words were coming out."

"You bitch," he sneered.

"That's right," she said. "I am. But better a bitch than a pup. Now take your 250 and be grateful I don't tell Severina about this; she's already looking for a reason to kill you."

"You're making a mistake," he warned. "Someday I will make you pay for this, and when that day comes, you'll lose _everything._"

"We'll see who's right in the end," Leolin snapped, turning away to signal she would hear no more.

"That's right," he snarled. "We will. You haven't seen the last of me."

"Get out," she said in a bored voice, and he gave a frustrated scream and disappeared.

When she was alone, she flipped open the passport and smiled, tears of joy welling in her eyes.

She was finally going home.

A/N: **REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE! Please keep the support coming, it keeps me motivated!**

**Love Eternally,**

**TheSecretAdmirer**


	2. Chapter 1: Long Road Home

**Chapter One: Long Road Home**

"_King's Cross," she said numbly. _

"_Quite so. I am afraid this is goodbye, Leolin," Lucius with derision, smiling wickedly at her. "I do so hope you make it out of the UK before the wedding." He gave her a meaningful look. "It would be frightfully bad luck for you if you weren't."_

"_I will be," she said quietly. "You have my word." _

"_That's my good girl." _

"Miss?"

Leolin's eyes snapped up. The customs agent was looking at her pointedly. She was having a hard time focusing, she was so nervous. The last time she had come to King's Cross, it was with Lucius.

"Sorry," she mumbled, and the man behind the Customs counter frowned. "What did you say?"

"I asked you for your passport!" he said, visibly annoyed.

"Oh!" she said, fishing the dark red folio out of her purse. "Right! Here you are."

She passed the document under the glass and he looked at it.

"Alright Miss…Hooper. And where were you coming from?"

"Rome."

"And how long where you there?"

"Six weeks."

"And you bringing back any animal or grain products with you today?"

She shifted from foot to foot. What an odd question. Muggles were so inane. She fought the urge to look over her shoulder. She was so nervous.

"No."

"And how long will you be staying in London, Miss Hooper?"

She looked up at him.

"I live here."

He looked down and her passport and her heart hammered. That's what her document said, wasn't it? She bit her lip. She expected Lucius and a team of Aurors to burst through the magical barrier at anyone moment. However, the man simply glanced back down and nodded, his jowls wobbling a bit as he did so.

"Oh, yes, so you do."

He glanced up at her and she gave a final nervous smile before he simply stamped her passport and passed it back through the glass.

"Welcome back to the UK, Miss Hooper."

"Thanks!" she squeaked, and she tried not to be too obvious as she scurried off.

She still felt like she was being watched, but the truth was that no one even noticed her as she hurried up the gangplank towards the main terminal. She kept her eyes low as she swept through, though she couldn't resist looking up as she walked by platforms nine and ten. The familiarity of the faded brick pillar between them made her ache for the past.

_Draco stood at the opposite end of the platform, the collar of his expensive coat turned up as he watched her amidst the throng of Weasleys. Leolin dropped her purse and abandoned her trunk, running across the expanse between them before leaping into his arms from a foot away. He caught her easily, his arms finding purchase around her thighs as he spun her. He tipped his head back to smile at her, and she threaded both hands into his stylish do before kissing him._

_Did you miss me? _

_I'll show you how much later._

_Can't wait._

Her heart was beating heavily in her chest again, and she tried to forget that Draco was now engaged to someone else, and even if hadn't been, he would likely still hate her guts.

The sun was setting by the time she got outside, or it would have been if it hadn't been grey and drizzling. She immediately felt as if the gloom must have been a bad omen before remembering that she was back in England and it was, more often than not, grey and drizzling here. The thought should have perhaps been depressing, but it actually warmed a small place in Leolin's heart she'd forgotten existed. _She was home._

She reached out her arm to hail a Muggle cab, ignoring the weather and the slight chill that had begun to set in. It was a chill, she feared, that had little to do with the weather. She looked around again before assuring herself she was utterly unremarkable to those around her.

"65 Charing Cross Road, please," she said, getting in to the cab which had pulled up beside her and slamming the door shut.

"Miss?" The cabbie said, turning around incredulously. "Watcha want to go there for?"

"Let me worry about that," she said breathlessly, trying to act less nervous than she felt. She was so close to the safety of Wizarding Londong. "65 Charing Cross Road, please."

"Alright," the man said dubiously. "Suit yourself, Miss."

They drove in silence, and Leolin tried to decide where to go first. To her parents? Which one, Mum or Dad? To Ginny? To the Burrow? She chewed her lip. Her first move had to be strategic. She would see them all eventually, but her first move had to be the right one. Despite her precautions, she had a sickeningly feeling Lucius already knew she was here, or would know soon. That meant she had to establish formal contact before he could snatch her. Who could she go to that would be both welcoming and unwatched? When she thought about it strategically, she knew only one person made sense.

By this time the cab had stopped, and Leolin leapt out, throwing the man an obscene wads of bills. Why muggles used something as feeble as paper for currently, she'd never understand. He tried to protest, but she waived him off, already staring up at The Leaky Cauldron's Muggle entrance.

It would have of course been more expeditious to simply apparate from Kings Cross to where she was going, but she didn't want to set off any anomalies. Better to wait until she was in Wizarding London before using any magic. Turning up the collar of her coat to against the wind and to avoid been recognized, she pushed inside the pub. It was lively at this time of night, and Leolin was sure that if she took a good look around she would recognize at least half of the patrons.

"Something to drink, Miss?" The grizzled bartender called. Tom, she thought his name was. He'd worked there since she was a girl.

She shook her head, already making for the alley.

"Just passing through," she said, heart beating fast again.

She quickly rapped the bricks and disappeared through the archway, appearing in Diagon Alley a second later and sighing. The area was in transition from daily transaction to nighttime debauchery, and she suddenly had a longing to go everywhere at once. She wondered in Jaime was still the doorman at The Em, or if he's finally grown up. She wanted to go to the Vagabond and see Moira, or Amelie's shop, to Le Petite Fleur, everywhere. She bit her cheek. There would be plenty of time for that. First, she had things to do.

She consulted her watch.

6:42.

She hoped Blaise was still at work. He surely didn't still live at the same flat he had five years ago, and she was now firmly convinced he was the man she most needed to see. Dear Merlin, please let him be happy to see her.

Immediately she apparated to the Enterprises building, her heart still screaming in her chest as she stood outside. Please Merlin let her slip in unnoticed. Please Merlin let Draco not be there. Please Merlin let this gamble pay off.

In a lot of ways it felt counterintuitive to be going to Blaise first. On the other hand, it was the only logical choice. If Lucius had as much power as she feared, he would be keeping tabs on her parents' houses in the event she were to return. She was fairly sure he wouldn't think to watch Blaise.

Besides, Blaise could help her case with Draco in ways no one else could. He had influence Ginny or her parents simply never could, and somehow she felt he would understand her betrayal more objectively than the others.

She took a deep breath and swept into the lobby, which echoed as her heels tapped the marble.

"May I help you, Miss?"

Immediately her heart was in her throat. She turned, trying to be casual. Years of experience had turned her into a practiced liar. She gave the security wizard a charming smile, and he immediately relaxed his stance.

"Yes," she purred, much the same way Severina would have. "I have a late appointment with Mr. Zabini. I think I know the way."

"Right you are, Miss," the man said, besotted as he tipped his cap. "Twenty-seventh floor."

She blew him a kiss and turned towards the lift. When she was nearly there, her curiosity got the better of her and she turned back.

"Do you know if Mr. Malfoy is in his office?" Leolin asked cautiously.

She was ready to bolt if he was.

"I believe Mr. Malfoy is still abroad, Miss," the man offered, clearly desperate to be helpful. "Would you like me to call his secretary to make sure?"

She waved the man off, giving a glittering smile.

"Oh no, that's alright. I came to see Mr. Zabini. Thank you."

He nodded, and she headed for the lift. As slowly ascended her palms began to sweat. She smoothed her hair, which was much shorter and darker than it had been when she'd left. Before the wedding it was waist-length and chestnut, and now it barely dusted her shoulders in a sleek, ebony bob.

Would Blaise even recognize her? What was worse, would he throw her out when he saw her? At first she was sure that he wouldn't, but now she was terrified he would.

Too soon the door dinged open, and the mousy secretary looked up, clearly surprised to see anyone at this hour, especially on a Saturday.

"May I help you?" she asked, her eyes sweeping from Leolin's dark hair to the Manolo's on her feet.

Leolin surveyed her. She was young, probably just graduated from Hogwarts, and she was fairly plain, which was somewhat surprising. Five years ago, Blaise's secretary had been a scintillating read-head who had a 23 inch waist and an arse like two perfect balloons.

"Miss?" the girl repeated pointedly. She was annoyed but trying to conceal it, though admittedly not very well.

"Is Mr. Zabini in?" Leolin said, shifting her purse to her opposite shoulder.

"He is, but he's leaving very soon," the girl affirmed. "He's also asked me not to disturb him under any circumstance."

"This is urgent," Leolin said, trying to sound important. She had to admit, to her shame, that she found it much more difficult to influence women. "Will you floo him for me?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Zabini specifically said—"

"I'm a very old friend of Mr. Zabini's, and I've traveled a very long way to see him," Leolin said, letting some of her genuine desperation show through. "Please, will you floo him?"

The girl seemed to sense this, and she softened a little. However, before she could speak her floo comm. began to buzz, and she held up a finger to Leolin.

"Thank you for calling Mercury Communications. This is Gaia, how I help you? Oh, hello. Yes, I'll tell him. You as well. Goodbye."

The secretary hung up the floo and looked tentatively up at Leolin before dialing Blaise's private office.

"Mr Zabini?"

"What is it, Gaia?" Leolin could hear Blaise saying on the other end. The familiarity of it may Leolin's heart constrict uncomfortably. "I'm really busy and I have to leave soon."

"I know," Gaia said. "But your fiancée just called. She wants to remind you that you have to be at the party by eight. She asked what time you were coming home."

"Floo her back and tell her I'm leaving here in ten minutes. Fifteen, tops."

So Blaise was engaged. That was interesting, though again not surprising. Leolin wondered if it were someone she knew. Doubtful. More likely some gorgeous yet vapid model or trustafarian.

"Of course."

"Thank you."

Leolin looked pleadingly up at Gaia who bit her lip before replying. "Mr. Zabini? There's another woman here to see you as well. She's says she's an old friend."

"I don't have time. Tell her to make an appointment."

He hung up.

"I'm sorry," Gaia said, and she genuinely seemed it. "Would you like to make an appointment?"

"No," Leolin said, making a decision skirting around the desk. "I'm afraid I don't have time for that."

Maybe she'd made a mistake coming here first. Merlin, she was so nervous now that she wanted to vomit. She hadn't counted on Blaise being in a bad mood.

"Miss!" The girl cried, trying to detangle herself from behind the desk so she could chase after Leolin, who was already halfway down the hall. "You can just go back there!"

"Miss!" The girl called after Leolin, jogging to catch up. "_Miss!_"

Leolin heard her flooing security.

"Yes," she said, a little breathless. "I have an unwanted visitor on the 27th floor. Yes, in the Mercury offices."

Leolin didn't stop walking ignoring Gaia as she bobbed beside her.

"Miss, I am going to have to _insist _you leave or I will have you escorted off the premises! The security wizards are already on their way!"

"You're more than welcome to try that," Leolin snapped in agitation. "I'm afraid it won't stop me from seeing Mr. Zabini, though."

Gaia threw herself in front of Leolin, and the two scowled at each other.

"You _can't _disturb Mr. Zabini," Gaia cried, barring Leolin entry to his office door. "You don't have an appointment and he's expressly stated I'm not to let you back here to see him!"

"Yes I heard him," Leolin said. "But trust me, he's going to want to see me."

Gaia looked at a loss for words, but by now the security was striding down the hall towards them from the other side, and she was rescued from her flustered plight.

"Miss Charles?" one of them called, hand on his wand. "You flooed?"

"Yes!" Gaia said, sounding both fretful and relieved. "This woman needs to leave!"

Before she could continue, the French doors to Blaise's office burst open and he emerged.

"Gaia, _goddamnit_, when I say I'm not to be distur—"

His blazing jade eyes were on the secretary, but when they flicked to Leolin the words died in his throat. The annoyance fell out of his features, and he looked a little lost.

"Leolin?" he croaked, eyes roaming over her face as if trying to decide if she was real or a phantom.

"Hi Blaise," she said softly.

Leolin surveyed him. The five years away had only made him more handsome. Age had granted him air of authority and self-assurance, and it suited him immensely. No longer a bored and petulant teenager, he was truly a man now.

"Mr. Zabini, I'm _so_—" Gaia began, but Blaise held up a hand to silence her, his eyes still on Leolin.

"It's alright," he said dazedly. "She can come in." His eyes flicked up to the burly security guards, both of whom had their wands unholstered. "It's okay, Bernie. You two can go, thank you."

"Anytime, Mr. Zabini," Bernie said, and Blaise waived him off distractedly, still staring at Leolin.

"Come into my office," he said softly, ushering her in. "Gaia, floo my fiancée and tell her I'm going to be late."

"But—"

"That will be all, thank you," Blaise said with finality, shutting the door in Gaia's face.

When they were alone, he surveyed Leolin critically for several seconds before pulling her into his arms.

"Fuck, woman. Where the hell have you been?" he croaked, stroking her hair.

"You don't want to know," Leolin replied, melding into his embrace.

"I've missed you," He breathed, and she nodded. "We've all missed you so much."

"I've missed you, too," she admitted, allowing herself to relax in his embrace. Standing here in his arms, she finally felt like she was home.

After a minute or two he pulled away a little, holding her face in his hands.

"Can I get you a drink? Never mind, that was rhetorical. Here, take this."

He thrust a glass of vodka in her hand and clinked it to his before throwing his back. She did the same. He poured himself another, taking a large sip before turning back to her.

"So," he said, a little more composed now. "I supposed it's not hard to understand your decision to come back after all this time."

Leolin considered.

"I suppose not."

Blaise bowed his head, shaking it back and forth sadly before looking

"What the fuck, Lai? Why did you run out on Draco like that? And why are you coming back now? You have to know it's too late."

Leolin bit her lip.

"Is it?"

He considered this answer critically, as if trying to read her mind.

"That depends on the reason you had for leaving," he said at last.

_How…devastating it would be if this love potion were to find it's way into Blaise Zabini's coffee this morning._

_When I tell Draco—_

_You really think you can get to Draco before I get to our good friend Mr. Zabini?_

_What do you want? Please, I'll give you anything._

_I want what I've always wanted. Leave my son and never come back."_

_No! I won't leave Draco!_

_What choice do you have? With this poison I can ruin you both anyway. And what about Zabini? Are you so selfish that you would sacrifice his happiness in some desperate gambit to save your own?_

"It's really complicated."

He shrugged out of his suit coat and folded one arm over the other, as if settling in for a long period.

"You have my undivided attention."

"What about your fiancée?" Leolin asked, making a desperate play. She wasn't ready to relive the worst day of her life yet. "Won't she expect you home?"

Something flashed in his eyes before he gave her a hard look. Clearly he wasn't to be fooled by her childish theatrics.

"Trust me, she'll understand. Talk to me."

She bit her lip. _Merlin_, where to begin? She hadn't told the story in years; not since she confided in Severina.

"I—"

Blaise's floo buzzed again. He didn't even look at it.

"Go on," he prompted Leolin.

"Aren't you going to get that?" Leolin replied, watching the light flare.

"No," he said plainly. "Go on. Tell me what happened the morning you left."

The floo flamed again and Blaise ignored it. Two seconds Gaia's disembodied voice floated through.

"Mr. Zabini?"

"Gaia," he snarled. "So help me Merlin, if you floo me again I will fucking fire you. Whatever it is, it can wait."

"I know, sir, but it's—"

He hung up, and she flooed immediately back.

"Gaia—!"

"You're fiancée is here, sir."

"What?" he demanded, looking at his watch and then Leolin before swearing. "Is she in the lobby? Tell her to wait for me."

Leolin watched him critically. Perhaps it was someone she knew. Maybe he'd married Gracie Boyle after all.

"She's already on the way to your office," Gaia supplied. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop—"

"Blaise Consus Zabini," they heard as the doors swung in, and they both watched as a dazzling Ginny Weasley appeared in the doorway, a bottle of champagne in her hand. She was wearing a glittering forest green cocktail dress, and her red hair was piled on her head like a Greek goddess. "Since when do you ever keep me wait—"

She caught sight of Leolin and dropped the bottle, which thudded dully on the carpet.

"Leolin?" she bit out at last, and the aforementioned stood at once.

"Ginny!" Leolin cried, smiling before thinking better of it.

Ginny looked murderous, and she said nothing for a moment before she advanced, slapping Leolin as hard as she could across the face.

"Ginevra!" Blaise admonished as Leolin head flew to the left, but Leolin took the gesture without complaint.

Ginny and Leolin, stood staring at each for another tense moment, the former's lip trembling even as Leolin's cheek reddened. Finally, she crushed Leolin into her arms, simultaneously bursting into tears.

"Leolin!" she sobbed, and Leolin stroked her hair as she buried her face in Ginny's shoulder. "You're back!"

Leolin nodded, a happiness tingling through her that she hadn't felt since the rehearsal dinner.

"I'm back," she breathed.

Ginny pulled away a little.

"Look at your hair," she said, touching Leolin's sleek raven locks. "Does Draco know?" she added after a second.

There was something odd about the way Ginny said Draco's name, and Leolin realized that it was because it no longer sounded contemptuous on Ginny's tongue. Leolin supposed that if Ginny was engaged to Blaise, it wasn't be outside the realm of possibility that she was actually be friends with Draco as well.

Leolin looked down at the carpet and the forgotten bottle, her heart hammering at the very thought of Draco.

"No," she whispered quietly, shaking her head. "Not yet."

"Does your mum know?"

Leolin shook her head again. "You two are the first."

Ginny considered, and her face hardened.

"Where have you been?" she demanded. "Why didn't you write? We were all worried sick about you."

_I, Leolin Marie-Therese Anastasie Lefevre, do solemnly agree that I am henceforth banished from the United Kingdom, The Republic of Ireland, and the Sovereign State of France. I swear to relinquish contact with all those related to me, both by blood and by marriage, as well as any who have attended the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, either currently or in the past. I further relinquish contact with any and all guests who came here today with the intent to see my married. I accept in return the Le Fey potion as a reward for my compliance. I sign below in my own blood as a measure of my resolve._

"I've been in Florence," Leolin said in a soft voice, trying to forget the last time they had all seen each other. "As for writing, it's a very long story. I have missed you terribly, though."

Ginny looked at Blaise.

"Floo Pansy. Tell her we're not coming tonight." She turned back to Leolin. "I'm not letting you out of my sight until you explain yourself. I want every detail."

Leolin began to feel fretful, but she nodded.

"I will tell you everything, I promise. Just first, I need—can we just—catch up? Please, I've been traveling all day, and it's a long story."

Blaise and Ginny exchanged a look and he nodded.

"Alright, here's what we are going to do: the three of us are going to dinner, and we will won't ask any questions until after dessert. When it's over, though, you tell us _everything. _Agreed?"

Leolin nodded, biting her lip. She already felt sick in the re-telling.

"That's fair," she said, and Ginny squeezed her hand, the band of her canary sapphire engagement ring pushing into Leolin's skin.

Blaise flicked open his floo.

"Domus Aurea, may I assist you?"

"Hi Marc, It's Blaise Zabini."

"Blaise! Good to hear your voice! What can I do for you this evening, sir?"

"I'm hoping you can do me a favour."

"For you? Anything."

"Listen, I don't have a reservation, but I'm bring Genevra and a friend in tonight. We'll be there in twenty minutes."

"No problem. I've have your usual table rea—"

"No," Blaise said. "I actually want the whole place cleared out."

"Zabini, we're a full house tonight—"

"I know, and I'm sorry," Blaise said. "But I really don't want to be disturbed this evening."

"We would be more than happy to prepare the Lyre room for you and your guests—"

"No, I want the whole place. Of course I'll pay you for your trouble."

There was silence on the other end.

"Well?" Blaise inquired politely.

"Give us twenty minutes."

"Excellent, Marc, thank you. You won't regret it."

They hung up and Blaise gave a grim smile before turning back to the other two.

"Might as well have a drink while wait then, hmm?"

Ginny nodded, stooping retrieve the bottle she'd dropped.

"I should go floo Pansy and tell her we're not going tonight," she said, seeming almost sheepish. "Be right back."

She glanced at Leolin before straightening and heading for the door. However, Blaise had her gently by the wrist before she could get too far.

"Hey," he said softly. "Don't I get a hello?"

She glanced at Leolin again before smiling up at him. He smiled back, and Leolin could see a happiness and genuine warmth that was entirely new. She would have been lying if she said it didn't make her throat ache a little. It had been five years since someone had looked at her that way.

He bent to kiss Ginny and she bowed into his form.

"Sorry," Ginny breathed when they finally pulled away. "Hi."

Blaise dropped his forehead to hers.

"Hi back," he said quietly. They were both very acutely aware of Leolin's presence. "You look pretty tonight. Is that the new dress I just bought you?"

She nodded.

"Which reminds me," she said. "I need to go floo Pansy. Be right back."

She brushed another soft kiss of Blaise's lips.

"I love you," she said in a quiet voice, almost as if she was embarrassed for Leolin to hear her say it.

"I love you, too," he said seriously. "Hurry back."

She swept out of the room, leaving Blaise and Leolin in uncomfortable silence. Blaise filled the void by popping the bottle and pouring them each a flute. He handed Leolin one and she nodded in appreciation. They both took a long sip, unable to look at the other.

"I'm happy for you, Blaise," Leolin said at last, turning to face her old friend. "I really am."

Blaise nodded, giving her a concerned frown.

"Is this weird for you?"

She gave a somewhat sad laugh.

"I've been gone five years. I didn't expect things to be the exact same when I came back."

"But Ginny and I—"

"—are in no way a surprise. In fact, I think I would have been kind of surprised if you two _weren't _together. I'll never forget the way she acted when you brought Eleanor Riley to the rehearsal dinner. She was livid. "

"That was a stupid move," Blaise said, laughing sheepishly as he stared down into the shimmering contents of his flute, watching the bubbles rising to the golden surface and popping. "She dated Wes Carmichael for almost a year out of spite."

"When did you propose?" Leolin asked softly.

Blaise glanced at her. "Six months ago. But honestly, I would have asked her on the first date if she would have let me. She's my Leolin."

Leolin's head snapped up and her throat was suddenly uncomfortably dry.

"What?" Leolin asked, and Blaise looked away, flushing.

"Sorry," he said, clenching his jaw. Clearly he hadn't meant to let that slip out.

"What does that mean?" she demanded in a quiet voice.

"I just—she is to me what you were to Draco. She's my everything."

Leolin gave another sad smile, her heart clenching painfully in her chest.

_Leolin, I could never be happy with anyone else as long as you walk the earth; I mean that._

"I'm so happy for you, darling." Leolin said, smiling tightly. "I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you two ended up together."

"Me too," Blaise admitted seriously.

Just then Ginny reemerged. Blaise offered her a flute and she accepted it, smiling warmly up at him.

"What did Pansy say?" he asked.

"Oh, she was still getting ready. I talked to Tieran instead. I told him it was a crisis with your mother. He understands; they aren't mad."

"Gee," Blaise said blandly. "Thanks."

"Tiernan?" Leolin said. "Tiernan _Peakes_? As in, our old Hogwarts professor?"

Ginny and Blaise exchanged a look before Ginny shrugged and smiled.

"Welcome to the new age, Leolin."

"Pansy is dating Peakes? Oh my stars," Leolin said softly. "I think I need to sit down."

"Not dating," Blaise said. "They've been married for two years."

"She _married_ him? Merlin's beard!"

"I think there was always something there," Ginny said slyly. "Remember when she sauntered into Transfiguration with that fake note from Snape to get you out of class? He could barely think. He won't admit it, but he totally had a thing for her when she was his student."

"I don't remember her coming into our class," Leolin said, frowning quizzically. "Was this our sixth year?"

Blair and Ginny exchanged a cautious look.

"It was after Draco—collapsed from the fight from Cormac McLaggen. She was coming to get you."

_Draco collapsed in Potions and they took him to the Hospital Wing. They know; McGonagall knows, and because of the memory charm and the fact that Draco tried to cover up he was hurt, they think he started it. They know he started it._

_Where is he? Can I see him?_

_Blaise wanted to be the one to go, but I convinced him it should be you._

"Oh," Leolin said, bowing her head. "Right."

Blaise looked at his watch again.

"Should we go?"

The girls nodded, each draining their glasses and setting them down. Leolin was still reeling from the Pansy and Peakes news.

"Who else is dating or married now?" She asked, watching as Ginny twinned her hand with Blaise's.

"We'll give you the full run down when we get there," Ginny promised as they rode the elevator down to the apparation point. "Prepare to be stunned."

"Do you remember where this place is, Leolin?" Blaise asked wrapping an arm around Ginny. "Or do you want Gin to side-along with you?"

_Free tonight?_

_-L_

_Domus Aurea, 10 o'clock . Wear something nice._

_-D_

"No," Leolin said. "It was one of Draco's favourites, I've been there a million times."

"I figured you would," Blaise said, "Alright, see you in a second."

He and Ginny disappeared with a pop.

Leolin stood for a moment, trying to forget the way Draco had looked when she had met him at Domus Aurea for the first time. That was the day that he agreed to save Amelie from Lucius's clutches. That was the day she realized she still loved him.

She followed behind Ginny and Blaise, and when she arrived in from of the opulent building, a doorman was there to escort them inside.

"Blaise," the concierge said, smiling as Blaise ushered Ginny in. "Good to see you. And Ginevra, incomparably radiant, as always."

"That's what I'm always telling her," Blaise said, smiling affectionately down at Ginny.

"Marc, this is my cousin Alessandra. She just moved her from Florence."

"Benvenuti, Signorina," Marc said, smiling. There was a scrutiny in his gaze that suggested that somewhere in the annals of his mind he recognized her, though it was clear he couldn't quite remember how.

She's bloomed in the last five years, and her hair was so different it made it hard to recognize her. Besides, the sadness she bore made her look like a different person.

"Grazie," she said, giving a soft smile.

"Well, Blaise," Marc said, gesturing to the empty dining room. "Where would you like to sit?"

"Darling?" Blaise said, deferring to Ginny.

"Near the pool," Ginny said.

Marc nodded and ushered them over.

"A bottle of wine to start, Blaise?"

Blaise considered.

"Something bold," he said. "A french Cab, I think, Thank you. And we don't need menus. Just bring us three orders of the petite sirloins as well."

Marc nodded and headed back towards the kitchen. They sat down, and no one spoke at first.

"So," Blaise said at last. "Clock's ticking, Lai."

"Right," she said, though she paused when she saw Marc approaching again.

She appreciated that Blaise had covered for her. She didn't want news of her return leaking out until she got a chance to see her family and make a plan for Draco. When the glasses were poured and Marc was retreating again, they clinked glasses and all took a sip.

"Well," Leolin began, running a finger around the edge of her glass. "I suppose I want to start with you two. Tell me everything. Gin, what are you doing now?"

"I was playing for Holyhead as a chaser."

"That's brilliant," Leolin said. "Good for you."

"Yeah," Ginny said smiling as she looked at Blaise. He winked at her. "It was loads of fun."

"Shouldn't you be in season, then?" Leolin asked.

"I fell off my broom a few months back," Ginny explained. "So I retired. Now I write for Quidditch Quarterly, which I really love."

"That's too bad about playing, though," Leolin said, and Ginny nodded.

"I do miss it sometimes," Ginny said. "But I can still play when I want, and it's nice not having to live in Wales half the year," she said, looking up at Blaise.

He responded by leaning over to kiss her softly.

"I agree," he said.

Leolin looked down again, taking a sip of wine before watching them.

"So, when did this start?"

Blaise looked at Ginny pointedly, who rolled her eyes before smiling.

"I guess I _might _have developed a little bit of a crush on him at your engagement party at the Em."

Leolin laughed softly, pointing at Ginny.

"I _knew_ it."

"That's what Draco always says," Ginny said, and she and Blaise exchanged a glance.

"That was the night you literally _swore_ to me you'd never date Blaise," Leolin remembered. "Damnit, I _knew_ I should have gotten that on paper! I could be extorting you right now!"

Ginny smiled, looking adoringly up at Blaise again.

"But you were still dating Oliver Wood then, right?" Leolin said. "You didn't break up with Oliver until the engagement party at the Manor. That was like a year later."

"Right," Ginny affirmed, "It was a—a slow burn, I suppose."

"Or you're just stubborn," Blaise said, taking a sip of wine.

"Anyways," Leolin said. "Then what happened?"

"Well—" Ginny looked at Blaise again and he took her hand, squeezing in reassurance. "We started bonding after you left. Draco was just such a wreck and, well, we sort of banded together to try and help him get through it."

"You banded with Blaise to help get Draco through it?" Leolin asked quietly. "Merlin, it must have been really bad."

"It was worse," Blaise said grimly. "At first he was sick with worry, and he went all over Europe looking for you. But then after he realized you were—well, that you weren't hurt or anything, that you were living in Switzerland—he went off the rails."

They still thought you'd been in Switzerland? That meant Lucius must have truly lost track of her after she'd fled. That was interesting; encouraging, even. Still, it made her sick imagining how whatever lie Lucius had concocted must have torn Draco to pieces.

Blaise continued.

"He was constantly high or drunk or both, and it was a total nightmare. He quit his job and he would disappear for weeks at a time. I tried to help him, but mostly he didn't want me around. One time I went to Latvia to pick him up , and when I got there he was completely out of his head and refused to leave. I don't think he even really knew who I was. That's when I had to just—it's when I realized I was out of my depth. I wanted to help him, but there was literally nothing I could do anymore."

"But eventually he must of turned things around," Leolin said quietly. She felt so guilty it was making her physically ill.

"He did," Blaise agreed. "But it wasn't me; he had no interest in anything I had to say, no matter how often I said it. In the end, the only person who could talk any sense into him was the one person he said really understood what he was going through.

"Who was that?"

Ginny and Blaise exchanged a look. Clearly they knew they were about to drop a bomb.

"Your mum," Ginny said gently. "After Blaise came back from Prague without Draco, your mum went instead. In the end he listened to her. They're really close now."

Leolin smiled in spite of everything.

"You're kidding," she said softly, unable to hide her crushing disappointment. That fact should have objectively made her happy, but in reality it just made her hideously sad.

Ginny gave Leolin a sympathetic frown, reaching over to squeeze her hand comfortingly. Leolin accepted the gesture wordlessly and with a smale smile.

"Anyways," Blaise said, clearly eager to talk about something more cheerful. "Once Drake started feeling better the three of us started hanging out more, and then Gin finally broke up with that sod Wes Carmichael and she told me that if I asked her out she would probably say yes."

"Probably say yes?" Leolin laughed. "Oh come _on_, Gin. Like you didn't know he'd been madly in love with you since school!"

Blaise shrugged mildly.

"And I'm not ashamed to admit it," he said, turning to Ginny. "I would have waited a thousand years for your hand, Ginevra Weasley.

Ginny over to brush a soft kiss on his lips. Her creamy complexion was so lovely against his caramel one.

Leolin smiled, her stomach still twisting painfully from the story about Draco.

"That's so excellent," Leolin said, her throat tightening painfully as she forced herself to smile again. "When's the wedding?"

"Not for a while," Ginny said. "I want to wait until after Draco marries Genevieve."

_Genevieve Beauchene_. That was her name. Leolin considered it in full. _Genevieve Beauchene-Malfoy_. Her heart stopped beating for several seconds, but she savagely fought to remain neutral. She took a sip of wine and gave another small smile, though this one was fake.

"So, you two, Pansy and Peakes. Who else?"

Ginny laughed.

"You're not going to believe some of them when we tell you."

"Nikki Clearwater and your brother George?"

"Married, and they have twin girls, which is total madness. They're almost three now."

"Ieuan Bird."

Blaise and Ginny exchanged a bemused expression.

"Engaged," Blaise said, taking a sip of wine before refilling their glasses

"What's she like?" Leolin asked happily.

"_He's _very nice," Ginny said pointedly, and Leolin smiled. "They're due to get married this fall."

Leolin gave a small smile.

"Good for him. What about Astoria?"

"She married Teddy Nott. They have the most adorable son named Roger. He is like a butterball turkey."

"Daphne?"

"She's married to Graham Montague. Not sure how long it's going to last, though. He's a bit of a good-for-nothing."

"Tell me something I didn't know," Leolin muttered darkly.

"He's gotten worse," Blaise said, jaw set. "But its messy because they have two children and Daphne can't manage to use the good sense she was born with."

"Is she worried about the children's safety?" Leolin asked.

Ginny shook her head.

"I will say this for her, if he were threatening her boys she'd already have been gone. She doesn't want to leave and give up her claim on his money."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Leolin asked.

Ginny shrugged.

"Because she hasn't changed at all, I suppose."

"What about Kelly Troy?" Leolin asked.

Blaise studied her keenly, though his jade eyes were the slightest bit unkind.

"He's married to a Scottish girl. I don't know her name."

"He was asking about you the other day," Ginny supplied, studying Leolin's reaction as well, though with less scrutiny. "I've always quite liked him. Draco still hates him, though."

"Because of me?" Leolin asked. "Why should either of them care anymore? They're both moved on."

Blaise shrugged.

"I think they were pre-determined to hate either other. You were just a convenient conduit for their dislike."

"Charming, Blaise," Ginny snapped, poking him in the ribs.

"No," Leolin said. "He's probably right."

"I am right."

"Blaise!" Ginny demanded. "Merlin!"

"I'm glad he's married," Leolin assured then. It was an easy lie to tell because it was mostly true. She was happy he'd found someone to make him happy, even if imagining the specifics did make her somewhat queasy.

"What about Ron and Hermione?" she asked, looking at Ginny and forcing herself to smile.

"They got married last month in The Canary Islands. Hermione hasn't said anything yet, but I am fairly sure she's pregnant."

"What about Gracie Boyle?" Leolin said. "I always imagined she and Adrian Pucey would end up together."

"No, Adrian married Isobel Lord," Ginny sneered. "Remember her? The Ravenclaw seeker?"

"I wish I could forget her," Leolin said derisively, and Ginny nodded her agreement.

"I know," she said. "I _hated_ her."

"Talk about a match made in _hell_," Leolin said, curling her lip.

"You don't know the half of it. They got married three years ago and they were only married for like six months. They were always getting into these public fights then reconciling. Honestly, it was a total circus."

"What did they see in each other?" Leolin said, mildly horrified. "And why did the universe allow the two worst people on Earth to get married?"

"I think they saw themselves in each other, which is exactly what self-centered people are looking for. I mean they are both good-looking and nasty, so at first they got on like a forest on fire," Blaise said.

Leolin waved her hand, taking a sip of her wine to indicate she didn't want to hear more.

"Just get to the good part where they get divorced!" she laughed.

Ginny laughed, too.

"It finally started completely falling apart, and was this rat race to see who could file first. I think Adrian actually won that battle, but Isobel definitely won the war. She took him to the _cleaners. _She seriously got her hands on every sickle he had, and he had quite a few from his parents. He went completely bankrupt."

"Cant say that makes me sorry," Leolin said. "Adrian and I _never_ got on. He was a twat in school, too. Even when we were all supposedly friends."

"I think the feeling was mutual" Blaise said. "He was insufferably smug when you left. If Draco hadn't been so heartsick, he would have ripped Adrian's lungs out."

Leolin shook her head in annoyance.

So what about Gracie?" Leolin said. "Or is she still single?"

"Gracie Boyle?" Ginny said, exchanging another look with Blaise. "You mean Grace Marie Potter?"

Leolin set down her fork and Blaise and Ginny both laughed.

"Stop," Leolin said softly. "You're having me on."

Ginny smiled.

"I swear we're not."

"Gracie married _Harry_?" Leolin repeated in disbelief. "Do they have kids?"

"Two girls," Blaise said.

"How old?" Leolin asked, stunned.

If there were two people that seemed more ill-suited than those two, Leolin couldn't think of them.

"Scarlet is four and a half and Sophia is three. They've having a third in August."

"They have a four and a half year old?" Leolin demanded. "They're been together for _that _long?"

"They got married six weeks after you left."

"_What?!"_

"Harry said they got to chatting at your rehearsal dinner ball and just sort of…fell in love."

"Got to chatting?" Leolin repeated, dumbfounded. "Got to _chatting_? That makes it sounds so casual. As if they hadn't be pre-destined to loathe each other on sheer principle! Merlin, I can't believe they fell in love at _my _wedding." Leolin asked quietly. "I don't know whether I should feel flattered or culpable."

"That's what Draco said when he first found out," Blaise murmured before taking a bite of steak.

"I know it sounds dodgy, but they're actually really are lovely together," Ginny said. "She's his Leolin."

Leolin looked down at her plate, her heart aching a little again. She could tell that like Blaise, Ginny hadn't meant to say that. It had simply slipped out.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said at once, covering her mouth with her hand. "I shouldn't have said that."

"Is that a thing?" Leolin asked softly. "To be someone's—Leolin?"

Ginny looked at Blaise, who sighed.

"The Slytherins have been saying it since school. Bird started it, and it just sort of stuck."

"And Draco—allows it?"

Ginny and Blaise exchanged another look.

"No one says it in front of him," Ginny said in a quiet voice.

Leolin nodded in understanding.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" Blaise said.

"A bit, I suppose," Leolin admitted, taking a last bite of her petite sirloin before looking up. "I would just think that being someone's Leolin doesn't mean what it used to."

"Does it not?" Blaise said, putting down his napkin and taking another sip of wine before gesturing for another bottle. "I suppose that remains to seen."

Leolin looked down again. She longed to confess how desperately she still loved Draco, how badly she had missed him, but she knew that it would mean very little to them until she admitted the truth about why she had left.

"Dinner's almost over," Blaise pointed out after a long silence. "Isn't there something else you want to ask us?"

"What do you mean?" Leolin said softly.

"Don't you want to know about Genevieve?" Blaise asked in a solemn voice.

Leolin considered, trading a look with Ginny before staring down at the tablecloth.

"Is she Swiss?" Leolin asked tentatively.

"Swiss?" Ginny asked in confusion. "No. What makes you say that? She's an American."

Leolin's heart fell from her chest, and it felt as if it was tangled in her small intestine.

"She's a _yank_?" she demanded in a quiet voice. "Draco's marrying a _yank_?"

"That's what I said," Ginny grumbled and Blaise shot her a look before nodding in answer to Leolin's question.

"Draco met her three and a half years ago in New Orleans."

Leolin was still trying to stomach Draco with some horrid American girl.

"What's she like?" Leolin asked tentatively.

Ginny and Blaise traded a look that Leolin couldn't read. That terrified her. What if she was lovely? What would Leolin do then?

"She's—nice. Very Southern," Blaise said.

"Southern?" Leolin repeated. 'What does that mean?"

She'd never really cared to understand all the different regions in America. Leolin bit her lip.

"Gin?" she asked.

"It means she's unfailingly sweet and polite and diplomatic even when she's pissed off, and it can be next to impossible to get her to say what she means. Also she wears a lot of pastels."

"Ginevra," Blaise said in warning.

"Is any of that untrue?" Ginny said evenly.

"How did he meet her?" Leolin asked gingerly. Somehow she'd imagined that Ginny's reaction would have been stronger, more violent. Perhaps she just hoped it would be. It scared her to think that Ginny might actually like this woman.

"Drake and I were down in New Orleans on business, and Max Brankovitch introduced them at a party."

"Max Brankovitch, the quidditch player?"

"Yeah," Ginny said. "The seeker for the American National team. He and Gen have been friends for awhile."

"When did Draco propose?"

"About six weeks ago."

"Where?"

Blaise and Ginny traded another look, and when Blaise met Leolin's gaze again there was pity in his eyes.

"In the Louvre in Paris."

_"What did you think of the Louvre, Draco? See anything you liked?"_

_"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I loved Canova, especially Mars and Venus. I think that would be amazing in the garden. What do you think, Cal?" _

_"I just can't believe you of all people liked Canova."_

_"I guess you and I have similar tastes, my love."_

"Oh," Leolin said, looking down as her cheeks flamed. "That's a lovely spot."

"I'm sorry," Ginny said at last. "I know you—"

"Don't be," Leolin said. "It's a perfectly normal place to propose. It's very romantic."

They nodded and fell silent again, each brooding in their own way. Leolin, for her part, was simply fighting now to pass out. She hadn't expected the Louvre bit, and it stung immensely. The Louvre had been her second home for years, and it was her favourite place on earth; Draco knew that. Has his decision to take Genevieve there been conscious or unconscious?

"Does he love her?" Leolin asked at last, and Blaise sighed before looking at her steadily.

"Yes, he does."

Leolin glanced at Ginny, who looked down at the tablecloth in response.

"I wasn't sure he did at first," she admitted. "But—yeah, I think he does."

"So she's his Leolin," Leolin said in a soft voice, looking at her lap.

She willed her hands not to shake. Merlin, was she too late?

Ginny's eyes snapped up and she and Blaise shared a loaded look before breaking eye contact.

"Is this just a coincidence?" Ginny asked finally. "You showing up here two days before Draco's engagement party?"

Leolin looked elsewhere.

"I think you know the answer to that," she whispered, taking another large sip of wine.

"Do you still love him?" Ginny demanded point blank.

Leolin considered this before simply saying, "Yes."

"Then why this drama?" Ginny demanded in a soft voice. "You could have married Draco five years ago. You would probably have children by now! What was the point of all this?"

"I know that," Leolin said. "And I assure you that I'm not trying to create some big scene."

"Then why did you leave?" Blaise demanded. "And you better have a damn good reason."

"I do," Leolin said.

"Go on, then," Ginny said. "We're listening."

Leolin nodded. "Well, first you should know that I never wanted to—"

Just as Leolin was shoring herself up to spill her secret, the front doors of the restaurant flew open, and a team of Aurors came pouring in. Leading them was a cocky lieutenant, a gleaming badge affixed to his belt. Leolin looked up at him and sneered, recognizing him at once.

"What's the meaning of this?"Marc demanded "This is private property, Lieutenant Pucey. You can't just barge—"

Adrian Pucey simply held up a hand to silence him before roughly pushing a piece of crisp parchment to Marc's chest. "I think you'll find I have every right to be here. Stay out of it or I'll arrest you for obstruction of justice."

"Lieuten—" Marc began, but Adrian swung his right arm back and hit Marc in the face with incredible force. Marc crumpled with a cry.

Blaise was on his feet now, eyes teeming with concern before taking his old schoolmate in contemptuously.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Adrian?" He demanded.

Adrian came toe-to-toe with Blaise and sneered. He too was taller than Leolin remembered, and he grown from scrawny to lithe. She could see the sleek curvature of his biceps as he crossed his arms across his chest, and his dark trousers fit snugly around his long, lean quadraceps. His tawny, gold-flecked eyes glittered as his full lips skinned back from his teeth, which were so white they were almost blue.

"Good to see you too, Zabini," Adrian said at last. "It's been too long. And Ginevra," he said, finally tearing his eyes away from Blaise to leer at Ginny dispassionately. "You're a vision in that dress. A wet dream, even."

"What do you want, Pucey?" Ginny snapped, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

Adrian ignored her, his light eyes on Leolin now.

"I'm here for Leolin," he said arrogantly, his tawny eyes glittering as he finally approached her. "It's true what they say, Lefevre," he said in a husky voice. "Absence really _does _make the heart grow fonder. I have missed those perfect tits of yours."

Leolin picked up her wine glass and splashed the contents in Adrian's face. He growled in annoyance before snapping his fingers. Immediately, two aurors clamped hands on Leolin's arms, and she struggled against them. Adrian wiped his face and ran a hand through sandy hair before glancing at Leolin again. When he did his expression was more neutral.

"Leolin Lefevre," he said, picking a grape off her plate and eating it. "You're under arrest."

"Are you mad?" Ginny demanded. "For what?"

"Assaulting an officer of the law, for one," Adrian said, smiling for the first time.

"I can't believe you're an auror," Leolin hissed, still struggling. Her arms were beginning to ache.

"Turns out I have some influence with the minister," Adrian said casually.

"Of course you work for Lucius," Leolin sneered, and Adrian shrugged.

"Someone has to uphold the laws of the land, Lefevre."

"I hate you," Leolin bit back.

"What are you doing here, Adrian?" Blaise demanded again. "This is ridiculous."

"Actually it isn't," Adrian countered, coming to stand toe-to-toe with Leolin, crossing his arms over his bruising chest as he bent condescendingly so he could look her in the eye. "Lefevre came into the UK via a fake Muggle passport today, and I'm afraid that's illegal. Take her and let's go, boys."

"That's fucking trumped-up and you know it," Blaise snapped.

"Not at all," Adrian said, straightening to sneer at Blaise. "Homeland security is one my obligations. I have to take forged documents very seriously, especially when in the hands foreign nationals."

"Foreign nationals?" Blaise scoffed. "She's a British witch!"

"Actually," Adrian said, looking at Leolin again. "She isn't. She relinquished her citizenship five years ago. Isn't that right, Lefevre? That means her crime falls under my jurisdiction. Better luck next time, Zabini. Come on, he said, putting a hand to Leolin's lower back. "Daddy's waiting for you."

_Leolin, Is Adrian bothering you?_

_He's Adrian; his very existence bothers me. He's bothering me right now, in fact._

_I'm serious. Pansy told Blaise he's been dogging you this term. Is that true? I want you to tell me._

_"You're not my boyfriend, Draco. I don't need you to protect me anymore. Don't worry about that cunt Pucey. I can handle him._

"You're a cowardly little creep, Pucey," Ginny hissed nastily. "Let her go or I'll call Draco."

Adrian whipped around, jerking Leolin around and making her groan in pain. Her cuffs were tights.

"Is that so, she-weasel? And what is it you think that's going to accomplish?" he said nastily.

It was clear from his tone that he was still very afraid of Draco.

"He's still out of the country with that tight little fiancée of his," he continued. "Besides, what makes you think he'd want to do this one any favours?" He said, grabbing Leolin's chin roughly

She rolled her neck to try and and break his grip, but that only made him squeeze harder.

"At this point I think Malfoy would be happy to see Leolin behind bars."

"I will fucking kill you," Ginny seethed, sneering as Adrian pressed his cheek suggestively against Leolin's.

"Zabini," he said imperiously, meeting Blaise's eye this time. "Control your little brat. I would hate to have to drag her in as well."

Adrian gave Ginny a condescending leer, and cocked his head to the side as if he was sizing her up.

"Actually, I would love it. Go ahead, Weasley, take a swing at me."

Ginny moved to strike him but Blaise had her around the waist in a second, hauling her back as if she were a rag doll. Adrian laughed again, clearly pleased.

"Well, we best be off. Good seeing you both. Move it, Lefevre."

"This isn't over," Blaise spat. "Lai, I will call your mum and dad. They will have you out before Lucius can even see you."

"I'm afraid not," Adrian said, tossing another sheet of parchment on the table in front of them. "That's an injunction for your silence. If you breathe a word of this investigation to anyone, I haul you both in."

Blaise and Ginny exchanged a look.

"It's alright, Blaise," Leolin said. "Don't say anything. I can handle Lucius."

"Lai—" Ginny began, but Adrian was already dragging Leolin to the floo, and in an instant he'd thrown a handful of powder on the flames and they had both disappeared.

They arrived at the empty Ministry building a few moments later, and Adrian jerked her roughly out of the grate, ordering his subordinates away before dragging Leolin to an empty room behind steel bars. He all but threw her inside and forced her to face him. He was even bolder now that he had her alone.

"Oh Lefevre," he said nastily, cruel eyes glittering even though he wasn't smiling. "How I hoped it would be me that caught you. Lucius has been waiting for you to cross the border for days."

"Let go of me," she sneered, pushing on his chest.

"The Minister can't see you until the morning," Adrian informed her matter-of-factly. "That means you have to spend the night in lock up. See you tomorrow."

He turned on his heel.

"You can't be serious," she sneered, looking at the spartan bed and stone floor of her cell. "You honestly expect me to stay here?"

He turned back and rolled his eyes.

"Did you think there was going to be a feather bed?" he snapped.

"Oh come _on,_ Adrian!"

He shrugged, crossing his arms.

"I guess I could let you—" he began dispassionately

Leolin came to the bars, trying and failing to mask her eagerness.

"Let me what?"she demanded.

Quick as a flash, he had her by the wrist, pulling her forward until she was flush against the bars.

"Come home with me. I guarantee you'll be more comfortable."

He raised his eyebrows suggestively, and Leolin could practically hear his pulse quickening.

"And all you have to give me in exchange is—"

Leolin, who had suffered enough sexual manipulations for ten lifetimes, stomped on his foot through the bars. The stiletto drove painfully into the top of his toebox and he cried out in pain.

"You fucking _bitch_," he hissed, still bent double.

"I would rather die that sleep with you," she sneered. "You make me _sick_."

"Funny," he pulled her hair painfully and forcing her head back so she was forced to look him in the eye. "That's what Malfoy's going to say when he finds out you're back. He bloody _hates_ you, Lefevre. I bet he hates you even more than you hate me."

"That's simply not possible, Adrian," she said, disgusted.

"You'll fighting for a lost cause, Leolin. Genevieve is fucking gorgeous. You should see the way Draco looks at her."

Leolin turned her head away, trying to block out Adrian's chatter. Her heart was hammering in her chest again as she fought savagely not to cry. She hadn't cried in years, and she wasn't going to start now, least of all for Adrian Pucey.

"Fuck off," she grit out.

"You're a little brat, Lefevre," he sneered. "You always have been. Someone needs to teach you a lesson in respect, and I promise you that someday person is going to be me."

She frowned. He was more aggressive then she remembered.

"Don't look so worried," he said, eyes dancing across her face and reading her expression. "It not going to be painful. Although—" he reached a hand through the bars to finger a strand of her straight black hair. "It will probably make you scream. I know how loud you can get."

He mimicked an expression of sexual ecstasy and she slapped his hand away, scowling.

"I already told you," she sneered. "I will _never_ sleep with you," she sneered.

His eyes flashed. She could tell she'd knicked his pride and she gave a grim smile.

"Wanna bet?" he said nastily.

"Any time," she shot back. "Besides, you couldn't make me come even if you tried."

He looked ready to hit her, but instead he just gave her a nasty leer.

"We'll just see who's right in the end. Sleep tight, Lefevre."

Leolin hurled obscenities as he disappeared back down the hall, and when he was gone, she sank down, pushing her head between her thighs and trying to breathe. What the _fuck _was she going to do now?

**A/N: PLEASE REVIEW. **


	3. Chapter 2: Pay the Piper

**"In order to play the game of love, we must all sooner or later pay the Piper"**

**Chapter Two: Pay the Piper**

_Leolin stood nervously in the terminal at Heathrow airport, trying not to look so suspicious as she chewed on her lip nervously. Cristian had agreed to go to her and Draco's flat and fetch some of her things before meeting her, and she waited anxiously for him to arrive. She had already tried penning a note to her mother, but every time Leolin began, the ink would simply fade off the page. She'd tried flooing Ginny as well, but the call never went through and she accidentally burned herself trying to send a written message._

_She looked around again. She'd used the last of her muggle money to buy a jacket and shoes to cover the fact that she was wearing a silk nightie, but she wanted to change into something of her own. She felt so ashamed already, she at least wanted to be in control of what she looked like._

_She continually reached to touch her key or play with the band of her engagement ring, and she grew fretful every time she realized she had neither anymore. They were just a cruel reminder she didn't have Draco anymore either. She looked at her watch. It was nearly five now. She'd been gone almost ten hours. Surely by now Draco knew she was gone. Would he come after her? Would he know where to look? What would happen if by some miracle he did find her? Would the curse even allow him to see her? She didn't know._

_She bit her lip again. Where was Cristian? How long did it take to gather a few things? For a hideous moment she imagined him bringing the note she'd written him to Draco and telling him that they were going to run away together._

_"Hello, lapin."_

_Leolin whipped around, her lip trembling a little._

_"Where have you been?" she demanded, tears in her eyes. "It's been hours."_

_"I was in Marrakech when you called. Traveling in and out of North Africa is not so easy these days, even for a wizard with an Algerian passport. And it wasn't exactly easy to sneak into your flat," he said, setting down her bag and nudging towards her with the toe of his boot. "I had to wait for the…hubbub to die down."_

_Her eyes snapped up to him._

_"You saw Draco?" she demanded. "How was he?"_

_"What's it to you?" he asked, smiling. "You're the one that riled him up in the first place."_

_"It's not like that," she demanded._

_He ignored her._

_"I have to admit," he said. "I can't help but feeling smug. It's the day of your wedding to Malfoy, and here we are getting ready to run away together."_

_"It's not like that!" she repeated fiercely. "I—I don't want to go. Lucius is forcing my hand. Speaking of which, we have to leave. We have to be out of the United Kingdom by sundown."_

_He nodded again, his smile widening._

_"We'll go to my flat in Geneva first, there are some things I need there. From there, we can leave for Rome."_

_"I've changed my mind. I want to go to Florence."_

_He shrugged._

_"Florence, then."_

_She bit her lip again and nodded. The truth was that it didn't matter where she ran; her shame would follow her anywhere._

_"Alright," she said, bending to retrieve her bag. "Let's go then."_

_"Ah, ah, ah," he said, putting a foot on the duffle so she couldn't pick it up. "Not so fast, mon lapin. We haven't talked about what all this is going to cost you?"_

_"Didn't you get the 100,000 galleons from my safe at the flat? I told you that half was yours if you just got me to Florence."_

_"Oui, I know, but I've decided that's not enough."_

_"Cristian," she hissed. "Please, don't be greedy. That's all the money I have. I'm broke. Now please, can we go? I'll die if I'm not out of the UK by sundown."_

_He only folded his arms across his chest to signify he was unsatisfied._

_"Fine!" she snapped. "You can have seventy! That's really the most I can spare."_

_"This isn't about money, cherie, though I'm happy to take your 70 thousand."_

_"If it's not about money then what do you want?"_

_He smiled._

_"What have I always wanted?"_

_She considered him._

_"No," she sneered. "Never. I would sooner die."_

_"And so you just might," he said, smirking before wrenching her bag away and turning. "Au revoir, cousine."_

_She bit her lip, her mind racing. Was she really willing to die for this? For her pride?_

_"Wait!" she cried, and he turned around, his sick smile broadening._

_When he was close enough she finally nodded, looking down at her feet in sickened shame. First Lucius, now Cristian. Draco wouldn't want her even if he could find her._

_"Well?" Cristian said when she didn't speak._

_She nodded again._

_"Okay, I—I'll do it. But you have to promise me that you won't renege on any part of our deal!"_

_"You have my word."_

_"That's not enough," she said fearfully. "I want you to sign a contract."_

_Cristian only smiled._

_"I don't have to do that."_

_"Yes, you do. If you don't, I'll—"_

_"You'll what? He countered. "You have nothing to bargain with, lapin."_

_She bit her lip because he was right._

_"Fine," she said. "When we get to Florence, I will give you one night."_

_He shook his head._

_"Non," he countered. "You uncross those lush thighs for me and **then** I take you to Italy."_

_"There isn't time for that," she said in agitation. "I have to be out of the empire in two hours!"_

_"Then we should stop dawdling," he said cruelly. "Allons, come hold on to me. I know a place where we can go."_

_She didn't bother to hide the tears as she continued to stand stock-still._

_"Please Cristian," she said in a soft voice. "This has already been the worst day of my life. I just want to leave."_

_"Allons," he repeated, stepping towards her and snaking his arms around her waist. "I will take you away when it's over."_

_A better version of herself would have pushed him off, would have told him to go to hell. However, after everything she had been through in the last twelve hours, she was currently the worst, weakest, most pathetic version of herself, and she crumpled in reaction to his touch, sagging against him as her soul flitted free of her body. If she couldn't be a person anymore, she would just be an object. Cristian couldn't hurt an object. He couldn't humiliate a thing. She cried as he apparated them, trying to embrace her objecthood and take her mind off his roaming hands._

* * *

Leolin woke to the sound of clanging, a stiff pain immediately shooting down her neck as she stirred.

"Rise and shine, Lefevre," Adrian called, running his wand along the bars of her cell and making a grating _rat-at-tat-tat-tat_ sound. "The minister's asked to see you."

"Goddamnit," she hissed, gently easing into a sitting whole body ached. "Stop that."

She sat up fully and scowled at Adrian. He was dressed more casually than he had been the day before, wearing nothing more than a pair of dark jeans and a white button-down, though he still wore his gleaming badge, which was clipped onto his belt. His hair was still wet from his morning shower, and Leolin wondered what time it was. Probably still fairly early.

"Not much of a morning person, are we, Lefevre?" Adrian goaded, watching dispassionately as she smoothed her hair and adjusted her fitted skirt and long-sleeved white blouse, now tinged an unbecoming grey.

"Fuck off," she snapped, stepping back into her Manolo's.

Adrian unlocked the cell and clapped her back in cuffs, dragging her to the lift and punching the top floor. She'd never been to the Minister of Magic's office, but she figured it was somewhere near the glass dome at the top of the building. She was right.

She bent her head as Adrian dragged her onto the executive floor, still trying to work out the kink in her neck. She didn't want to admit it, but she was a little afraid. After all, last time she'd seen Lucius, he'd ruined her life. She wasn't eager to find out what he wanted this time, considering it was likely more of the same. Part of her feared that he was going to kill her, and after everything she'd been through, the thought was equal parts terrifying and infuriating.

Soon they arrived outside the mahogany doors.

"Stay put," Adrian ordered lazily, throwing a freezing spell on her legs before slipping into the office.

He was gone for what seemed like forever, but in reality Leolin was sure it was only a minute or two. Finally, he emerged, freeing her and dragging her into the room. By now her heart was going mad, but instead of getting afraid like she used to, she began channeling her adrenaline towards strategizing again. She'd outwitted Lucius before. In fact, she was fairly sure she'd outwitted him by going to Blaise first and not home, and that might have saved her life.

She imagined Lucius would be waiting for her when she arrived, but she didn't immediately see him as she stepped in. That made her anxious.

She began to give a little resistance in her steps as she grew more agitated, despite her efforts to remain calm. Adrian responded by giving her shackles a forceful tug, and she cried out as the movement bent her shoulder at an unpleasant angle.

"Stop being difficult," he said, sounding almost bored. "Or I'll break your arm."

"Fuck you," she sneered.

"Now, now, Leolin, let's have none of that."

Leolin's eyes snapped up, and that's when she finally saw him. Lucius had been looking out the window when they first came in, but at the commotion he'd turned, smiling blithely as he gazed at her.

He looked largely the same, not a day older than he had been when she'd last seen him. The only betrayal of his age was the silver that now streaked his blonde hair, and the slight wrinkles that had formed at the corners of his eyes and across his brow. His silver eyes watched her keenly, and she stopped struggling with Adrian as their eyes finally met. He appraised her openly before his gaze skated over her shoulder.

"Go outside and watch the door," He told Adrian. "And you can take those chains off her."

Leolin gave Adrian a nasty look as he did as he was told, and as he vanished her manacles, giving her an even uglier look back. She didn't move, her chest heaving slightly as she contemplated what she could or should do.

"Welcome back, Leolin," Lucius said in a deadly voice when Adrian was gone. "I must say, I was right all those years ago in Gringotts. You have bloomed into an exquisite beauty. But then, I suppose you're a girl made lovely by sadness, aren't you?"

"If you expect me to weep and cower in front of you like I used to," she said in a cool tone. "I'm afraid you're going to be bitterly disappointed."

"No," he said, his voice slick with venom. "I suppose I don't. But you should know that I have half a mind to spread those lush thighs and fuck that pink cunt again."

She flushed against her will. Hard as she'd tried, she had not forgotten the shame and humiliation she'd suffered at his hands.

"You're welcome to try," she bit out.

"Perhaps later," he said, pleased to have put her on the ropes. "I have to admit I never thought I'd see you again."

She understood his thinly veiled threat. He'd ordered her never to return, and his orders were rarely disobeyed.

"You stole my life from me," she said evenly. "Did you really believe I would never come back for it?"

"Yes," he said bluntly. "I was quite certain I'd seen the last of you. And yet here you are."

"Yes, here I am," she agreed.

"And where is it that you've been hiding all this time?" he asked. she wasnt smiling, but there was a self-satisfied glimmer in his eye that made her stomach hurt."

"You don't know?" she asked.

"I lost track of you in Geneva," he said, voice uncharacteristically mild.

For once in her life, she was grateful for Cristian. He was at least good at covering their tracks.

"So where is it you've been?" he pressed.

"I was in Seville," she said evenly, unblinking. She'd been lying non-stop for five years. She was excellent at it by now. That was something Lucius had yet to discover.

"Seville," he repeated, eyes glittering as his lip quirked into a smile. "Fascinating."

"Does that surprise you?"

He smiled.

"Quite a bit."

"Why?"

"That's for me to know. Tell me, did it take you all five years to break the charm?"

"Three," she said.

He tensed his jaw, latently annoyed. She had a feeling he'd tasked someone else with weaving the charm, and he was regretting not simply doing it himself. She suspected that if he had, she'd still be stuck in Florence.

However, after a moment his nastiness faded a little, and he gave another charming, albeit dangerous, smile.

"Well aren't you a resourceful little witch."

"I was a determined little witch," she amended. "I think you'd agree that's a lot more potent than resourceful."

"Indeed. And I suppose you think you're rather clever , don't you?"

"I suppose I do."

"How long will that last, I wonder," he said somewhat snidely.

"I wouldn't dare guess," she said, pleased at the evenness she'd managed to keep in her tone.

A tense silence reigned before she finally spoke again.

"Why am I here?" she said at last, and he raised his eyebrows.

"You and I had a bargain. Leolin. Don't you remember? You broke our bargain, and now I'm going to make you pay for it."

She clenched her jaw, the fear rising in her chest again. She wished she still had her wand.

"What are you going to do to me?" she asked.

He considered, his placid façade not totally concealing the searing cruelty underneath.

"If you were anyone else, I would kill you," he admitted.

"But you can't," she pointed out. "Ginny and Blaise know I'm here, and they both have influence. That kind of a scandal would ruin an empire; even one as powerful as yours."

He gave her an ugly sneer, confirming what she'd said.

"You were clever going to Mr. Zabini first; I admit I didn't anticipate that. If you'd gone to your mother I would have had you before you could've even made a move."

"I know how you think," Leolin said evenly.

He gave a nasty smile. "Do you really? Interesting. If you know my tricks so well, how is it that I was able to desecrate your marriage bed and drive you out of England in the first place?"

She clenched her jaw again, a familiar grief welling up in her stomach.

"I'm not the same little girl I was back then," she said in a soft but determined voice.

"Indeed you aren't," Lucius said, and she ignored the insinuation, trying to suppress the memory of him buried inside her.

"What do you want from me?" she repeated. "Why am I here?"

"You say you've come back to reclaim the life you think I stole from you. I am right in assuming that includes Draco?" he asked.

She said nothing, fighting to remain insouciant. However, Lucius read her stony silence at once.

"Ah, yes," he said, smiling a little "Of _course_ you came back from Draco! Well in that case, you and I want the same thing."

"And what's that?"

"To break up Draco's engagement."

She considered this, folding her arms across her chest.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that now you want Draco and I to be together?" she demanded.

He smiled. "I never said I would allow you to be together," he replied. "You break them up then you disappear. This time for good."

"Why don't you want Draco to marry that girl?" Leolin asked.

"That's none of your concern, I'm afraid."

She considered this.

"You have nothing left to threaten me with," she said as calmly after a moment. In truth, her heart was beating like a Cherokee drum. "And I would rather die than help you, especially when it comes to hurting Draco. You made me do it once; I'll never do it again."

She tried to keep her voice steady, but it was difficult. She was desperately afraid; there was no point denying it. Even after all these years, she'd never forgotten the sound Draco's jaw had made when it had snapped underneath Lucius's boot, nor the way he'd beaten Draco half to death over the incident with Amelie and her father.

"Is that so?" Lucius sneered, rising from his desk and drawing his wand from his cane.

Leolin fought the urge to back away or flinch. Her heart was hammering in her chest so hard she thought it might break from its cage, but she savagely fought to remember what Lucius had stolen from her all those years ago, and the anger fueled her courage.

"You know that it is," she bit out.

"I must say, I'm impressed by your foolhardy courage," he said. "Though there are, of course, other ways to compel your cooperation. Crucio."

Leolin's knees buckled immediately as she was wracked by an incredible pain. It was as if every nerve had been doused in gasoline and lit on fire, and she clenched her fists so tightly in an effort to control the sensation that she felt blood running down her palms. She grit her teeth to keep from screaming, but as the sensation endured, she couldn't hold it back any longer. She gave a dark scream of anguish, tipping forward onto her ruined palms as another cry ripped through her. Finally, the pain ceased, and she tipped back to sit on her heels, heaving and sweating.

"What do you think about my offer now?" Lucius said.

Leolin must have bit her cheek when she was trying not to scream, and she spat out a mouthful of dark blood onto Lucius's pristine carpet.

"Go to Hell," she grit out.

"Crucio."

This time she began to scream immediately, electrical currents of excruciating pain sizzling up and down her arms and legs, across her back, and through her chest. She could feel her mind shutting down, trying to avoid the pain. Just when she thought she could bare it no longer, the pain stopped.

She dry heaved, but she had nothing to purge, and she simply made a horrible wretching sound before pitching sideways and lying panting on the ground.

"What about now?" Lucius said, and she sat up, wiping her bloodied lips on her sleeve.

Her heart was hammering wildly in her chest and every part of her act, but still she did not relent.

"No," she said, her breathing laboured. "And you can no more torture me into insanity than you can kill me. You know that. I'm not your little puppet anymore. Give up."

He raised his wand again and she bowed her head. The pain never came.

"Perhaps you're right," Lucius said finally, coming towards her and kneeling so they were level. "Perhaps I'm just not asserting the right kind of pressure."

He made to drive a hand into her blouse, but a second later he recoiled his hand in pain.

"You little bitch," he sneered, slapping her across the face even as his palm sizzled.

"Ever time you try to touch me it'll be worse. Keep going, I dare you."

He slapped her again to assert his dominance, but it must have been excruciating because his touch barely stung.

"How terribly clever," he sneered.

"You can thank Lilly Potter; I based my spell on hers."

"I'm flattered you took the effort," Lucius sneered again

"I've suffered enough sexual humiliation at your hands," she seethed, still heaving from the pain of the Cruciatus. "The days of you manipulating me are over."

"Crucio!"

The third time was infinitely worst than the first two, and she could feel her mind fading in between reality and fantasy as the pain continued. She was utterly spent after it was over. Lucius smiled as he stood over her.

"Well," he said, "It would seem you truly can't be persuaded. Pucey?"

Adrian swept into the room, waiting for orders.

"Sir?"

"Arrest her."

Adrian dragged Leolin to her unsteady feet even as she bucked against him. In response, he drove the heel of his boot into the back of her knee, temporarily hobbling her as she cried out in pain.

"On what grounds?" she demanded breathlessly, still wincing from the pain in her knee.

"And call the International Aurors Office," Lucius continued, ignoring her and sliding his wand back into his cane with a snap.

"What are the charges?" Leolin demanded.

Lucius finally looked up at her, and something about the gleam in his eye made her blood run cold. _Surely_ he couldn't know about—

"For the theft and illegal sale of muggle works of art by Wizarding artists."

She gave a cold laugh in a vain attempt to mask her surprise and horror.

"You've got to be kidding! You think I'm La genie du mal? That's mad!"

"I don't think you are," Lucius said, snapping his fingers at Adrian who released Leolin's wrists and pushed her forward roughly.

She stumbled a little, taking the extra time to try and get her thundering heartbeat under control. Her mouth was dry as dust.

"I know you are. Would you like to know how I know? Sit down."

She didn't move.

"Adrian?" Lucius prompted, and Adrian strode forward, forcefully kicking Leolin's feet from underneath her, causing her to tumble unceremoniously into the chair.

She made to stand again, but Lucius flicked his hand at her and she was immediately glued to the chair.

"Let go of me," she sneered.

"I know it's you, Leolin," Lucius said calmly. "You and that enchanting creature Severina Borgia."

"I hate her! Why would I—"

"No more lies," he sneered, growing annoyed. "They're tedious and insultingly unconvincing."

"I'm not lying."

He ignored her, opting to give a blithe smile instead. The silence went on so long that she began to fidget, and he laughed.

"Go on," he goaded. "Ask me."

"Ask you what?" she said trying to keep her voice even.

He furrowed his brows in feigned-anguish, clearly mocking her.

"How did I know? How could I _possibly_ have known?"

Leolin clenched her jaw, unwilling to give ground even as she watched the foundations of everything she'd spent the last five years building beginning to quake. He took her silence as permission to speak.

"As you know," he began casually. "I'm a man of discerning tastes, and I have a—weakness for beautiful and expensive things."

He gave her a pointed leer, and she curled her lip at the insinuation that she was such an object.

"And as I watched this thief gallivant around Europe picking off priceless Muggle treasures, I decided I had to have one as well. I sent someone to start making inquiries. People were understandably hesitant to talk at first, but my agent was very good, and over time he gained details about La Genie. How one could go about contracting him and hiring him. His methods of delivering works to you. What guarantees could he provide that the International Aurors Office wouldn't come banging on my door.

It was a long and tedious process, I admit, but by this time I was determined to have one of these pieces for myself. Finally an art dealer in Belgium revealed that if someone was looking to contact La Genie, they ought to go to Rome."

Leolin felt the colour draining out of her face. She knew that man well; his name was Vincent Maes, and he was a good source for new clients.

"When he said Rome, I started to suspect the Borgias were involved, so i sent my agent down there to confirm my suspicions and earn me an audience. After all, Fausto Borgia and I go back a long ways. However, when the agent showed up to the party, it was actually _Severina _who greeted him. She, too, kept him a very safe distance, but eventually she agreed to introduce to a Parisian art dealer who might be able to help him."

Lucius smiled, and Leolin fought not to be sick.

"Imagine his surprise when Severina brought him to a party and introduced him to a woman named Naomi Thénard who happened to look just. like. you."

He paused for emphasis as Leolin bowed her head to catch her breath.

"Oh Leolin," he said sardonically, a cruel smirk splitting his face in two. "I don't think you understand how delighted I was to have finally found you again. Five years of searching, and suddenly there you were, right in front of me. The best part was that I had just begun to need you again, and I was admittedly worried I would have to find another little pawn to play your part."

She shook her head, truly lost for words. What had she done to spite Fate so badly that it felt justified in arranging their intersection? His eyes glittered as he continued.

"The only problem, which I admit was fairly ironic, was that the gag made it impossible for me to bring you back immediately. You seemed rather firmly entrenched in Italy, and even I will admit I'm hesitant to invade Borgia territory. However, my agent spotted you in Paris two weeks later, which meant you had begun to break the gag yourself. I could have intercepted you in France, I suppose, but I decided it would have been cruel to rob you of your moment of victory, so I just waited for you to cross the border on your own. I believe that brings us to the present."

Leolin was breathing hard, knowing he had her beat. Her mouth was dry, and she felt like she'd swallowed a fistful of jagged glass.

"How long have you known it was me?" Leolin asked quietly.

"Sixth weeks, give or take," Lucius replied.

Leolin bowed her head. She'd just barely missed her window. Had she broken the gag two weeks earlier, she would be in Draco's arm already.

"Now," Lucius said triumphantly. "Let's talk about our new bargain."

Just then Adrian's floo began to softly emit smoke, and he flicked it open.

He read it in silence before smiling, nodding at the minister, and turning to the door.

Leolin watched him go before turning back to Lucius.

"What do you want me to do?"

For now, this was her only hope. She would have to think of a way to outfox him, but she had to play along, at least for now. That bit made her heart ache.

"It's simple, really," he said. "You break Draco and Genevieve up then leave, just like before."

"How do you expect me accomplish that?" she demanded quietly. "Draco hates me."

"Trust me," Lucius said in a nasty tone. "He hasn't forgotten that sweet, wet cunt of yours. I'm sure you will find a way to—convince him back into your arms."

She bit her lip, forcing herself not to cry.

"I'm willing to be generous," he sneered. "You can sleep with him as many times as you need to in order to convince him."

"He hates me," she repeated.

"He doesn't," he said evenly. "He only thinks he does. He won't know what it means to hate you until you leave again."

She frowned sourly.

"How are you going to keep me from just telling him the truth?"

"By making you sign this. You breathe a word to him or have someone do it for you, and the Aurors will be there within five minutes to clap you in irons and haul you straight to your twenty-year sentence in Azkaban. No trial, no jury, just prison. Then we'll see if Draco still wants you when you're forty five and haggard."

"He would," she said savagely.

"Then go ahead and tell him." He leaned over the desk menacingly, pushing the contract towards her. "I dare you."

She knew Draco couldn't, no matter how hard he would try. She'd seen what thirteen years had done to Sirius Black, and he'd been innocent; that was what sustained him. He was also an animagus, which Harry had said confused the dementors. She wouldn't have either of those things. She would come out a haggard wraith of who she was now. Her vanity couldn't bear that. Her love of _Draco_ couldn't bear that.

"Fine," she whispered hatefully, signing her name with a flourish. "I'll play your stupid game. How do you want me to start?"

Adrian was back now, and he threw a glittering envelope on the desk.

"With this," Lucius said gesturing to the envelope.

Gingerly Leolin picked it up, but when she saw the handwriting on the front she dropped it again, her hands going to her mouth.

"Here," Lucius said. "Allow me."

He tapped the envelope with the head of his cane and it sprang to life, announcing its contents in a stuffy voice.

"Leolin Lefevre," it began. "Mr. And Mrs. Lucius Malfoy and Mr. Louis Beauchene cordially invite you and a guest to celebrate the engagement of Draco Lucius Malfoy and Genevieve Margaux Beauchene Saturday, May the Fifth, at seven o'clock in the evening at The Malfoy Manor. Please indicate below if you will attend and whether you intend to bring a guest."

The note went silent and fell limply in Lucius's hand, and he skimmed the contents again.

"Draco's even included a personal note at the bottom," he sneered, skidding the expensive parchment across the desk to her.

Leolin picked it up with shaking hands. Draco had already marked the box indicating 'No guest'. Below it he'd written: _Your absence would be a grave mistake_.

"How did he even know I was back?" she asked in horror.

Lucius gave what supposed to be a flippant wave of his hand, but his eyes were glittering now, drinking in her dispair.

"Oh, you know how gossip goes. Adrian casually mentions it to someone in the Emerald Crocodile, and suddenly every Slytherin past and present is talking about it. I'm frankly surprised it took this long for Draco find out. I half expected him to come storming over here last night, calling for your head."

Leolin must have looked pathetic, because he laughed.

"Don't look so frightened, my dear. I wouldn't actually have let him _kill_ you."

She bowed her head again.

"What am I supposed to wear?" she asked quietly.

It was an inane question, she knew, but it so much easier than all the other things she could have asked.

"I already had a dress tailored for you," Lucius said casually, as if reading her inanity and anticipating that was what she was going to say. "It's at your stepmother's shop. I thought you could kill two birds with one stone. I'm sure your parents will be _thrilled_ to have you back."

She looked at him, a hideous sadness welling in her eyes. She weighed her next move, knowing it was an exercise in futility. However, she would regret it if she didn't at least try.

"Lucius," she said in a tense voice, looking into her lap before looking up at him. "I—" she began, jaw tense.

"Yes?" he pressed eagerly.

He knew what she was going to say next, and he'd anticipated the words with a sadistic glee.

"I'm begging you to reconsider. I love Draco. I will do anything else you ask. I—I will be your lackey for the rest of my life. Just _please_, let me be with him."

Lucius gave her a grim sneer.

"If you hadn't cast that charm," he said savagely, leaning forward. "I would have you make that plea on your knees."

She recoiled, horrified and disgusted. This made Lucius laugh.

"Now run along, you have a lot to do in the next ten hours."

At first she couldn't move, but Lucius jerked his head to Adrian.

"Give her back her wand and get rid of her," he sneered, standing. "I have no more use for her at the moment."

Adrian hauled her roughly up, his grip so hard she knew it would leave a bruise.

"Come along Lefevre," Adrian said, dragging her towards the door. Lucius trailed behind, and just before Adrian pulled her out, Lucius placed a soft kiss on her right cheek. She was sure it was excruciating, but he held on for several seconds just so she knew who was in charge.

"Welcome home, Leolin."

* * *

When she had been released and her wand had been returned, Leolin had immediately changed her appearance before apparating to Diagon Alley. Her long ebony bob was suddenly a head of strawberry curls, and her dark blue eyes were a bright spring green. Her nose and lips shifted as well, and when she inspected herself in the window of a shop she passed, she reassured herself she was unrecognizable.

After what she'd just went through, she couldn't bear another emotional tidal wave. Besides, as desperately as she loved her father and stepmother, she owed it to Ariadne to go home to her first. After she tackled her reunion with Ariadne, she could go to her father and Amelie.

What was she doing? Immediately, she changed her appearance back. She couldn't lie to Amelie like this. Amelie was her family; she deserved the truth from Leolin. It would kill her to find out that she'd been with Leolin and not known it.

No. Leolin changed back to the strawberry blonde. She just wasn't ready. She needed to see her mum first. She would apologize to Amelie later. Right now, she just had to get through this and get home. Lucius was right; she had a lot to do before the party.

She vacillated back and forth between blonde and black the entire journey. Finally, she stood outside the door to Amelie's sleek salon, smoothing her dark hair and bracing herself. However, when she looked inside and saw a wedding dress hanging on a stand, she immediately balked, transforming again before stepping through the door.

It was bloody chaos inside, There were people standing all over the place, all holding tickets and excitedly discussing their dresses. Before she could stop herself, Leolin recognized Madison Livington, who was arm and in with Lavender Brown, and Eleanor Riley, who held up a canary yellow dress to show her friends, who were also Hogwarts alum.

Despite the pandemonium, a perky young attendant was on her at once.

"Good Morning! Welcome to Bellenger! Can I help you find something?"

"Yes," Leolin said carefully, extracting a ticket Adrian had given her from her purse and handing it to the attendant. "I'm here to pick up this dress."

The girl examined the ticket, and her eyes lit up.

"Oh I love this dress! It's so magnificent! You're going to love it."

"I can't wait," Leolin affirmed, feeling nervous as she made to stand out of the way of another attendant, who was pushing a cart of dresses out the door.

The girl helping Leolin picked up her floo and flicked it open.

"Amelie? Someone is here to pick up order # 319."

" Enverrais son dos ici, s'il vous plaît?" came Amelie's reply. "I want to make sure the dress fits properly. Merci."

Hearing her voice after all this time made Leolin's heart ache. Leolin should have come as herself. She wondered if it was too late, and she decided it was.

"Ms. Bellenger would like to see you in the dress and make any last minute adjustments. If you would follow me, I will show you the way back."

Leolin reluctantly followed, her pulse throbbing.

"Watch your step," Amelie called from somewhere as they got to the fitting room. "My son Henri's toys are everywhere."

Leolin stepped over a small train that was whistling and softly emitting smoke, her throat aching painfully. Henri. He must have been Amelie and Adrien's new baby.

"Bonjour," Amelie said, emerging at last from the back. She had a small boy on her hip. "I'm Amelie Bellenger."

"Naomi," Leolin bit out, a tingle running up her arm as she shook Amelie's hand.

She really just wanted to hug Amelie. Why had she come here as someone else?

"And this is Henri," Amelie said. "Can we say 'allô', Henri?"

She tickled the toddler's belly, and he giggled but looked away.

"Oh," Amelie said. "Today we are feeling shy? Usually Maman cannot get you to be quiet, chou."

Henri buried his head in Amelie's shoulder. Leolin surveyed her stepmother, who looked beautiful and elegant as ever. She was wearing a fitted charcoal sheath, and Leolin could see a slight rounding in her belly. Amelie was pregnant again, though she was probably only three or so months along.

"Come in," Amelie ushered her forward and kicking the train away. "Would you like anything? Water? A glass of champagne?"

"I'm fine," Leolin said, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"Non?" Amelie said conspiratorially, winking at Leolin. "No champagne? I was hoping you'd say yes so I'd have an excuse to have one myself."

She gave a musical laugh.

Leolin smiled, nodding. "Busy day?" she asked, admiring all the dresses hung up around the room.

"It has been a madhouse," Amelie admitted, setting Henri on the floor with his train. "I had sixty-four dress orders for this party, and it seems that everyone has waited until today to come and pick them up."

Leolin flushed. "I'm sorry—"

Amelie gave a sweet laugh. "Oh no, Cherie, I did not mean you. I mean women who are in my salon three days a week ordering things. You would think some of them could have picked these dresses up before now! And my husband took the groom out for the day, so I have the boys."

Adrien was out with Draco? Leolin's pulse spiked. What she would've given for them to have been this close when Draco was Leolin's fiancée.

"You have more than one?" Leolin asked, indicating to Henri. She vainly hoped Max was with Amelie as well.

"More children?" Amelie clarified. "Yes. My oldest is Max. He's six. He went to the zoo with his grand-mére today, but Henri is only two, and I think he's too young. Besides, my mother-in-law can truthfully only manage one monster at a time. That's why I brought Henri with me."

Leolin nodded in understanding.

"Amelie?" another voice called from the hall.

A harried-looking seamstress came in carrying a gold dress carefully embroidered with thousands of crystals and delicate beads.

"For the bride," Amelie explained, watching Leolin admire it.

"It's lovely," Leolin said, swallowing the lump in her throat. "She has wonderful taste."

"She does," Amelie affirmed, and Leolin's stomach clenched uncomfortably.

She'd secretly hoped Genevieve was ugly and unstylish.

"Though I was rather surprised when she asked for this," Amelie continued.

"Really?" Leolin said, trying not to sound too interested."Why?"

"She usually has very restrained taste," Amelie admitted. "I've never seen her wear something this glamourous before."

Leolin tore her eyes away to glance at her stepmother. Somehow that stung, too. Leolin'd envisioned Genevieve as all tacky pushed-up breasts and big hair. She didn't want to imagine her as an elegant or sophisticated beauty.

Leolin glanced at the sparkling gown again. She wondered what Draco would say when he saw Genevieve in it. The bodice was form-fitting and had a generously cut neckline, and the gold beads shone like rays from the sun. If Genevieve was as beautiful as Adrian claimed, she was going to stun in it.

By this time, Henri had gotten up and tottered over to Leolin, a well-worn stuffed lamb under his arm. He looked up at her bashfully, chewing on his index finger as if trying to decide if he liked her. She bent a little.

"Hi Henri," she said in a soft voice. "Who is that?"

He didn't say anything, but after a minute of deliberating he answered.

"Lambie," he said in a tiny voice. "L'embasser."

He held the lamb out to her, and she did as he asked, giving the creature a soft kiss. When this was done he extended his arm up, indicating he wanted to be picked up.

"Sorry," Amelie said. "He is such a little prince. He wants always to be held. You don't have to hold him."

Leolin scooped him up in response, sitting him comfortably on her hip. It was heaven feeling his weight against her, and she laid her head atop his. She was sick to her stomach at not knowing Henri until now.

"He is so beautiful," Leolin said reverently, smoothing his soft hair.

"Merci," Amelie said. "I think so, too. Why don't you get undressed? There is a robe just behind the divider. Martha should be back by your gown in a minute. Here, you can give Henri to me. Allons, my petit monstre, let us let Naomi change."

It ached to hear Amelie call her that, and it ached when Henri fussed, wanting to go back into Leolin's arms. All Leolin wanted to do was hold him.

"You are fine!" Amelie tutted at him, rocking him a little as her floo smoked softly. She flicked it open.

"Ros?"

That must have been the perky attendant out front.

"Amelie, Miss Beauchene is on the floo for you."

"Is this about the dress? It's done. She can come pick it up anytime."

"No, she said it wasn't about that."

Amelie shifted Henri.

"Alright, then pipe her through."

Leolin was glad she was hidden behind the partition so she didn't have to hide her expression. She felt so nervous and agitated she wanted to vomit, and she hoped Amelie would leave the room before getting on the floo. She didn't. Instead, she threw a handful of purple powder onto the flames, and a voice rose from it, disembodied.

"Amelie?" came the pretty drawl. Genevieve voice was high and musical, and if Leolin had to guess, she probably had a gorgeous singing voice. "It's Genevieve. Do you have a minute?"

"Of course, ma belle," Amelie said, making an apologetic face at Leolin, who had just emerged from behind the partition in a silk robe. "What is it?"

Leolin opened her arms to offer to take Henri, and Amelie nodded her thanks and handed him over. He seemed contented by the switch, and Leolin swayed a little.

"Have you been in touch with Adrien?" Genevieve replied.

"I haven't talked to him since this morning," Amelie said, going to a chiller and pulling out a bottle of champagne. She flicked her wand to unwrap it. "Is something wrong?"

Genevieve gave a delicate laugh like a ringing bell.

"Of course not! I just have to ask Draco something, and he's not answering his floo. It's typical, isn't it? A man invents something then refuses to actually use it."

Her drawn-out syllables and breathy timbre agitated Leolin; it made her restless. Of all the women in the world...

"Do you want me to try calling Adrien?" Amelie asked half-heartedly.

Leolin could tell she was torn between being helpful and wanting to attend her client without interruption.

"Would you mind terribly?" Genevieve said in a kind voice. "Oh Ami, thank you. I know you're so busy today."

"Of course," Amelie said in veiled distraction, popping the champagne and pouring a glass for Leolin and offering it to her. "If I reach him I will have him tell Draco to floo you."

"Did Adrien say how long they would be out?" Gen asked. "I slept _right_ through Draco leaving this morning. I didn't get any of the details about today."

"They're at that whiskey distillery they like in the near Glasgow, but Adrien promised Draco would be at the Manor no later than five," Amelie affirmed, pouring herself a teeming glass of champagne and taking a healthy sip.

"Oh Amelie, you're such an angel. Thank you."

Genevieve hung up and Amelie took another sip as Leolin joined her.

"You seem close," Leolin said softly, indicating the floo.

"We have known Draco a long time," Amelie affirmed, flicking some powder onto the flames and saying her husband's name. "He is very dear to my husband Adrien and I. He was engaged to my stepdaughter before he met Genevieve, but we've grown very fond of her as well."

Leolin nodded tightly. The baby's breathing had grown rhythmic, and Leolin continued to rock him, happy for an excuse to break away.

"What happened?" Leolin asked in a soft voice.

Amelie clenched her jaw, probably in an attempt not to cry.

"To my stepdaughter? She left on the day of the wedding. I think she moved to Switzerland. We haven't seen her."

"I'm sorry," Leolin said in the same soft voice. "I'm so terribly sorry. You must miss her."

Amelie gave an appreciative smile.

"Like crazy," Amelie admitted, her voice a touch sad now.

She might have said more, but suddenly the floo picked up.

"Allô?"

Adrian's voice filled the room, and the hair on Leolin's arm stood up. It had been five years since she'd heard that voice.

"Adrien, c'est moi. How is the tasting?"

"Delicious," her father affirmed, laughing. "If I could drink whiskey instead of water I would be the happiest man on earth."

Amelie gave a good-natured tut.

"Tell me you are not getting Draco drunk."

"Depends on your definition of drunk."

Amelie laughed. "Because you promised wouldn't get drunk without me!"

Now it was his turn to laugh, and the sound stirred a bevy of bittersweet memories for Leolin.

"You are pregnant, Ami!"

Amelie took another sip of champagne.

"A little now and then never hurts."

"Did you just call to tell me you check on us? I appreciate your concern," he said.

"Non," she replied. "Genevieve just called me. She was looking for Draco. You haven't lost him, have you?"

"He's passed out, I'm afraid," Adrien said. "We're going to have a devil of a time sobering him by seven o'clock."

Amelie laughed.

"That had better be a joke, Adrien Lefevre!"

"Il est ici. Do you want me to put him on? Draco!"

Leolin's eyes snapped up, an odd and unpleasant emotion bubbling in her chest. She wasn't ready for this.

"Non," Amelie said. "I'm with a poor client who is currently holding your needy little prince of a son. I don't have time to chat. Just tell Draco to call Gen, s'il vous plaît."

There was silence for a moment then Adrien was back.

"He's calling her now. Anything else, mon cœur?"

"Oui," she said. "I love you desperately."

"I love you more," he said in a soft voice. "See you this evening."

"À bientôt."

Amelie hung up, taking another sip.

"I am so sorry, Naomi!" she cried as Martha brought in the dress bag at last. "I hope you don't think too poorly of us."

"Not at all," Leolin said. "Henri and I are bonding."

Henri was sleeping now, his head slumped onto Leolin's shoulder as he quietly snoozed.

"I will take him," Amelie said in a whisper, extracting him from Leolin's arms and setting him down in a crib in the corner. "Now! Finally, let us get you into your dress!"

Amelie opened the bag with her wand, levitating the dress slowly to the floor. It was a classic ball gown, strapless and voluminous, and made of the beautiful deep red satin.

"What do you think?" Amelie said

"I love it," Leolin affirmed, touching the fiery skirt. "I love the exposed back."

"So did my stepdaughter," Amelie said, smiling. "Allons, let us get this on you."

When it was in place, Leolin turned to the mirror, momentarily startled when she saw the face staring back; she'd forgotten she was wearing the glamour.

"It looks amazing with your figure," Amelie said.

Leolin touched her hair.

"It would look better if I was a brunette," she said, already trying to imagine what she herself would look like in the dress.

"Non," Amelie fibbed. "Your hair is beautiful."

Leolin nodded, though she could tell Amelie agreed it was a dress for a brunette.

"I was worried," Amelie admitted. "I do not usually make dresses just from measurements. I was worried—" she paused, laughing a little. "It takes a very particular figure to fill this dress out properly. I can see now that it will be perfect on you."

She helped Leolin step into it.

"Let me just make a few adjustments," Amelie said, flicking her wand left and right.

Leolin could feel the dress contouring perfectly to her body, and she was pleased with the result in the mirror. She wondered what Draco would think. It was not nearly as extravagant as Gen's gown, but the cut, material and colour certainly made a statement.

"All set," Amelie said, helping Leolin ease out of the gown. "You can get dressed again, ma belle."

Leolin nodded.

"Thank you so much," she said seriously, and Amelie smiled.

"Of course. Thank you for wearing my designs."

Leolin nodded again, slipping into her own clothes and picking up her purse and slinging the garment bag over her arm.

"Perhaps I will see you this evening," Amelie said, accompanying Leolin to the front.

"I hope so," Leolin admitted, longing for a real conversation with her stepmum.

It was still nutty in the lobby, and there were more women than before. Leolin recognized some from school, but something about that was painful, and she tried not to look too closely.

Just as Leolin was heading out, a young boy came bounding in, crying "Maman!"

Leolin watched him rush past her, taking in his soft green eyes and chestnut hair. Max was a perfect mix of Adrien and Amelie, and Leolin couldn't believe how big he was. The last time Leolin had seen him, he was Henri's age.

"Allô, mon canard. How was the zoo? Where is your grand-mére?"

"Where is Henri?" Max asked excitedly. "I want to tell him about all the animals!"

"Henri is napping. Maximilien, did you lose your grand-mére?"

"Je suis ici," Leolin's grandmother said, sweeping in a well-cut lilac blazer and skirt. "Amelie, zeez boy eez exhausting," Marie said with a dramatic flick of her wrist.

Leolin bit back a wry smile. Marie rarely missed an opportunity for theatrics.

"I know," Amelie said, smiling as she smoothed Max's hair back. "Thank you for taking him. Adrian sprung this trip with Draco on me last minute, and I have a trillion things to do before tonight."

Marie sniffed. "Êtes-vous toujours aller à la fête ce soir?" she asked, a little indignant.

Amelie rolled her eyes, hugging Max again.

"Of course I'm still going to the party," Amelie said. "I wouldn't miss it."

"Even zough zeez Américain floozy 'as stolen Draco from our Leolin?"

Leolin's heart thudded painfully into the dark hollow between her ribs.

"Maman," Amelie said tiredly. "Gen did not steal Draco. Leolin left. You know this."

"And when Leolin comes back? What zen?"

"I don't think she is coming back," Amelie said a defeated voice. "Much as I wish she would."

"And eef she does?"

"Then it is between her and Draco."

Leolin was standing frozen, listening as they bickered. She wanted to scream 'I am back. I never wanted to leave!'

"Oh, Naomi," Amelie said. "I'm so sorry! I had no idea you were still here. This is my other son, Max, and my mother-in-law, Marie."

"Bonjour," Leolin said, nodding at Marie. "C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer."

Marie gave her an approving glance.

"Vous aussi."

"Can I get you anything else before you go?" Amelie said. "The dress was already paid for, so don't worry about that."

"No," Leolin bit out at last. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I am loitering. I should be going. Lovely to—uh—meet you all. Au revoir."

With that Leolin hurried out of the shop, trying to catch her breath. She looked around for a moment, thought in retrospect she had no idea why; she knew where she had to go now. She'd been putting it off for two long. She had to go home. She looked at her watch. It was nearly four. She didn't have much time.

She took another deep breath, looking longingly back at Amelie's storefront before closing her eyes and spinning away.

She arrived outside the familiar brownstone several seconds later, taking a deep breath and removing the glamour. She would never dream of meeting her mother as anyone else. Her hands were shaking as she ascended the steps, trying to think what the hell she was going to say.

She knocked three times, so nervous that she was a little afraid she would faint. She heard shuffling behind the door, and she steeled herself. The locks clicked, and finally the door swung wide.

"I—" Leolin stammered, staring into the face of the man who'd answered.

She never imagined that her mother might have moved.

"I'm sorry," she bit out, blushing furiously. "I have the wrong house. Sorry to disturb."

"Leolin?" The man said in disbelief.

He had late forties, she guessed, with a grey hair, a neatly-trimmed beard, and a thick Scottish accent. He had a kind face that exuded trust, but after years of lying and thieving, Leolin remained suspicious.

"Who are you?" she demanded, backing away ever as the man was opening the door wider.

"Ari!" he called desperately. "Come down here."

He looked back at Leolin, who was watching him now in alarm.

"Shit!" Ariadne called from somewhere inside. It sounded like she was running down the stairs. "Is that Adrien already? And why's not at the and not coming through the floo? I thought he was still with Dr—"

Ariadne had reached the bottom floor now, and when she looked up, she dropped the dazzling earring she'd been trying to jam in her ear. She wasn't dressed for the party yet, but her hair was curled and she was wearing makeup. She looked more sad than Leolin remembered, but she was still lovely.

"Leolin?" Ariadne asked, sounding almost fearful. "Is that actually you, or am I dreaming again?"

"Hi Mum," Leolin whispered, and Ariadne flew forward, sobbing as she threw her arms around Leolin.

Leolin dropped her garment bag and purse as she buried her face in her mother's shoulder, squeezing her as tightly as she could and trying to re-memorize the way it felt to be in Ariadne's arms.

"Oh Leolin!" Ariadne said through her tears, stroking Leolin's cheeks. "Oh my gods! I was so worried I'd never see you again!"

"I know," Leolin said, anguished. "I'm so sorry Mum. So, so sorry."

"It doesn't matter!" Ariadne said, holding Leolin's cheeks in her hands and surveying her. "I only care that I have you back. Promise me you'll never leave again."

Leolin thought about Lucius. She had to find a way to break his hold over her.

"I promise," she said solemnly, and her mother rained kisses on her cheeks.

"My baby is home," Ariadne said in awe, smoothing back Leolin's sleek locks. "You changed your hair," she said.

Leolin touched it self-consciously.

"Yeah," she said. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," Ariadne said, touching it reverently, tears still in her eyes. "It's beautiful. I just can't believe how grown-up you are."

Leolin nodded, not knowing what to say to that. It was then that she remembered the stranger who'd opened the door. She looked at him bashfully, and Ariadne turned to him.

"I'm so sorry!" she said to Leolin, coming to stand next to the man and pressing a hand to his chest. "Leolin, this is your stepfather, James."

Leolin looked up at her new stepdad, feeling like the rug had been yanked from beneath her feet. She'd always urged her mother to meet someone, and she was happy for Ariadne, but as with Ginny and Blaise, it was painful to see how all their lives had morphed in her absence. She felt as if her piece no longer fit the larger puzzle.

"Leolin," James said steadily. "I—I can't tell you how happy I am to meet you. Everyone just thinks the world of you."

Leolin smiled in spite of herself, shaking his outstretched hand before letting him pull her into a hug.

"Thank you," she breathed, enveloped by the smell of soap as his arms encircled her. "And not everyone, I'm sure."

Ariadne gave her a sympathetic look.

"Come inside," she said, throwing her arms around Leolin again. "I want to catch up."

They ushered Leolin in and shut the door, and Leolin looked around, re-familiarizing herself with the space. It was just like she remembered, though there were now clues that James lived there as well.

"Would you ladies like some tea?" James asked. "I can put on the kettle, if you like."

"Do you have any whiskey? That would be better," Leolin said as she and Ariadne sat down on the couch.

James smiled.

"That's my girl. I'll go fetch it. You two catch up."

Both women watched James head to the kitchen, and they were silent a moment before Ariadne spoke, tucking some of Leolin's hair behind her ear as she bent her head to star into her lap.

"Does Draco know you're back?" Ariadne said quietly at last.

Leolin nodded.

"And are you going to the party tonight?"

Again, she nodded.

"He invited me, though I have a feeling it's not to bury the hatchet," she said at last, unable to hide her sorrow.

"Oh Leolin," Ariadne cooed, and Leolin tipped sideways to lie her head in her mother's lap.

"Thank you," Leolin said at last, calmed by her mother's steady hands as they ran through her hair.

"For what, lapin?"

"For not asking me why I left. I—I know you're probably wondering, but you should know—I didn't want to. I felt like I had to."

"I know," Ariadne said softly. "I've always known that," Ariadne said. "Just like I knew you'd come back someday."

"Everything's changed," Leolin observed sadly.

"It is," Ariadne agreed. "But you should know that some things aren't set it stone. It's not too late to alter your destiny."

James brought out the whiskey and they all drank in comfortably silence, Leolin still curled against her mother.

"Did you come back for him?" Ariadne asked quietly.

Leolin squeezed her eyes shut, trying to forget the deal she'd made with Lucius.

"For Draco? Yes," she admitted. "I still love him."

Ariadne nodded, smoothing her hair.

"Are you sure you want to go tonight?" Ariadne said in a soft voice. "I worry—it's not going to be easy, my darling. Genevieve is—she's a gentle hurricane. I'm worried the force of her will blow you away."

"I have to go," Leolin said, sitting up. "I have to face this head-on."

"Then we're here for you," James said. "All four of us."

Leolin smiled, nodding her thanks.

"How long have you two been married?" she asked her mother, happy to talk about anything but Genevieve.

Ariadne smiled warmly at James.

"It was two years in January."

"Where did you meet?"

Ariadne looked at James, who smiled warmly back.

"Well three years ago I was looking for this book for my fiancée at the time," James explained. "And it was really rare, so I went to Obscurus for some help. That's when I first met your mum. She was the most gorgeous, brilliant witch I'd ever met, and I started to fall in love at once. We got to know each other as we were looking for this book, which was so ironic, because by the time we found it I was so in love with her I knew I had to break off the engagement. The funny bit is, the night I went home to end things, she was mid-shag with my neighbour. Turns out they'd been carrying on for months, even before I met your mum. I have to tell you, I've never been so happy to be cheated on in my life."

Leolin laughed, a joy seeping in as she watched her mother beam.

"So what happened next?"

"I was shocked when he came in the next day wanting to take me to dinner," Ariadne said. "Considering we'd just spent six weeks tracking down this book for the woman he was purportedly going to spend the rest of his life with."

"What did you do with the book?" Leolin asked, and Ariadne pointed to the mantle, where an ancient folio sat in a frame next to that their wedding photo.

Leolin's smile faded a little, and she drew her wand and flicking her wrist so the photo came zooming into her hand.

She studied it, feeling equal parts happy and sad. She couldn't believe she'd missed this day. Ariadne and James were in the middle of the photo kissing. Adrien and Amelie were next to them, smiling at each other. Amelie's belly looked ready to pop. Sian was next to them, holding Max's hand and smiling. Conor, Marc, Roderick, Gabriel and their respective wives were all crowded around as well, smiling and jostling each other. On the other side of the couple stood Blaise, who had slung on arm over his mother's shoulders as he grinned down at her. Lauren looked resplendent as ever, though Leolin noticed her ring finger was bare in the photo. Next to Blaise was Ginny, who stood between him and Draco, holding each of their hands as she and Draco shared in a joke. Leolin tried to hide her anguish, but seeing everyone so happy and knowing she missed it made her throat ache.

"I wish I'd been there," Leolin said softly, and Ariadne kissed her temple.

"Me too."

"Maybe this year we could renew our vows," James suggested. "Then we could all celebrate together."

Leolin nodded.

"I would love that."

"Then that's what we'll do," Ariadne affirmed, just as the clock began to chime six.

"Merlin's beard, it's six already? Leolin, if you really are serious about going, you should get ready. We don't have much time."

Leolin nodded again, standing up. Just then, the floo flamed, and Amelie and Adrien stepped out.

"I know we're early, but I though we'd have a drink—" He stopped, staring.

"Merlin," he croaked, drinking Leolin in. "Is it really you?"

Next to him, Amelie was looking her up and down, no doubt recognizing Leolin's outfit. She looked up, tears in her eyes.

"It was you?" she asked, a sob rising in her throat. "Today in the shop? That was you?"

At first Leolin thought she was angry, but a second later she threw her arms open and Leolin ran to her at once.

"I'm so sorry, Ami," Leolin whispered. "I didn't mean to trick you. I just—I didn't know what to say."

"It doesn't matter," Amelie said. "Somewhere deep down I knew it was you. And you're right, lapin. This hair suits the dress better."

Leolin smiled, wiping at some of her stepmother's tears before detangling from her embrace and hugging her father.

"Leolin," he breathed, as if unsure she was real. "Leolin, Leolin, Leolin. I was worried I would never see you again."

"I'm here, Papa," she whispered against his chest.

"I'm never letting you leave," he said cradling her. "Never."

She nodded, pulling away. Her heart was lighter than it had been for years, buoyed by her love for her family. Even the idea of losing them again was agony. She bit her lip. She was beginning to lose her nerve about the party. If Lucius wanted her there, and obliging him was likely a mistake. Besides, after reuniting with her parents, she realized she wasn't ready to face Draco. She needed more time in her family's care first, and he needed time to process the fact that she was back.

"It's time, lapin," Ariadne prompted gently. "We need to get ready and go."

Leolin bit her lip and shook her head.

"I—"

Amelie nodded her understanding, folding Leolin into her arms.

"You don't have to go," she whispered softly. "Of course you don't. You can go to Draco when you're ready, and in a better environment."

"I don't want to upset him more," Leolin said. "And I need time to—" she paused, and her father nodded.

"You don't have to explain yourself, lapin," he said in a gentle voice. "It's too much pressure. Take your time, ease back into things. You don't have to solve all your problems in one day."

"Your da's right, Leolin," James offered. "Stay here and rest."

Leolin nodded a last time, smiling sadly at each in turn.

"Thank you," she said.

Ariadne stroked her hair.

"Go lie down, lapin. You've had a long day. We'll see you in the morning."

Leolin nodded wordlessly before glancing at her father.

"It will be alright, lapin," he assured her. "We promise."

"Ami," Leolin said dolefully. "The dress. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Amelie assured her. "There will be another occasion for you to wear it, I'm sure."

"Give Draco my love then, I guess," Leolin said softly.

She tried to make it a joke, but her she couldn't manage the gaiety required, and Ariadne gave a sympathetic frown.

"No one's exchanged vows yet, my love. Everything will work out in the end. You'll see."

Leolin bit her lip, swallowing a raw lump in her throat.

"Have fun," she said softly.

"We'll see you in the morning," her father affirmed, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Sleep well, darling, and _welcome home_."

**A/N:** Guess who's FINALLY coming back next chapter? :D

Review and tell me what you think Draco's going to do when he finally sees Leolin! Also, just review in general! That's how you get faster updates!


	4. Chapter 3: A Long-Awaited Party

**a/n: **First of all, Y'ALL'S REACTION TO THIS STORY IS SO AMAZING. YOU HAVE MADE ME SO FUCKING HAPPY.

*in the joker voice*: **and here. we. go!**

**Chapter Four: A Long-Awaited Party.**

_Draco had just stepped out of the shower when someone began banging on his bathroom door. When he heard Ginny's muffled voice calling his name, he didn't immediately open it, smoothing some pomade into his hair before wrapping a towel around his waist._

"_Look Weasley," he said, swinging the door open and smirking at her. "If you're really that keen to know what I look like naked, you are just going to have to ask Cal—"_

_Ginny frantically took in Draco's falcon tattoo and stamped medallion before looking fearfully up at him. She still had curlers in her hair, and other than the sparkling diamond chandeliers in her ears, she was dressed in nothing more than her corset and slip, a sheer dressing gown haphazardly thrown over them._

"_Leolin's gone."_

"_Gone?" he scoffed. "What do you mean 'gone'?" I just spoke to her twenty minutes ago."_

"_She's gone," Ginny repeated. "She left a note."_

_Draco pushed past Ginny at once, striding to his closet and dropping his towel. She blushed a little and turned as he tripped into pants and tracksuit bottoms before throwing on a faded Slytherin quidditch shirt. _

_She followed him as he burst across the hall, taking in Leolin's empty room. The bed was made and the closet was extremely picked over. Blaise was sitting waiting for them, his head in his hand. He stood at once when Draco entered._

"_Let me see it," Draco demanded, and Ginny gestured to the balcony, where a fluttering parchment had been adhered to the glass door. It was wrinkled a bit where tears had fallen on it._

_Draco, _

_I love you more than I can say, but I can't marry you. I know you_

_want to protect me, but your father's planning on using me to manipulate_

_you, and I can't put you through that again. Please know that I'm doing this _

_for you, and please my love, don't come after me .You won't find me, and I don't _

_want to be found. You told me once that you hoped I would come to love someone _

_else in your absence. Now I hope the same for you. Know that I will love you until_

_I die, and I only want what's best for you. I love you. Je t'aime. Rwy'n caru ti._

_I know we'll meet again in that place between sleep and awake; _

_that place where you still remember dreaming. _

_That's where I'll always love you. _

_That's where I'll be waiting._

_Find happiness, my love._

_Your Leolin._

_Draco looked up, already half-mad with grief. There were tears in his eyes._

"_No," he fumed, hanging his head for a second before looking up at Ginny and Blaise. "This isn't real."_

_He drew his wand from wherever he'd been hiding it and cast a spell on the parchment. Immediately Leolin's tearful voice filled the room as she read the letter aloud. _

"_What does that mean?" Ginny asked desperately, flinching as Draco obliterated the note, the force of which shattered the glass behind it._

"_It means that Leolin wrote that note herself," Blaise said._

_Draco crumpled to his knees, sobbing desperately. Ginny covered her mouth to stifle her own sobs. She'd never seen Draco this way before, and a lifetime of hatred for him instantly melted away._

"_Oh Draco," she said, anguished._

_She sank down beside him, and he allowed her touch, his head on her shoulder as he wept pathetically._

"_This was my father!" he screamed. "He has her. She would never have left on her own. Never."_

"_We'll find her," Blaise said seriously. "Her parents are already working on it. We'll bring her back, Drake."_

_Draco detangled from Ginny, standing now. The tears had all bled from his eyes, and now his gaze was dangerous. _

"_Find me Lucius," he said in a soft fury. "I am going to torture him then kill him. I know he has Leolin, and he's going to give her back to me."_

"_If you're right then we need a better plan than that. If you kill him, she could be lost to you forever."_

"_I'm going to torture him first in every way he taught me," Draco bit out. "I'm going to cleave all the flesh from his bones until he gives up the truth."_

"_Draco," Ginny begged. "Don't be reckless. He could kill you."_

_Just then, the door flew open so violently that it cracked the wall behind it. Lucius swept in with such fury and malice that he looked ready to breathe fire. Both he and Draco drew their wands, but Lucius was a hair faster._

"_Crucio," he hissed with venom, and Draco dropped to his knees, screaming in pain._

"_Where is she?" Lucius sneered, advancing with his wand still trained on Draco. "Where is your traitorous little bitch?"_

_Draco began to cough up blood, and Ginny cried out._

"_Stop!" she wailed, you're killing him!"  
_

_Lucius let off, sneering at Ginny as Draco rolled heaving onto his back._

"_Where is she?" Lucius demanded again, crushing a foot against Draco's sternum with enough pressure that they heard a crack._

"_Stop!" Ginny cried again, trying to push Lucius off._

_He flung an arm at her, sending her crashing into a marble-topped side table. She crumpled at once, and Blaise was at her side instantly._

"_You alright?" he said, easing her into a sitting position before training his wand on Lucius._

"_Let him go or I swear to Merlin I will kill you right now," Blaise said, his voice deadly low._

_Lucius eased up his grip, kicking Draco in the side before stepping back._

"_Where is Leolin?" Lucius repeated as Draco spit out another huge mouthful of blood._

"_You tell me," Draco said, his breathing laboured. Lucius cracked a rib, maybe more. "Give her back to me."_

"_You think I have her?" Lucius spat. "She's of no use to me dead or missing."_

_His diamond eyes were sparkling furiously, as he bent to Draco, grabbing him by the hair._

"_If word gets out she's left, you'll be a laughingstock, and I will not allow her to ruin this family's reputation. If she's gone, you bring her back here __**now**_**. **_If you don't, I will, and believe me, you will both be sorry. I will make you watch as I fuck her in two."_

"_Make him stop," Ginny sobbed, crying against Blaise's chest as Lucius yanked Draco's head back. _

_It was clear now that Draco was fighting for consciousness, his face anguished as the realization sunk in. Lucius hadn't taken Leolin. She really had left on her own. _

"_You tell you're guests Leolin's sick," Lucius said. "And you find her and bring her back here in twelve hours. If you don't, I'll find her myself, and you'll be lucky if she doesn't tragically…__**succumb**__ to her mysterious illness."_

_He released his son, whose head fell pathetically back onto the carpet._

"_Twelve hours," Lucius warned, standing and rounding on Blaise and Ginny._

_He pointed an accusatory finger at Blaise._

"_If either of you breathe a word of this, I will crucio this little cunt to death."_

_Ginny cowered a little against Blaise, whose expression remained resolute._

"_Happy hunting," Lucius called, and with that he spun into nothing._

_When he was gone, Ginny flew to Draco's side, taking his hand._

"_I can mend the bones and stop the pain," she promised, and he nodded, still a little dazed from the Cruciatus._

"_I'm going after her," Draco croaked._

"_Not like this, "Blaise said sternly as Ginny mended him._

"_Every second I wait she gets farther from my grasp," Draco said, his strength and determination returning. "I have to find her. When I do, she and I are going to disappear. Help me up."_

_Ginny traded a fearful glance with Blaise, and when neither moved, Draco rose labouriously on his own._

"_Drake—" Blaise protested, but with a snap Draco was gone as well._

"_We have to go after them right now," Ginny said resolutely. _

"_We can't," Blaise said, frustrated, "Fuck!"_

"_Why not?"_

"_Only the Malfoys can apparate in and out like that, and I'm sure Lucius has disabled the floo network as well."_

_Blaise spared one more glance at Ginny._

"_I'll start in London. I'll floo when I know something."_

_Ginny nodded, and Blaise gave her another critical look before advancing on her. Before she could protest, he held her cheeks, firmly kissing her surprised lips._

"_What—" she began, but he was already striding out the door, slamming it shut behind him._

* * *

"Leolin? We're getting ready to head out. Can I come in for a second?"

Leolin sat on the floor with knees tucked to her chest. She thought about what Draco wrote. She hadn't expected to feel this fragile.

"Lai?" her mother called. "I'm coming in."

Gingerly Ariadne opened the door, and she did so to find Leolin still sitting on the floor, her knees tucked to her chest. She gave her mother a doleful look then looked away, and despite her fine silk gown, Ariadne sunk down next to her.

"Are you alright?" she said gently, and Leolin sighed.

"I've imagined this so many times," Leolin admitted. "Coming home and seeing Draco. It's all I've wanted for so long. But now that it's here, I'm terrified."

Ariadne nodded, tucking some of Leolin's hair behind her ear.

"I understand completely."

"He hates me, doesn't he?" Leolin queried. "I don't blame him; I would hate me, too."

"Non," her mother said gently. "Don't do that to yourself, lapin. This is all brand-new. Give it time. I promise everything will be made right in the end."

Leolin hugged her knees a little tighter.

"What—" she began, licking her dry lips. "What if he ends up marrying her?"

Ariadne considered.

"That is a ways away yet," she said diplomatically. "Try not to fret."

"But what if he does?"

"Then you will mourn, but eventually you will move on and find someone else. Either way, it will be okay, lapin. I promise."

Leolin nodded. It was almost absurd to think that two days ago she thought she'd be able to waltz back and reunite with Draco. That fate would finally stop punishing her and let her have her happy ending.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Ariadne asked. "I don't have to go."

Leolin considered. She sorely wanted to say yes, even though she knew that was selfish.

"No," she said at last. "Draco will want you to be there. Go. I promise I will be fine."

Ariadne nodded, kissing Leolin's cheek.

"James and I won't be out late."

Leolin nodded, forcing herself to smile.

"Thank you."

"And James agreed to sleep in the guestroom tonight so you can come in with me. I already changed the sheets. Feel free to go in there and lie down."

Again, Leolin nodded.

"Thanks, Mum."

"I love you, lapin," Ariadne said reassuringly. "It will all be okay. You'll see."

"I hope so," Leolin admitted.

"It will be," Ariadne reassured her. "I promise."

"If Draco says anything about me…" Leolin began, but she trailed off when she realized she didn't know what she would want her mother to do if he did.

"He knows better than that," Ariadne said fiercely. "He's not a boy anymore, and he knows I don't tolerate his childish antics."

Leolin nodded, feeling a bit relieved. "Have fun, then."

Ariadne stood.

"I'm sorry we have to leave you for this," she said in response. "I wish it didn't have to be this way."

"It's this way because I made it this way," Leolin said in redolent tone. "I have to pay for my mistakes."

"Try not to be too hard on yourself, my darling. You were young then. I should have insisted you too wait until you were older."

Leolin gave a sad laugh.

"You couldn't have kept me from marrying him," Leolin said. "We were too desperately in love."

Ariadne nodded.

"And so you will be again," her mother said. "Come say goodbye."

Leolin stood and took her mother's hand, heading down the stairs.

"I'm sorry I'm not going," Leolin said, managing a small smile. "But you all have fun. Give—Genevieve my love."

"I'm sorry we have to do this, lapin," her father said, folding her into his arms. "I wish we didn't."

"We still don't," Amelie offered, and Leolin tossed her head back and forth as she hugged her stepmother.

"No," Leolin said. "That would only be punishing Draco."

"We will be home before you know it," James promised. "We'll regale you with how dreadful it was."

Leolin gave a feeble laugh.

"Thank you."

He gave her a reassuring wink.

Ariadne looked at the mantle clock, which began to boom the hour.

"I'm so sorry, Leolin," she said. "But we have to go. Are you sure you will be alright here?"

Leolin nodded.

"Don't worry about me. I want you all to go. Please."

Ariadne smiled, giving Leolin one last kiss before throwing some powder in the fire and disappearing. The others filed out as well, and Adrien, who was last, gave her a reassuring wink before stepping into the flames as well.

When Leolin was really alone, she flopped down on the couch, reaching for the crystal decanter of whiskey and taking a hearty chug. It burned and she gagged a little as it slithered down her throat. She imagined Draco and Genevieve descending the main staircase to wild applause, Gen's stupid gown sparkling as if she were a star in the night sky. What pained Leolin the most was imagining Draco looking at her in a way he used to reserve only for Leolin. It was agony to know that while she was still entirely his, he was no longer hers.

Leolin poured herself a more appropriate glass of whiskey before padding up the stairs, shedding her white blouse and tight skirt and wandering to her old closet. What was she going to find there?

After digging a little, she found an old soft jumper she was fairly certain had once belonged to Draco as well as a pair of leggings and wool socks. She then sat on her bed and brooded, sipping the whisky and remembering her own engagement party at The Manor. It was after the week she'd spent with Narcissa. The week she'd first realized that Draco's mother did love him after all. Absently, she wondered what Narcissa thought of Gen. Leolin was fairly positive she hated her. How could she not? She could barely stand Leolin, and she was a pureblood with two families who could trace their lines back to the age of Merlin. Genevieve was an American, and Leolin imagined her being far too cavalier and pushy for Narcissa's taste, though she had admittedly no basis for this assumption. In the Manor, only Narcissa was allowed to have power. Anyone else that tried was immediately public enemy number one.

Leolin cashed out the last of the whisky in her glass and she stood, padding back downstairs and refilling her tumbler. As she turned her back, the fire began to crack, and she frowned in bemusement. Surely her parents weren't back _already. _ They'd only been gone an hour at most. The fire crackled again then flamed green, and suddenly a fiery projection of Lucius appeared in the room. He gave her a cool look.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" she asked, turning her back.

"Yes, and so do you," he said imperiously

He was dressed in smart black dress robes, and his patent leather shoes gleamed in the light.

"Get out."

"We had a bargain, Leolin," he hissed coldly. "You're not backing out now."

"I'm not backing out," Leolin said furiously. "I'm just not going tonight. It's only going to make things worse with Draco."

"I disagree," he said sharply. "It shows you mean business."

"You—"

His projection flickered, and suddenly he was _actually_ standing in the room. She sneered at him, drawing her wand. She should have remember to close the floo grate after her parents had left.

"There is no discussion here," he said hatefully, snapping a hand and disarming her. "I have two Aurors standing guard outside right now. Either get dressed or they haul you in and charge you."

Leolin grit her teeth. She so bitterly hated that he had the upper hand in this. She moved to retrieve her fallen wand, but he kicked her back, wincing as his boot sizzled a little.

"Half an hour," he said, watching her rise. "Half an hour or you go to Azkaban. And don't even dream of running."

She said nothing, and he narrowed his eyes.

"Don't push me. Leolin. You _won't_ like the way I push back."

"Someday I am going to drive a knife in your heart and watch the light drain from your eyes," she said in a deadly tone.

"See you at the Manor," he replied nastily, tossing her wand carelessly back at her before stepping back into the flames.

Her heart was still hammering in her chest five minutes after he'd left. In her anger and despair, she chucked the decanter at the flames, the whiskey hissing as it fell on the fire even as the glass shattered on impact. Finally she consulted the clock. She only had twenty-five minutes, and she desperately needed a shower. She sprinted upstairs, tearing off her clothes and lathering her body with every balm and lave they had. She dried her hair quickly when she was out, giving several wrist flicks and coaxing her bob into a voluminous up-do. She applied her blood red lipstick quickly, knowing it would set off her vermillion gown.

She looked in the mirror nervously as she consulted her clock. She had three minutes. She examined herself critically. Leolin had always been exceedingly vain, and she openly admired how exquisite she was in this gown. It didn't have the glitz that Genevieve's did, but she would have to be one hell of a beauty to outshine Leolin.

For the final touch Leolin found the perfume that she'd used to wear when they were in school. She'd taken to wearing something sultrier when she'd moved to Florence, but this fresh scent brought memories flooding back. Leolin had always felt that smell was the strongest vehicle of nostalgia, and she could still smell this perfume mixed with Draco's cologne and sweat after they made love.

She only had a minute, and she sprinted from the room, her voluminous skirt billowing as she descended the steps. Immediately she threw a handful of powder on the flames, screaming "Malfoy Manor!"

Seconds later she was spinning away, and she closed her eyes and forced herself to be calm as she spun. She had to face Draco with courage and poise. She hadn't done anything wrong. She hadn't betrayed his trust. She knew he would be sneering and hideous when they finally came face to face, but she had to rise above it for both their sakes.

She stepped out of the floo a minute later, her heart plummeting to her throat as she realized where she'd ended up. It was her old bedroom, which was the last place she'd seen in the Manor. Every shred of her presence had been stripped away, and the room was now colourless and practically empty, save for the large bed and other assorted sofas and divans.

Her heart was pumping furiously, the blood rushing to her stomach; she made it. She looked quizzically around the room, wondering how in Merlin's name she ended up coming through the network her and not in the receiving hall. That's when she realized: Lucius had done it so she'd be forced to make an entrance. She curled her lip in disgust. She wasn't going to play that game. She would go down the servants' stairs and slip into the crowd instead.

Steeling herself for what she knew was going to be a long night, she stepped from the room, immediately looking down the darkening hallway toward the servants' staircase.

"Not a minute to spare."

She turned and sneered, drawing her wand instantly. Adrian was leaning casually on the wall next to her door, clearly waiting for her to emerge. His suit was black, as were his shirt and tie, and his sandy hair was pushed off his brow. If he wasn't so hideous, he would have been handsome. In his hand he held a resplendent diamond necklace.

"This is for you," he said, holding it up so it sparkled. "May I?"

"Fuck off."

He rolled his eyes, blocking a jinx she threw at him.

"Don't be difficult," he scolded. "We don't have time for your to throw a temper tantrum. I expect Draco is waiting for you, even if he doesn't know it."

She threw a curse that hit six inches to his right this time, searing the wall instead.

"Oh enough," he said in a bored voice, and she threw another.

This one knicked his cheek and he hissed in pain, touching a hand to the skin to ensure she hadn't drawn blood. She watched him for a second before turning swiftly to the servants' stair and starting off.

However, he'd recovered quickly, and he was on her immediately, slamming her against the wall.

"Stop fucking around, Lefevre," he growled, his hair a little mussed and his teeth glinting as he snarled at her. "We're on a tight schedule."

"Get off," she said, struggling. "I will claw your eyes out."

"Don't make me punish you," he snapped.

She gave a cold laugh, despite the fact that his tone scared her a little. There was something in his gaze she'd never seen before.

"As if you even could," she said defiantly.

"_Imperio_."

She hadn't been expecting it, and the curse caught her off guard, engulfing her at once. Dazes, she stop fighting him, and he reached around her neck to fasten the necklace. When it was done he pulled back, grinning wickedly at her. Suddenly, she had the overwhelming urge to suck Adrian's…

He smirked arrogantly as she sank to her knees, her hands on his belt buckle. The warm sensation left as quickly as it came, and Adrian laughed outright as Leolin struggled to her feet.

In her rage, she did something she'd always considered herself too classy to do. She spit in his face. He responded by slapping her so hard that it drove her to the ground and left an angry mark on her cheek.

She looked up at him, stunned as she touched her smarting skin. He was glaring down at her imperiously, tawny eyes glittering hatefully. She hadn't expected him to hit her as hard as he had. She rose to her feet and made to leave, but he grabbed her and slammed her head so violently against the wall that she felt dizzy.

"We're not at Hogwarts anymore, you snobby little brat," he warned, teeth bared. "I'm dangerous. _Don't_ fuck with me."

With this, he vanished his handprint and dragged her to the landing near the stairs, seemingly waiting for something. There were plenty of couples on the floor, but the music was about to change, at which point there would be a short pause before the next one began. Lucius had timed it to perfection; Leolin was going to arrive to a captive audience.

As the finally strings of a minuet began to fade, Adrian gave Leolin a hardy shove, forcing her ungracefully down the first few steps before she could catch her balance. This drew the attention of those closest to her first, and her resplendently bright gown and dazzling necklace soon drew more stares. It was like a wildfire the way eyes snapped to her, and as she descended, she saws myriads of faces watching her in utter disbelief.

The dance floor was still crowded, but Leolin could pick out familiar faces. Pansy stood at dead centre dressed in white. She looked largely the same, and her dark eyes glittered as they drank Leolin in. Her husband Tieran stood beside her, giving Leolin a look that was a mixture of his usual disapproval and genuine shock.

Ieuan was close by, hands still resting on the shoulder of a mild-looking blonde man.

Blaise stood a ways off with Ginny, and his eyes were unkind. Ginny's were unreadable. Leolin's heart hammered. She'd yet to see the glittering Genevieve, but finally the dazzle of 5,000 gold beads caught her eye, and Leolin took in the gown in conjunction with the form underneath it. Leolin, for all her courage, didn't, _couldn't _look at Genevieve directly. She wondered if Genevieve knew who she was. She did. Of course she did. How could she not?

Leolin watched a familiar hand slip from Genevieve's, her engagement ring glinting as she was forced to let go. Whispers broke out as Draco cut through the crowd, which gave him a wide berth. Everyone seemed to know what was going to happen next because the dance floor emptied almost immediately.

It was here that Leolin's courage waned a little. She bowed her head to watch her glittering heels lead her downwards. In her peripheral, she could see Draco's Testoni Norvegese dress shoes arching towards her. When she reached the bottom stair, which was rapidly approaching, he was going to be waiting for her.

Lucius's calculation had been exactly right; he'd caught Draco off guard, and now he was acting on emotional impulse. This made him more vulnerable.

Five, her ears were ringing. Four, the floor was spinning. Three, her palms were tingling. Two, her throat was tightening. One, her heart was hammering. _Have courage, Leolin, _she told herself. _You never wanted to leave him_.

After what Leolin had suffered at Lucius's hands and Cristian's, it had been a long time since she'd felt the once-familiar blood pooling in her stomach. It was desire, long dormant, but as she stared into Draco's perfect face, she felt it building up again. Her heart ached with a bitter anguish she'd not known was possible, and she desperately wanted to kiss him, to tell him she loved him.

His eyes were two hard-cut diamonds as he took her in. His eyes bled from her black hair down to her necklace and the tantalizing gown below it before snapping up to re-memorize her face. The naked hatred in his gaze seared her, and she felt ill for a moment, as if the poison in his eyes had seeped into her soul. After a split second he wordlessly extended a hand to her, and she touched him for the first time in five years.

The minute she had accepted his proffered hand, a haunting waltz began, and he pulled her flush against him, gracefully sweeping her across the now empty floor as if she weighed nothing. She could feel the fury simmering in his tense form, but she nonetheless welcomed the sensation of being in his arms again. Leolin's eyes flitted up to look at him as the music swelled in the kind crescendo that made one's heart he spoke, and the silky timbre of his voice resonated in her heart as much as it did in her ears.

"You have a lot of nerve," he said as she met his gaze evenly. "Coming here tonight."

"Your note said not to come would be a grievous mistake," she said, trying to keep her voice from quaking.

"How dare you come back here after all this time," he said softly. "And in that gown, no less."

She swallowed the tightening ball of nerves crawling up in her throat. She looked at him again, re-memorizing the curving bow of his lips and the smooth line of his jaw. He was studying her again, eyes arcing back and forth across her face.

""You look good, Cal," he said venomously, crushing her a little closer, her breasts so tight against his chest that it was a little hard to breathe. The effect was like a drug on Leolin. "I must say, you're breathtaking as ever."

His insistent hand was warm on her bare back, and it sent a shiver down her spine.

"Thank you," she said, taking a deep breath so he would feel the weight of her breasts against him.

His eyes glittered at her manipulation, and it was painful to endure his malicious gaze.

"Don't worry, though," he grit out quietly. "It doesn't make me hate you any less. In fact, I think I hate you a little more, if that's even possible."

Her eyes fluttered closed for a second as she pursed her lips. However, she opened them a moment later, her face resolute.

"You can't expect me to believe that," she murmured.

"You should," he replied. "It's true. Still, I can't deny that you have an…_effect_ on me. Part of me wants to rip that dress off of you and have you right here, in front of all these people."

She swallowed a jagged knot. He was being cruel on purpose, and there was no point in denying how much it hurt.

"I wonder," he said coldly, his breath falling on her neck as she turned her head away. "If your cunt is still as tight as I remember."

Her eyes snapped back to him, blazing.

"How dare you say that to me," she hissed.

Love or no, she was done stomaching sexual threats.

"I bet it is," he continued, his ire a poor mask for the lingering anguish of the loss of her. "If I didn't love Gen so much, I would make you my little whore for the rest of your miserable life."

"This may be your engagement party," she said in a low tone. "But say one more thing and I swear to Merlin I will hex you in front of all your guests and that Yank fiancée."

He raised his eyebrows even as he crushed her close again. "I see you've grown claws and fangs," he sneered. "My, my, what a beast you've become."

"I didn't come back to stomach your sexual threats," she snapped.

"I see," he grit out. "Then why _did_ you come back?"

She surveyed him critically. Should she tip her hand and betray where she stood? No. He wasn't ready to hear it, and he would only throw it back in her face and grow obstinate.

"Five years was long enough," she said. "My family needs me, and I need them."

"And me?" he demanded. "What should I make of your timing?"

She met his sparkling gaze. He did so look like his father.

"Nothing," she said, not quite able to hide the degree to which this pained her. He noticed. "Blaise tells me you love this girl."

"So I do," Draco said.

"Then I'm—" Leolin began, though she couldn't manage more, and she bowed her head.

"Happy for me?" Draco finished. "One of us should be. Happy, that is. Of course, I intend to make sure you never are."

"That's not your place," she pointed out, growing agitated.

He was still the ultimate instigator. He still knew exactly which buttons to push to hurt her the most. The last thing she wanted was to break under his pressure.

"I wept for you," he bit out. "I tore Europe apart looking for you, and in return you _humiliated _me. I could punish you for ten lifetimes and it wouldn't be enough to make up for what you did to me."

She bowed her head. She desperately wanted to tell him the truth. At this moment it almost seemed worth going to prison to get him to stop looking at her so hatefully.

"I thought I was protecting you," she said, remembering the words of the note Lucius had forced her to write.

"That was never what I needed," he hissed. "And you know it. You left because you're selfish. Admit it."

"No."

"Admit it," he demanded, crushing her forcefully against him.

"No," she snapped, struggling against him. "I won't admit to something that isn't true."

"And what is the truth, as you see it?" he sneered.

"The truth," she said, a little breathless. "Is that I loved you desperately, Draco, and the day I left you was the worst day of my entire life."

"Don't call me that," he snapped, spinning her a last time before forcefully grabbing her hips and peeling her away. "That's what my friends call me. You and I _aren't _friends, Lefevre. We never will be. I bloody hate you."

"This hasn't been easy for me either," she admitted. "Why can't you see that?"

"Get out," he said in a soft voice.

She didn't move, ignoring all the prying eyes.

"Get out or I swear to Merlin I humiliate you in front of all these people," he said, voice still quiet but no less dangerous.

Her heart was pounding, and her tapering breathing was making the dazzling necklace sparkle as her chest rose and fell. They stared at each other for a moment, and besides the music, which continued to play, the room was utterly silent.

Finally she shook her head, unwilling to take anymore of his hateful glares. She turned her back to him, feeling his gaze slip down the smooth exposed skin as she faced the miles of empty ballroom that separated her from the exit. He was circling around her clockwise like a hawk, making her feel like prey for the kill. She realized as they moved in tandem that he was retreating back to Genevieve, who he grabbed fiercely as soon as he was close enough, his kiss passionate.

"I'm sorry," Leolin heard him breathe to her, and suddenly she felt a sudden and power urge to lash out at him, wounding him the way he'd wounded her. Savagely she forced it back down.

When she was ten or so feet from the couple, smack in the middle between them and the staircase, he called her name again.

"Lefevre," he said, soft enough that it would still be difficult for others to hear.

She turned, forced for the first time to take in Genevieve's pretty face, silky blonde hair, and threatened expression. Draco waited until Leolin's eyes dragged back to him.

"If you want even a prayer of being happy, I suggest you leave London at once. Go crawl back to the rock you've been hiding under all this time. If I hear even one whisper of you after tonight, I will crush you."

She turned her back at once as the whispers broke out, and she pulled her heavy skirts up so she could make her way more quickly. However, she refused to cower or run, even for him. She held her head high as she ascended the steps, acting more dignified than she felt.

She wasted no time stepping through the closest floo as soon as she was out of sight, and she gave a wild scream of fury when she reached her own home again, tearing the diamonds from her throat and obliterating the piece so the gems were burnt and tarnished. She tore off the dress as well, leaving it in a satiny heap on the living room floor as she fleeing up the stairs to her own bedroom. She got to her room still heaving, and she picked up the perfume bottle, studying it for a moment before hurling it at the mirror, shattering the first and splintering the second.

She then dissolved into a heaving pile on the floor, screaming and screaming until she simply had no voice left.

* * *

Leolin woke early the next morning to find that her mother had already gotten up. Ariadne had arrived home ten minutes after Leolin'd left the Manor, and she'd allowed her daughter to scream her lungs out before interrupting. She'd gently urged Leolin out of her corset and and into pajamas before rocking her gently to sleep.

Leolin sat up and stretched. Despite how outrageously comfortable her mother's bed was, her whole body ached. Could agony take on a physical manifestation? Clearly it could. Leolin had slept fitfully at best, plagued by Draco's cruel gaze and his threat. She woke up knowing what she had to do, and she knew that even now her window was shrinking.

Quickly she flooed Severina.

_Ri,_

_Tell Xavy and the girls I'm coming home. I don't have time to explain, but make some preparations. I won't be able to say in Firenze for long. I will call in you a few hours with more details._

_ Vi Amo e ci vediamo presto_

_ -L_

She threw the note into the crackling hearth before standing. When she reached the stairs she could smell what seemed like a full English Fry, and her mouth watered. She realized she hadn't eaten since Domus Aurea with Blaise and Ginny. That was well over twenty-four hours ago.

"Good morning," Ariadne said, turning from the bacon sizzling in the pan. "How are you this morning? Better?"

Leolin considered but didn't answer.

"Why were you up so early? Have you already been out?"

"Yes," Ariadne said, putting a full plate in front of Leolin. "Coffee?"

"Black, please. And have you finally taken running?"

"I don't think it's cold enough in Hell yet," Ariadne replied. "And you really are grown up, taking your coffee black. You wouldn't touch it when you were younger unless you could make it taste like a milkshake."

"I've come to the realization that that's what tea is for," Leolin said. "Where did you go this morning, then?"

Ariadne said nothing.

"Mum," Leolin said, taking a bite of toast. "Just tell me."

"I made a social call," Ariadne said flippantly, and Leolin understood her meaning at once.

"You went to Draco's this early in the morning? I can't imagine he was too pleased."

"Well that made two of us," Ariadne said in a clipped tone, pursing her lips angrily. "I can't believe the way he acted last night. How dare he try and drive you out of England again."

Leolin took another bite of toast, looking down at her plate again. Her love for her mother warred with her heartache over Draco, and in the end the latter was simply too bitter, especially considering she could win him back and still lose everything again. She needed to get away. She needed refuge from Lucius where she could break this new gag and win Draco back properly. It was the only way.

"He's right, Mum," Leolin said in a tight voice at last. "I can't stay. I don't belong here anymore."

Her mother's eyes snapped up.

"No," Ariadne said fiercely. "Leolin, no! You cannot leave again! Your father and I _just _got you back!"

"I have to," Leolin said. "This is breaking my heart, but I can't be near Draco. It will kill me. It won't be like last time," Leolin reassured her. "I'll write, and you can come visit me."

"Where will you go?" Ariadne demanded. "Back to wherever you were before?"

"I was in Florence," Leolin affirmed. "But I'm not going back there. I'm thinking Budapest."

"Hungary?" Ariadne asked, dismayed. "That's thousands of miles away!"

"I know," Leolin said desperately. "But anywhere else is too painful."

Leolin could feel herself getting fretful. It was as if the entire city of London was collapsing in on her, and it was growing difficult to breathe amongst the rubble.

"You're breaking my heart," Ariadne said quietly. "Please, don't go."

"Mum," Leolin said, clenching her jaw and shutting her eyes, her face the very portrait of anguish. "I have to. Draco is free of me. Now I have to get free of him. I have to move on, and I can't do that here."

She considered telling her mother everything. She deserved the truth. Still, Leolin couldn't seem to manage it. She would explain everything when she was well and truly rid of Lucius.

"I hate this!" Ariadne cried. "This is so terribly unfair to us, Leolin."

"I know," Leolin admitted. "I'm sorry. But I have to do what I think is right."

Ariadne sighed in disappointment.

"When will you go?"

Leolin looked down, ashamed.

"I'll be gone by this evening, most likely."

If she was going to go, she had to do it before Lucius or Adrian or anyone else got wind. Otherwise she'd be dead in the water.

"Oh Leolin," Ariadne said discontentedly. "Don't do this."

Leolin bit her lip.

"I have to."

Ariadne shook her head.

"I have errands to run this morning," she said tightly. In reality, Leolin suspected she simply wanted to get out of the house. "I will be back mid-morning. Please don't leave until I get back."

"I won't," Leolin affirmed. "I promise. I love you, Mum."

"I love you, too," Ariadne said tightly, tears already shining in her eyes. "I will see you in a bit, lapin."

She gently touched Leolin's shoulder before grabbing her purse and disappearing through the floo. Leolin buried her head in her hands, giving a scream of frustration. She tried to remember that she hadn't wronged Draco and that she'd literally been ripped from his arms, but it was difficult. The way people looked at her—she was starting to feel guilty herself.

If only they knew. She'd suffered, too. She'd wept for him, too, and in the 1,816 days that she'd been away, there wasn't even one that she hadn't thought of him. She loved him. She would _always_ love him, and she couldn't stay knowing that after all her struggles, he simply didn't love her back. It was perhaps cowardly to turn tail and run, but convincing Draco of her innocence without proof had never been part of her plan. Besides, after last night Leolin knew that it would be impossible. Draco would never stop hating her until he knew the truth.

She looked down at her meal, feeling awful that her mother had fixed it for her when she'd lost all appetite for it. However, she dutifully remained at the table, eating every last bite. She felt positively sick to her stomach when she'd finished, and she poured her coffee down the drain as she cleaned her dish and put it back.

She was dreading it, but it was time she flooed Ginny. She would likely be more mad that Ariadne, but Leolin couldn't very well leave without telling her. She'd seen too little of Ginny. It made her gut ache.

Leolin began her note to Ginny, apologizing for her appearance at the ball and explaining she thought it best she leave. Almost immediately she received a floo back saying that Ginny would be over in the early afternoon to convince Leolin to stay or to say goodbye. Saddened but satisfied, Leolin closed her floo.

She then flicked open her floo to find a reply from Severina.

_Floo me._

Leolin bit her lip, trudging back up the stairs before throwing a handful of blue powder into the flames.

"Palazzo Borgia," she announced, and the flames slithered upward in silent ribbons for several seconds before Severina's face appeared. Her glittering eyes were ablaze.

"You're not leaving, tesoro," Severina said at once. "I wont let you."

Leolin sighed.

"You don't understand," she lamented sadly. "I fucked up. I ruined everything."

"Fucked up how?" Severina pressed.

"Lucius knows about La Genie. He blackmailed me into keeping my mouth shut."

Severina gave a heavy exhale. In some grim way, Leolin appreciated the candor of the gesture. It only would have agitated her more had Severina acted as if this weren't a major impediment.

"But he's allowed you to stay?" Severina asked.

"So he can use me," Leolin affirmed in a doleful voice. "He wants me to drive a wedge between Draco and his fiancée. Break them up."

"Why?" Severina said. "What is he hoping to gain?"

Leolin shook her head.

"I don't know. But it doesn't matter. I can't stay in London as his lackey. I need to disappear and start on breaking this new gag."

Severina shook her head now, dark curls sliding over her shoulders like black water.

"There isn't time for that, cariña!" she said sharply, perhaps more sharply than she'd meant to. "Draco is getting married. You don't have two more years to wait."

"You don't understand," Leolin pleaded. "He _hates_ me. I'll never be able to make him stop until he knows the truth. Trust me on that."

"I'm sorry," Severina said in a resolute voice. "But I don't. Leolin, have courage! You can do this. It's not going to be easy, but you have to stay the course."

"With Draco snarling at me? With Lucius breathing down my neck? Ri, do you have any idea what you're telling me to do? It's going to tear me apart."

"No," Severina snapped. "It isn't. Think of all you've done to get back to Draco. This is your last chance at happiness with him, tesoro! Don't waste it."

"I could lose everything!" Leolin pleaded. "Can't you see that?"

"Better to lose everything fighting for what you love then cede it willingly," Severina pointed out. "If you leave now, you lose Draco forever. That I can promise you."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Leolin demanded.

"Stay the course," Severina urged. "Keep the faith and keep fighting. Draco is well within your reach, tesoro. Don't give up on him now. You owe the two of you that."

"I can't do it," Leolin said, shaking her head. "I can't be around him knowing he hates me this much. It's already tearing me apart."

"Then do what you always do and stitch yourself back together," Severina said. "Please, don't give up before you've begun. You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you do."

Leolin bit her lip. She knew in her heart that Severina was right. Still, she thought of the way Draco had looked at her the night before and her mind was made up.

"I'll be back in Rome by tonight," she said. "I'll see you then."

"Leolin—!" Severina began, but Leolin doused the flame and her friend disappeared in a hiss of steam.

Leolin sat with her knees to her chest, watching the tendrils of smoke swirling up from the ashes. Some part of her knew that Severina was right. She'd come this far; she couldn't give up now. Still, even her courage extended so far.

The food had made her soporific again, and she felt weary. Standing, she trudged back to her mother's bed, collapsing onto her back and staring at the ceiling before she was finally subsumed in another restless sleep.

When she woke up, it was almost half-three. She stood and stretched, She felt dirty, and she didn't know if that was because she needed to bathe or because last night had made her feel worse than she had in years. She thought again about Severina had said. It was a charming sentiment, Severina's call to arms, but it was ultimately futile. This was Leolin's real life, not some epic poem. If she wanted to beat Lucius, she had to be rational, not foolishly romantic. Besides, she didn't think it would take any less time for Leolin to convince Draco to stop hating her then it would take her to leave London and break the new gag.

Either way, she should shower. She stood under the stream for well over an hour, laying her head on the steamed tiles as she relived everything. The fireworks at the rehearsal dinner. Lucius coming to her as Draco in disguise. The hideous shame of the next morning. Her bargain with Cristian for his silence and his help. Her theft of the _David, The Birth of Venus_, _Las Meninas, The Winged Victory of Samolthrace, The Death of Socrates, Guernica._ Her confession to Severina. Her plan to return. Her dance with Draco.

If she were the type of person who still cried, she would have cried her eyes out. However, she wasn't. Not anymore. She was stronger than that, despite the pain. She wasn't a sniffling child anymore. She was the master of her fate. She was the captain of her soul.

Finally, she got out, drying her hair and her body before heading in search of bra and knickers. She went in her old closet, and the only pair she could find where lacy and embarrassingly wanton. She felt stupid even wearing them where no one could see them, especially because she'd never felt less desirable in all her life. She of course continued to be a sexual object that the unsavory men in her life loved to abuse, but as a woman, she hardly even remembered what it was to be cherished body and soul.

She was still standing naked contemplating her knickers when she heard the floo crackling downstairs.

"Gin," she cried. "I'm up here!"

She received no response, so she threw on the lacy undergarments and hurried down the stairs and into the den.

"Gin, I'm just getting dres—Salazar's pants!"

Leolin threw her arms over her chest as Draco watched her, nonplussed.

"What are you doing here?" she cried in a strangled voice.

"Looking for you," he said stonily. Whether on purpose or incidentally, Draco's eyes fell to her familiar cleavage, and he clenched his jaw. His eyes swept to her hair, and she realized self-consciously that he'd not seen how short it was in her up-do the night before.

"Turn around!" She demanded, and he acquiesced, though not before rolling his eyes.

When he'd done so, she tore from the room, going to her own bedroom and slamming the door. Her heart hammered in her chest. Draco'd just seen her in bra and knickers, which of course was not new to him, but still. Leolin felt agitated that he'd come at all. Was he there to make good on his promise from the night before?

She moved away from the door, running her hands through her jet black hair and fretting. She didn't want to face him again. She didn't want to have to see the hatred burning in his eyes again. She didn't want to have to swallow any poisonous guilt, even knowing that she hadn't betrayed him.

She didn't have any more time to contemplate. Her door banged open as Draco admitted himself.

"Where you just hoping if you left me down there long enough I'd go away?" he demanded in a hideous voice.

"Merlin!" she cried, covering herself with a towel this time. "What is wrong with you?"

He folded his arms across his chest, wholly unmoved by her embarrassment.

"There isn't a thing about you body that I don't know _intimately_," he sneered. "You can save your false modesty."

"Get out," she snapped, turning to conceal the hurt in her eyes.

"I'm not going to wait another twenty minutes for you to _not_ get dressed," he snapped back.

"Let me put clothes on," she demanded, pushing on his chest.

They both reacted to her touch, and she withdrew her hand at once.

"I just need a minute," she said in a defeated voice. "Go put on the kettle or something."

"You know I don't drink tea," he said evenly.

"Then get something from the wet bar."

Draco clenched his jaw before obeying her request.

Ten minutes later, Leolin came slinking in the den where the same jumper as the day before with a pair of fitted jeans.

Draco surveyed her.

"I always wondered where that went," he said tightly, looking at the jumper.

"Sorry," she said, and they fell silent.

"If this is about last night," she said. "You're right. It was a mistake for me to come back. I'm leaving tonight."

He looked down before looking up at her.

"Where will you go?"

"Florence," she replied, and he nodded grimly.

"This is about last night," he grit out. "But it's not what you think. I—" he trailed off, trying to find the words before shaking his head and clenching his jaw. "I owe you an apology," he admitted. "I have no right to drive you away. This was your home once too, and I—I shouldn't be trying to keep you from it. That was wrong of me."

Leolin bowed her head, completely unsure what to say. The old Draco never would have admitted something like that. He'd grown up considerably in her absence.

"Thank you," she croaked.

"Your mum and Ginny would never forgive me if I forced you to go, and I love them both. I don't to make them unhappy."

Leolin swallowed painfully.

"What about you?" she asked in a quiet voice. "Where do we stand?"

"You're inevitable," he admitted quietly, and she shook her head to signify she didn't understand.

He ran his hands through his hair the way he'd always used to, clenching his jaw.

"I can't avoid you even though I want to," he bit out. "So I have to learn to accept you."

"Thank you," she said, even though it was exactly what she couldn't bear to hear from him.

She was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that they were alone together in a small space. It made her ache to touch him again, though she knew he'd never let her.

"Draco," she began. "I—"

"Don't," he said fiercely. "Seriously, just don't."

She nodded and hung her head again.

"I know it doesn't change anything," she said in a whisper. "But I am sorry for what I put you through."

If only he knew what she'd suffered as well.

"It's the past," he bit out, looking at her. "I have Gen now; I have no right to be bitter."

"I'm glad you're happy," she lied.

A long silence reigned, and Leolin could feel Draco's eyes scrutinizing her, but she didn't care to absorb any more of her hateful stares then she had to.

"I'm expecting a floo from Florence," she lied tightly, finally meeting his gaze again. "I—I should go."

He stood, clenching his jaw as he warred with himself. Finally he fixed her with a searing look.

"We're having another engagement party at our flat tonight," he said in a sharp voice. "Just friends and booze. Gen's asked me to invite you, and I can't seem to deny her anything so you'll be there. I'm—asking you to be there."

"I—"

"After what you pulled last night," he snapped, his eyes a little anguished. "It's the least you can do for her."

"Why does she want me to come?" Leolin asked candidly. "I'm sure she hates me."

"Wouldn't you, if you were her?" he said coldly.

"I don't know," she replied, bowing her head. "I guess."

"It's at nine," he said. "Ginny has the address."

"What should I wear?" she asked.

"What do I care?" he snapped with venom.

"Is it cocktail attire, or—"

"Yes," he bit out. "And do try not to dress like a whore."

"That's not fair," she said in a hurt voice.

"By whose estimation?" he sneered, glaring at her over his shoulder.

"I don't remember receiving any complaints when we were engaged."

He whirled on her at once, his hands like vices on her arms.

"Get off," she snapped.

"You don't want to go down memory lane with me, Lefevre. If you really to know what I think of the clothes you wear, get on your knees and I've fucking show you."

"I'm not a whore," she said fiercely, shoving him off. "_Don't_ call me that again. And if you ever touch me without my permission, I'll drag you in front of the Wizengamot before you can even call your lawyer."

He took several steps back, still sneering.

"You mean the crooked Wizengamot that my father controls?" he said bitterly, clearly taking no pleasure in that fact. "Good luck with that."

"I mean it," she said seriously. "I will make you very sorry."

"Wear what you want," he snapped finally. "Thankfully, it's no longer my concern."

She bent her head, his words a cold sting.

"Please leave," she said quietly.

"With pleasure," he said. "See you at nine."

He was gone with a crackle, and when the flames bloomed orange again, Leolin sank down, taking a large gulp of Draco's forgotten gin and tonic before once again heaving the glass into the fire.

She thought again about what Severina had said as she watched the shards of crystal blacken in the flames. She mulled over what Draco had said about accepting her as they began to bubble and melt. Severina was right; the only way forward now was downward into the fray.

**a/n**: what did you think? Did it live up to your expectations or where you disappointed? Let me know! Next chapter the real fun begins: Leolin faces her old friends and Genevieve! Stay tuned!


	5. Chapter 4: The Devil You Know

a/n: jahjbljJahkjaljhwlkjahslkjhlwjwejlajhlwjae Y'alls support is overwhelming. I love you all so much. Can't wait for you meet Genevieve. Some of you think you'll love her. Some of you think you'll hate her. Let's find out, shall we?

**Chapter Four: The Devil You Know**

"Better the devil you know than the devil you don't."

_Leolin lay in their cramped apartment on the outskirts of Medieval Florence, listening to Cristian's breathing beside her and feeling sick to her stomach. She didn't want to move, lest she wake him and he demand a repeat of the previous evening's performance. The one night he bartered from her had become every night, and as much as that was killing her, there was nothing she could do. Things had been quiet here, and Leolin was fairly certain they'd managed to throw Lucius off their trail. If she stopped giving Cristian what he wanted, he would run back to London at once, and Lucius would surely uproot even the small amount of security she'd managed to amass here in Florence._

_Still, Leolin felt herself growing weaker with every union, and some days, like today, she barely had to strength to get out of a bed. She had to, though. She had work in an hour, and she'd taken to showering several times a day. Though all the hot water made her skin tight and dry and her hair brittle, Leolin never could manage to wash the shame away._

_Carefully, she pushed Cristian's arm off of her, biting her lip as she gingerly stood. However, the old mattress creaked as she got up, and Cristian stirred beside her._

"_Where are you going, cherie. Get back here and let's have some fun."_

_She grit her teeth, vaguely wishing she had the stomach to kill him where he lay._

"_I can't." she said. "I have work."_

"_That's not as important as pleasuring me, is it?"_

"_We're broke, Cristian," she snapped, nerves frayed. "You've burned through all the money I had."_

"_What can I say?" he said, sitting up a little and smiling. "I have expensive taste."_

"_I can't believe you didn't tell me how poor you were," she said in a defeated voice, searching for her robe._

"_Would you have come to me if you had?" He asked._

"_No," she bit out. "I wouldn't have."_

"_Exactement," he said, easing down to lie on his back again as he watched her hungrily._

"_Your father left you a multi-million galleon trust," she said. "What the hell happened to it?"_

"_I don't know," Cristian said smugly. "It flitted away, like a little birdie."_

"_And yet I'm the only one of us who's working," she said in a defeated voice. "How interesting."_

"_Come back to bed and I'll give you a reward," he said suggestively, and she turned away, disgusted._

"_I have to shower. I don't want to be late."_

_She slipped down the hall from their cramped bedroom to their dingy bathroom. Turning on the tap to scalding hot before stepping under the stream. Some days she cried, but today she merely stood, wondering as always what she was going to do. She had to find a real job. She had to get out of this dump, and she had to get Cristian off her back. Think! What could she do? What was she even qualified to do?_

_She didn't have any more time to brood, because the bathroom door was opening, and a second later Cristian was stepping in behind her. So much for getting clean._

"_I don't have time for this," she said desperately. "I'll be late."_

"_So be late," he replied evenly, spinning her around and crushing his mouth against hers._

_He urged her to open her mouth, and she tried not to gag as his tongue touched hers. This was becoming unbearable._

"_Allons, cherie," he breathed. "Why don't you get on your knees like I like you to."_

"_No," she replied, shaking her head. "I just gave you that last night."_

"_I know," he said cruelly. "But you are so good at it."_

_She did as she was told, devoting all her energy to imagining he was someone else. When she looked up at him through her wet lashes, he was suddenly blonde and not dark-haired, and his diamond eyes twinkled merrily. She could feel some of the tension seeping from her shoulders as the fantasy washed over her._

"_Come up here," Draco groaned, tipping his head back onto the tiles as he smiled. It was the kind that he only gave her, and it always made her feel as if she was standing in the sun._

"_I have to be at work," she told him._

_"I think the Savage can go a little longer without it's star barkeep," he replied, kissing her gently again._

_She could feel the medallion she'd given him pressing between her breasts as his mouth worked. She slid her hands down his sides, feeling the phoenix on one side and the falcon on the other._

_She remembered when he'd first showed her the falcon tattoo._

'_It's for you,' he'd told her. 'So you're always here with me. You're my falcon; you're my patronus.'_

"_Drake," she murmured, but he shook his head to silence her, turning her in his arms._

"_Don't worry, Cal. You won't be late."_

_He drove in gently, pumping faster when she began to mew._

"_Go on, darling," he said softly, his voice husky. "Get off for me. It will start your day right."_

_She was close, and finally she stopped resisting, letting the first orgasm in six weeks wash over her. The fantasy began to subside immediately, and the last thing Leolin heard Draco's voice saying was, "I love you."_

"_I knew you were holding back on purpose," Cristian said in triumph as he worked her harder. "I knew I could make you come."_

"_You didn't," she wanted to spit at him. "Draco did."_

_She said nothing._

_Finally, he was done, and she jerked away from him, standing under the scalding stream again and ignoring him as he stepped out._

_He'd left the apartment by the time she'd finally emerged from the shower, and she simply threw her hair up into a bun and got dressed before apparating from their flat to the bar she worked at on the Piazza della Signoria. She smiled grimly up at the stoic David statue before tapping her wand casually on the bricks outside and slipping into the Wizarding Bar._

"_Mi dispiace sono in ritardo, Giovanni," she said to her boss, not looking up._

_She spoke very little Italian, and very poorly, but it was enough to get by. Mostly she just didn't speak at all._

"_Ah!" Giovanni said, turning from the man he'd been speaking to to smile at her. Giovanni was the only person in Florence Leolin didn't despise. "vieni qui, tesoro."_

_He turned back to the tall man, using the little bit of English he knew._

"_This Naomi. She a francese. She help you."_

_The man rotated his shoulders to look at Leolin, and she damn near fainted._

"_Draco!" she cried, tears already welling, but it was clear at once he didn't recognize her and couldn't hear her cry. He couldn't see her because of Lucius's gag order._

_The Wizarding world was fairly small, she knew, but it was still a cruel coincidence Draco had ended up here, of all places, pained her to no end. _

"_Parlez-vous français?" he said impatiently_

_He was still impeccably dressed, but otherwise he looked terrible. His under-eyes were violet and his hair was a mess. He ran a hand through it as she stared at him, trembling like a leaf._

"_Allô!" he snapped snidely. "Parlez-vous français ou pas?"_

"_Uh—oui," she said, her voice strangled. She willed him to recognize her. "And English."_

"_Good," he said, glad to have her full attention at last. "I'm looking for a witch. She would have shown up in the last six weeks or so. She's about twenty, and she got dark hair and blue eyes. She's gorgeous, and she's French. Her name is Leolin. The surname is Lefevre. The French Wizarding community is small and tight-knit here, I know, so if she were in Florence, she would likely come to you. Have you heard anything? Have you seen anyone that fits her description?_

_**I am her**__, Leolin wanted to cry._

"_Non," she said, choking on her tears. "I—I haven't seen anyone like that. What should I tell her, if I do?"_

_Draco considered._

"_Tell her Draco loves her desperately, and he needs her to come home."_

* * *

"I don't understand," Ariadne said, as Leolin flopped onto the couch, drinking a steaming mug of tea. "You were leaving London to get away from Draco, and now you're not only staying, but you're going to the intimate _engagement_ party at the flat he and his _fiancée _share?"

"Exactly so," Leolin said glumly, chewing at her lip and staring into the fire.

Even having made up her mind, she felt little peace in her decision. She knew what sort of nastiness awaited her, from Draco if not from Genevieve, and she didn't revel in the thought.

"Leolin," Ariadne said, sinking next to her and offering Leolin a chocolate and caramel biscuit. "I love you, but you need to start learning to split the difference on these things. I'm thrilled you're staying, but going to that party is a mistake."

"What am I supposed to do? Genevieve _specifically_ invited me. It's only going to make things worse if I don't go. Draco will just resent me more."

Ariadne sighed, setting down her own teacup and fixing Leolin with a stern look.

"Look, as you know, I care for Draco very much."

"Yes I know," Leolin snapped, sullenly slurping some tea. "At least he likes one of us."

"That's not what I meant," Ariadne said, a little annoyed. "Will you please listen, instead of interrupting me?"

"Fine," Leolin said. "I'm listening."

"Your father and I are very fond of Draco, and for his sake we have embraced Genevieve. In many respects she really is a lovely girl and a good person. That being said, I don't think you have any _idea_ what you're going up against."

"Are you saying you don't like her?" Leolin asked.

"No," Ariadne said in a serious voice. "She's very charming and polite, in fact. But I will say that she's fiercely protective of her relationship with Draco, and she's a breed of woman you've never encountered before, and I think you are walking into something that you are wholly unprepared for."

"Are you saying she's a snake?" Leolin asked. "Because I'm practically family with Severina Borgia, and I made it through seven years of sleeping in the same room as Gracie Boyle. I know how to handle venom."

"Not like this you don't," Ariadne replied, seemingly a little pained about the Severina comment but not wanting to hurt Leolin more by mentioning it. "It's not dry wit and quick barbs like you're used to; I know you're very good at that. This is 'Southern Charm'. It's kill you with kindness. It's say one thing and mean the opposite. It's trip you up in your own words until you've somehow agreed to do something you don't want to do. Leolin, I'm not saying she's a bad person, but I have seen Gen cut girls to ribbons, a smile on her face the whole time. Americans don't play by the same rules we do, especially in the South where Gen's from."

"I'm not afraid of her 'Southern Charm'," Leolin said. "I can handle myself better than you'd think. I'm a Slytherin, remember?"

"Leolin—"

"It's done, Mum. I'm going."

Leolin stood up. She needed to start getting ready. It was already six thirty. She also needed a drink

"After you left last night," Ariadne called to her retreating back. "You were all anyone could talk about. I think Genevieve could have left, and the only person who would have noticed was Draco. Have you seen the Prophet this morning?"

She held up the paper, and the headline blared: **PRODIGAL DAUGHTER RETURNS. **Underneath was a picture of Leolin gliding down the steps, the whole ballroom her captive audience as her necklace glittered magnifiscently in the light. She had to vainly admit she looked enviable.

"Imagine," Ariadne said. "Wearing a dress like Genevieve's and still being outshone. This was meant to be _her _big night, and instead her fiancée's ex was the belle of the ball. That would make any woman jealous, and believe me, Genevieve Beauchene is anything but ordinary. She's the Prophet's darling, and she is on the front page more often than she isn't. Everyone in London adores and is fascinated by her. She is not used to being outshone, I assure you, but she was last night."

"What?" Leolin burst. "Am I supposed to feel sorry for her?"

"No," Ariadne said. "But I don't think you understand what you're stirring up here. You're threatening her position, and she's not one to be threatened. I need you to listen to me and tread carefully here, Leolin."

"I'm not going to waste time on that," Leolin said. "If anyone should be afraid, it's her. Mum, she has what's mine. I'm not going to let her rob me of my happiness just because she's devours normal girls for sport! I'm _not _a normal girl. If she thinks she'd going to get rid of me in one evening, she is dead fucking wrong. Besides, I'm sorry to take what she has with Draco away from her, but he is the love of my life, and I'm the love of his."

Amelie pursed her lips. Leolin was an adult now, but Ariadne wasn't much for swearing.

"Don't forget what happened last night," Ariadne warned, and Leolin spun, looking hurt. "Darling, you can't force this on Draco. You have to give him time to come around. This has been an enormous shock for him."

"There isn't time for that," Leolin said, a little, desperate. "He's _engaged to be married._"

Ariadne shook her head sadly, bowing it a second before looking up at Leolin again.

"Then perhaps you should have come home sooner," she said, sounding a little pained.

Leolin pulled away, heaving a sigh. She didn't have to feel guilty, she reminded herself. She would have come back the same hour she left if she could've. She did her best. Still, she felt her mother's painful accusation churning the familiar acidic guilt in the dredges of her heart.

"I'm sorry," Leolin said softly, eye penitant. "I came home as soon as I could. And now that I am, I have to do what I can to make things right."

"Okay," Ariadne said in a quiet voice. "That's fair. James and I are going to dinner tonight, but we will be back after. Come in if you need anything."

"I will," Leolin promised, traipsing back towards her mother.

Ariadne folded her into her arms, stroking her onyx hair.

"I'm sorry to be so harsh, lapin," she said softly. "You know I'm on your side. Always."

Leolin nodded.

"I know that," she agreed, and Ariadne nodded.

"I love you."

"You too," Leolin said, melting farther into Ariadne's embrace as her mother soothingly kissed her forehead.

Just then Leolin's floo began issuing smoke from inside the pocket of her jeans, and she pulled back and flicked it open to find a message from Ginny.

_Draco's just been by the flat. He said you were staying after all. I hope you're as happy about it as I am. Do you want to go together tonight? Meet us at our flat and we can just go together. It 39 Lexington Grove, number four. _

_Love you and can't wait to see you_

_G._

* * *

After an hour of brooding and an hour of tearing through her clothes, most of which were from when she was in school, Leolin had picked a simply white sheath and a pair of enormous diamond earrings. She threw on some makeup and fixed her hair before remembering perfume. She rummaged in her purse for the bottle Severina had bought her in Florence. The mistake she'd made last night was trying to be the girl Draco remembered. She wasn't that girl anymore, and if she wanted to be with him then she had to let him fall in love with who she was now.

She threw some lipstick and her floo in a clutch before looking in her closet for shoes. She knew it was going to seem contrived to Draco, but as she searched, the reality was that the only heel that matched her outfit where her sparkling Loubitons, which he had bought her.

Leolin slipped them on and headed down the stairs.

"I'm off," Leolin called. "See you in the morning."

"What are you wearing?" Ariadne called. "Let me see!"

Leolin turned to show her mother, who had emerged at the top of the stairs.

"It's nice," Ariadne affirmed. "Very—subtle."

"Not sure if that was a compliment or an insult, but I'll take it."

"It's not your usual style, is all," Ariadne pointed out.

Leolin rolled her eyes.

"Love you, Mum."

"Don't forget to be yourself," Ariadne called as Leolin approached the floo.

Leolin spoke Ginny's address and stepped into the flames. She emerged in a cool, loft-style flat that had clearly been converted from some sort of warehouse. There was tons of exposed brink and mahogany beams, and the decoration was an amalgam of both Ginny and Blaise's tastes. There was something shimmering quietly on the stove and stirring itself, and Leolin smiled. She would expect nothing else. After all, Ginny was still her mother's daughter.

"Hi!" Ginny called, running down the stairs from where their bedroom must have been. She was wearing a pretty lilac cocktail dress, curlers still wounds into her blood red hair, showing off her lithe shoulders. "How are you?"

She threw her arms around Leolin, who hugged her gratefully.

"Gin, I want to say something about yesterday—"

Ginny shook her head, hugging Leolin again.

" I saw Adrian shove you, that little twat; I know you didn't meant to make a big scene."

"I swear to Merlin I didn't," Leolin affirmed. "I would never do that. And I only went to the party because Draco basically threatened I be there or else. You have to know that I wouldn't have gone otherwise."

"I know," Ginny said. "He told me."

There was an odd flash in her eyes Leolin wasn't wholly comfortable with. She realized for the first time that Ginny might not actually be on her side in this fight. It stung dully, like new skin exposed after a scape.

"What's going on with Adrian " Ginny asked. "I'm worried about you."

"Don't be," Leolin said stiffly, already read with a lie. "I didn't even see Lucius the other day. It was mostly just Adrian being a nob; I think he just wants to try and punish me for the way I treated him in school. Now that he's got a little power, he can't seem to help but rub it in my face."

She thought of how eager he'd been to knock her down a peg, and she tried not to flush.

"Maybe I shouldn't have been so nasty to him in school," she admitted.

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Please, he was nasty first. I say thank Salazar you were there to keep his sorry arse in line. He is insufferable enough as it is. Besides, don't worry about him," Ginny continued, drawing her wand and levitating over a bottle from a wine rack set into one of the brick walls. "He won't be there tonight. Vino?"

"Please," Leolin said, smoothing her skirt and sitting down. "Where's Blaise?"

"He had some work thing," Ginny said, rolling her eyes and handing Leolin a glass that the bottle had poured her. "He'll be here in a bit."

Leolin took a sip. It was some type of refreshing Spanish white. Rioja, maybe.

"Is that really what you're wearing?" Ginny queried politely looking at Leolin

"Is there something wrong with this?" Leolin asked self-consciously. "My mum asked me the same thing."

"It's just—not really you," Ginny said. "Honestly, this is more Gen's style than yours."

Leolin shrugged.

"So I've heard."

"I hope you don't feel like you have to—" Ginny broke off.

"Have to what?" Leolin asked, feeling a little defensive now.

"To compete," Ginny said almost sheepishly. "I want you to feel free to be yourself."

"I do," Leolin said in mild self-defense. "Why would I want to compete with her?"

Ginny gave her a candid look.

"You know why," Ginny said. "Isn't that why you're back?"

Leolin felt put on the spot, and her cheeks burned.

"For Draco?" Leolin asked.

"Yes," Ginny pressed.

"I—I don't know," Leolin blurted, feeling oddly guilty. It almost felt as if Ginny was passing judgment on her.

"Because if that's your plan—" she trailed off. "There are a lot of questions that need answering. You haven't exactly been forthcoming to this point."

"I know," Leolin admitted.

She didn't elaborate, thinking about Lucius and Adrian and the new gag. She wasn't ready to admit how much she still loved Draco and how far she still had to climb in order to win him back. She was too ashamed.

She realized after a moment that Ginny was watching her expectantly.

"Lai," Ginny said, voice stern. "Why did you leave?"

"It's complicated," Leolin said, looking away.

"Then try to explain it as best you can. You pretty much tore Draco's life in two. I think you owe him a reason for doing it."

"I know," Leolin said, pained. "And you have to know that I never meant to hurt him. I just—I wasn't well."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Leolin looked down. Did she dare tell Ginny the truth? It could make things a lot easier; at least there would be one person who didn't hate her for leaving. On the other hand, Leolin didn't want to have to admit that Lucius had angled her into a new bargain, and she was afraid if she left that part out that Ginny would go to Draco at once.

"I—I wasn't well. I was paranoid that Lucius was going to try to use me to manipulate Draco, and I didn't want that. I just worked myself up into this frenzy, and I—I just couldn't stay."

"So you did it because you loved Draco?"

"Of course. I would never intentionally hurt him."

"Then why move on so quickly?" Ginny asked almost defensively.

Leolin gave a concerned frown.

"What are you talking about?"

"That bloke from the Swiss gossip rags. We all saw that, Lai. It tore Draco to shreds. He was inconsolable about it. I mean, that was _weeks_ after you left. It's what really touched him off."

Leolin had no idea what Ginny was talking about. She hadn't been with any men since Draco except for Cristian, and they were never in public together. It must have been something Lucius set up.

"I don't know," Leolin said in a sad voice. "I guess—"

She knew she shouldn't lie. Why confess to something hideous she hadn't done? Still, she felt it bubble up anyways.

"I guess I just didn't want to be alone."

"Oh Lai," Ginny said sadly, and Leolin nodded as if to say, "_I know, I think I'm an idiot, too."_

So _that's _why Draco hated her so much. He thought she'd simply chosen a different life without him. If only he knew how untrue that was. If only she could show him how much she still loved him.

"I still think you ought to change," Ginny said softly, clearly wanting to change the subject before she got more upset. "I have a dress you can borrow that's so much more you."

Leolin bit her lip. She knew Ginny still loved her despite what she'd supposedly done, but it ached to know that she probably thought a little less of her. Could she blame them, though? After all, Draco had been going shop to shop in every Wizarding city in Europe looking for her, and she'd seemingly been canoodling with other men. Merlin, it was a miracle they didn't hate her, too.

"Here, hold this," Ginny said.

She handed Leolin her glass of wine before entering her cavernous closet. She emerged a second later with a soft peach cocktail dress. It was knee length with thin straps, which kept it from being immodest, but the bustier top was certain to emphasize Leolin's form.

"Here," Ginny said, offering it to Leolin. "It's going to make your knockers looks amazing."

Leolin gave a sheepish smile and accepted it, heading into the closet and shedding the white sheath as Ginny unraveled her curlers in the bedroom. She stared at herself in bra and knickers from a moment, feeling oddly vulnerable in her own skin. Finally she turned away.

"Gin?" she heard Blaise calling faintly from downstairs. "You here?"

"We're in the bedroom!" Leolin heard Ginny call as she stepped into the silk frock. Leolin wasn't quite as slender as Ginny, and it was extremely fitted across the chest and hips. It wasn't too tight, but it hugged her form closely. Leolin chewed on her lower lip as she heard Blaise sweep into the room, kissing Ginny soundly.

"How is the most beautiful woman in the world?" He said as they kissed again.

"I'm fine," Leolin called as she emerged, and Ginny laughed.

"Much better," Ginny said, surveying her. "Much more you."

"It's too tight." Leolin said, feeling somewhat self-conscious.

"No, it isn't," Ginny countered. "It's actually a little too loose on me. It fits you perfectly, you should keep it."

Blaise gave her a reproving glance.

"Gin, if she isn't comfortable in it, let her be."

Leolin could read his expression immediately. He didn't approve of Ginny potentially aiding Leolin's machinations towards Draco.

"Of course don't have to wear it if you don't want," Ginny said. She and Blaise seemed to be in silent agreement on this. Leolin bit her lip and looked away in a manner she hoped was casual. "But it does look beautiful on you."

"I don't want people to think I'm a—" Leolin paused. "A whore."

"No one is going to say that," Ginny said hotly, growing more protective again. "Who would say that?"

"Draco will," Leolin said. "Already has, in fact. Several times."

"Well then he can just fuck the fuck off. Just because Genevieve dresses the way she does doesn't mean—"

"Ginevra—" Blaise admonished, and Ginny rolled her eyes

"It wasn't an insult," Ginny explained. "She just has very—conservative taste. Honestly, I'm kinda surprised Draco likes it as much as he—"

"Ginny, Merlin! That's _enough_! This is _her_ night; she gets to dress however she likes!"

"I never said she couldn't, but I don't have to unequivocally worship her like the rest of London if I don't want," Ginny snapped irritably. "Am I not entitled to my own private opinion?"

"Gin," Blaise said, eyes flicking to Leolin. "We are not having this discussion right now."

"You're right," she said. "We're not."

"I'm going to just pop downstairs," Leolin interrupted. "I have to make a quick call."

It was a poor rouse, but neither Ginny nor Blaise seemed bothered by it. They were both clearly jonesing for a fight.

"Be down in a sec," Ginny said distractedly.

Leolin, to her shame, closed the door behind her before extracting an extendable ear from her purse. She felt bad eavesdropping, but she had to know the situation she was preparing to walk into.

"Draco is one of your best friends," Blaise drawled when there were seemingly alone "At least try to like her for his sake."

"I never said I didn't like her!" Ginny spat back. "Don't put words in my mouth!"

"But you've also never said you do," Blaise pointed out in agitation. "She's important to Draco, Ginny. That should make her important to you."

"Merlin. I like her fine, alright?"

Blaise groaned.

"He chose her, Gin! He _wants_ to be with her. You have to let him."

"Is this about Charleston?" Ginny snapped.

"You're bloody going."

"No, I am certainly not," Ginny snapped. "You can go if you like, but I'm not."

"Ginevra, goddamnit," Blaise seethed. "You are _going_ to Charleston."

"No," Ginny replied. "I'm sorry, but I'm not. We've talked about this. You know _damn well_ why I don't want to go!"

Blaise gave a sigh as some of the fight seemed to bleed out of him.

"Gin, sweetheart, I appreciate your concern, but I've been dealing with this all my life. I can handle it."

"You shouldn't have to, though!"

Leolin had no idea what they were talking about. What was Ginny afraid of?

"And it's not just that," Ginny admitted. "I want to be supportive here, of course I do, but I also can't pretend to feel something I don't."

"What is that even supposed to mean?" Blaise demanded.

"What do you want me to say?" Ginny shot back. "I have nothing against Gen, but she and I aren't friends. I'm not ready to go on extended holiday with her. In fact, I'm not sure I'll ever be ready for that, Draco or no."

"Merlin, Ginny! Why are you being such a pain in the arse about this?"

"I'm not!" she defended. "Stop being such a fucking bully!"

"I'm not," he said. "But stop dancing around what you mean!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm just not sure Gen is right for Draco. I know he cares about her, but I'm not convinced he cares enough."

"What are you talking about?" Blaise snapped. "He loves her. Merlin, is this about 'being someone's Leolin'? Because you know that's in the past. If you—"

"No," Ginny said coldly. "I've felt this way for a long time."

"Ginevra, we agreed we wouldn't —"

Wouldn't what? Leolin wondered. She had a pitting feeling she didn't really want to know.

"I know!" Ginny snapped before he could finish. "But I can't talk about this with you right now. It's not fair to keep Leolin waiting. We're going to go."

"I still have to change," Blaise said, exasperated.

"We'll meet you there, then," Ginny snapped.

"Ginny," he said tiredly. "Baby—"

"See you there," Ginny repeated hotly, and Leolin stealthily snuck down the stairs and Ginny emerged. Her hair was cascading down her shoulders now in loose waves.

When she saw Leolin she smiled, and Leolin tried to return the gesture as best she could. Still, it was hard in light of what she'd just heard. She hadn't felt this alone in a long time.

"Come on Lai," Ginny chirped in false cheer. "Let's get going."

"Are you sure you don't want to wait for Blaise?" Leolin asked gingerly. Ginny pursed her lips.

"He's fine."

She paused, realizing she had more to say.

"Sorry about that," Ginny muttered. "We usually never fight like that. It's just—Gen's basically trying to trick me into going with her and Draco and some of her horrid friends to America for an extended holiday. She's properly put out that I don't want to go, and she finds ways to bring it up all the time. She's worked the boys into a frenzy over it, and it's gotten completely out of hand. Anyways," she said, clearly trying to change the mood. "It doesn't matter. Everyone is going to be so excited to see you. My floo has been going non-stop. Pansy threatened to hex me if I didn't bring you tonight."

"You can thank Draco, then," Leolin said. "Because he essentially threatened to hex _me _if I didn't come."

"That was nice of him," Ginny said uncomfortably, setting down their empty glasses on the counter.

"That's one way to look at it, I suppose," Leolin said dryly.

Ginny found a spare bit of parchment and a quill and penned Blaise a quick note before heading for the floo. Leolin glanced at it

_You're a nob, but I still love you more than I can say. xx_

Ginny disappeared through the floo first, and Leolin chewed her lip before following her.

Then arrived on the landing on a lavish flat two seconds later, and Leolin tried to pretend she wasn't horribly nervous. Whereas Ginny's place was all warm wood and charming brick, Draco's new pad was hard lines and sleek surfaces. It was a harsher, more opulent version of the flat they'd shared, and Leolin was sure it was designed that way.

There were stairs directly in front of them, and a rolling bass and loud voices were rising up from below. Ginny gave her a warm smile before descending first. When she was visible to the crowd, there was a cheer.

"If it isn't the world's biggest troublemaker," Leolin heard one of the Faulkners saying, and she could imagine Ginny smirking.

"If you think I'm trouble, wait until you see who I've brought with me," Ginny said, and Leolin took a deep breath before emerging into the soft light as well.

"Leolin Lefevre," Liam called. "When did you get out of prison?"

Leolin gave a small smile, though it was hard to maintain as she watched Draco coming towards her, his eyes glittering as he drank in her dress and re-examined her new hair. Gen was next to him, but Leolin looked away for a moment instead of meeting her gaze.

"Hello you," Draco said to Ginny as he approached, brushing a soft kiss on her cheek. It was seemed so alien for them to be so openly affectionate. "What have you done with Blaise?"

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"He was annoying me, so I sold him to the circus," she said. "Hello, Genevieve. Congratulations again."

"Thank you, angel," Gen drawled sweetly, kissing Ginny's cheeks.

While Gen was looking away, Leolin took the opportunity to study her openly. She was not lush or exotic beauty that Leolin was, but there was something fresh and classically pretty about her face. Her naturally hair colour must have been a shade somewhat similar to Leolin's own, and there were several inches of dark roots stylishly showing before her hair faded to a bright blonde. It leant her otherwise clean look much needed edge, and she managed to make an otherwise unkempt style painfully elegant. Her brows and lashes were dark, too, though she wore very little makeup, save for a pair of soft, nature-looking false lashes and red lipstick.

Her style of dress, as both Amelie and Ginny had intimated, was fairly plain. Her dress was made of matte sequins in a delicate champagne colour, with a silk belt and sheer cap sleeves. It was knee-length and not particularly form-fitting, and in it was she was poster child of modest elegance. Suddenly Leolin felt wildly self-conscious, and she braced herself for Draco's cruel snipe. Leolin realized after a moment that Draco was staring at her, and she met his gaze as boldly as she could. He was dressed fairly casually in a white collared shirt with a maroon sweater on top and tailored navy khakis. His hair was pushed back into his usual style, and he looked, as always, incredibly handsome. It was odd, Leolin mused, that his outfit somewhat clashed with Gen's. She broke from her reverie and realized he was staring at her, his gaze cold as he took in her dress, face, and new hair.

"Lefevre," he said gruffly when Gen looked at him expectantly. "This is my fiancée, Genevieve. Gen, this is—Leolin."

"Draco," Genevieve said in what appeared to be genuine admonition. _"_Please, you're embarrassing me! Leolin's a guest in our home. That was rude and uncalled for!"

Gen turned to Leolin, her dark eyes unnervingly warm. "I'm so sorry, Leolin. Where I come from," she explained, reaching forward and squeezing Leolin's hand reassuringly. "Gentlemen _never_ address ladies by their surname."

Leolin met Genevieve's sparkling gaze for the first time, and her throat ached as Genevieve gave her a warm smile. Leolin thought about what Ariadne had said killing with kindness. She had to admit that Genevieve was a master, and despite everything she represented to Leolin, some small part of her actually liked Gen. Gen made it dangerously easy to do so.

"Leolin," Gen continued, and Draco's relinquished his hold on her as Gen pulled Leolin into her embrace. She smelled like her light floral perfume. "I really am so happy you're here. I know that may seem odd given everything, but the way everyone goes on about you, I couldn't wait to meet you."

"I don't—" Leolin began, but Gen touched her arm, showing off the enormous ring on her finger. It was an emerald-cut diamond the size of a sickle, and it was almost too big to even sparkle. If Draco had proposed to Leolin with that ring, she would have said no. Still, Gen offset its opulence with short, unpolished nails. It was so different from Leolin had expected; she'd imagined long red talons.

"No," Gen said, giving a lovely laugh. "You can't try and tell me you aren't wonderful. I'm already bewitched."

"She does have that effect," someone cut in, and Leolin looked up and smiled, glad to be free of Gen's unnerving adoration. It admittedly wasn't unpleasant, but behind her warm smile lurked something Leolin knew had the power to break her heart and send her back to Florence in agony.

"Pansy Parkinson!" Leolin cried, and Gen smiled sweetly and melded back to Draco's side as the other two girls embraced.

"Pansy Peakes," Pansy smirked, holding out her hand and showing off a tasteful sapphire. "For two years now."

Leolin laughed.

"Of all the people," she said, but another small smile was already washing over her as Tieran emerged from the throng.

Leolin gave a soft laugh as he awkwardly held out his arms and she hugged him, still beaming.

"So you really meant it at graduation when you said we could call you Tieran," Leolin said, and Tieran gave an affable shrug.

"I guess I did," he said, sounding just the slightest bit sheepish. "Though I admit seeing you and Ginevra together again is already giving me a headache."

Pansy punched him and he laughed for the first time. Pansy then smiled up at him, and he visibly relaxed. They were oddly perfect for one another.

"You were so mean to us!" Ginny cried indignantly to Tieran. "It was so unfair! We were totally—adequate at Transfiguration."

"You could have been outstanding," he said dryly. "That's what was so bloody infuriating. Also, you two were a chatty nightmare," Tieran went on. "The only two people worse than you were Draco and Blaise," he admitted.

"They were chatty?" Leolin laughed, and Tieran shook his head.

"No. They were always suspiciously working on something other than the assignment, but when I would try to nail them, they could both do whatever charm we were working on perfectly. It was so annoying."

"I'm surprised you knew we were even _in_ that class," Draco said. "Since Pansy was too."

Pansy smirked up at her husband before kissing him soundly.

"This is going to take some getting used to," Leolin admitted, laughing again as she hugged Leon Faulkner.

"See?" Genevieve said in an admiring tone. "What did I say? Everyone adores you, Leolin."

Leolin thought about what her mother had said about Gen being the media's darling and suddenly her compliment was hollow and calculated. Ariadne was right; this type of manipulation was new to her; it made her feel ill at ease. On the other hand, she felt something else odd and unpleasant stirring in her gut, and she realized in horror that it was guilt. It was obvious that Gen did love Draco, too.

"You're very kind, Gen," Leolin said, aware that the rug could be pulled for beneath her feet at any time. "Thank you for inviting me."

"I wouldn't dream of excluding you," she said in her pretty Southern drawl. "Perhaps that's odd to say as well," she continued, gazing lovingly up at Draco. He returned the gesture warmly. "But it's true."

She smiled at Leolin again. Blaise then appeared, his eyes immediately going to Ginny.

"Hi," he said as she came over to greet him, her arms immediately around his trim waist. "I got your note."

She smiled.

"I'm glad you're here," she admitted, and he kissed her.

"Blaise," Gen said, extending her arms so he was forced to let go of Ginny and embrace her. "We were worried you were lost to us."

"Not at all," Blaise said, smiling at Draco. "Ginevra was just in such a hurry to get here and show Leolin off that she left me behind."

Blaise gave Ginny a pointed look.

"I don't blame her," Gen cooed. "That dress is magnificent, Leolin. I wish I could pull something like that off."

This, Leolin was positive, was a back-handed compliment. In her warm way, Gen wanted to point out how provocative the dress was.

"I don't have the curves for it," Gen said enviously. "I'm so very jealous of you."

"Don't be," Leolin said, wildly uncomfortable. "That dress is lovely."

"Thank you," Gen said graciously, smoothing the shimmering shirt. "Draco bought it for me."

She smiled up at him and he bent to kiss her.

"You have the most exquisite taste, darling," Gen said ambiguously after a moment, and it was unclear if she meant in fashion or women. Leolin suspected it was the latter, and when Gen smiled back at her, she could see that she was trying to silently intimate that Draco preferred her modesty to Leolin's sensuality.

He smiled at Gen but said nothing before his eyes bled up Leolin form again. She watched him drink in the alluring contours of her breasts, clearly outlined in the dress, before his gaze slid up her slender neck and lingered on her face, eyes sparkling.

"We have to finish making the rounds," Draco said finally, looking down at Genevieve, who made a show of modestly adjusting her knee-length hem.

"Of course," Gen said, smiling beautifully up at him.

Draco must have been thinking the same thing, and he bent to kiss her softly. Draco's eyes then flicked back to Leolin.

"Don't leave anytime soon," Gen said, grabbing Leolin's wrist affectionately as she too looked back. "I want to properly acquainted when I get the time."

Draco was still staring. Leolin met his gaze without flinching before looking at Genevieve, whose face was expectant.

"Of course," she replied, accepting a glass of champagne from a waiter.

Draco nodded, and Gen gave Leolin one more pretty little smile before they turned away.

"Well," Pansy said when they were gone. "You handled that a lot better than expected. Cheers."

She and Leolin clinked glasses, and everyone drank.

"What if I said I was over Draco?" Leolin said casually, and Pansy smirked, clinking her glass against Leolin's again before leaning in.

"Then I'd call you a liar, darling," she said is a soft voice. "And just for the record, Gen is the most sweet when she feels threatened. Have fun tonight, we're _so_ happy you're back. Things were just starting to get—boring."

Leolin smiled as Pansy brushed a kiss on her cheek, waving to Tieran as they rejoined the throng.

"So," Ginny said. "You survived Genevieve. How do you feel?"

"A little like vomiting."

"I think that's to be expected. Harry!"

Leolin turned at once, and when her eyes met Harry's emerald ones, her face split into a smile.

"Hey Gin," Harry said, pecking her cheek. "Blaise." He shook Blaise's hand before opening his arms to Leolin.

"Leolin Lefevre, as I live and breathe!"

"Harry James Potter!" she cried happily. "You haven't aged a bloody day!"

"I'm so glad you're back," he said, holding her cheeks. "And I love the new hair."

"Thank you," she said, her heart swelling as she took a handful of his lapel and smiled at him. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you."

He smiled in return. His sparkling emerald eyes were merry as even.

After a moment they looked up at the stairs, where Gracie was cautiously making her way down with a rounded belly and six inch heels.

"Do you need help?" Blaise laughed, watching her.

"This baby has already taken wine from me," she said resiliently, making Ginny laugh. "I'm not going to let him take my heels from me as well."

"He?" Blaise asked.

"She's just saying that," Harry said. "She has no idea. Statistically speaking, it more likely a girl."

"Well, you look amazing," Ginny said warmly, and they hugged. This was even more strange to Leolin than Draco and Ginny.

"Is Leolin here?" Gracie asked hopefully, accepting Harry's hand as she descended the last few stairs. "Thank you, darling."

"I'm right here," Leolin said, and Gracie beamed.

"Oh Leolin," she burst, opening her arms as well. "I know this is probably terribly strange for you, but can I hug you?"

"Of course," Leolin said. "And it's not strange."

In reality, it _was_ a little strange, but Leolin didn't want to make Gracie feel bad. It was good to know that underneath all her bitchiness, there really had been a good person hiding all along.

"It's so good to have you back," Gracie whispered. "Draco hasn't been the same without you. I mean that."

"Thank you," Leolin said gratefully, hugging Gracie's shoulders tightly. "That's really kind of you to say, though I'm sure that's not true. Gen's lovely."

No one challenged that fact, and though Leolin knew it was because it was true, Gen genuinely was rather lovely, the silence still stung.

"Well should we go sit down somewhere quiet," Harry said, smiling at Leolin as he put a hand on his wife's back. "We have a lot to catch up on."

"Agreed," Ginny said, disappearing into the kitchen for a second before returning with four bottles of champagne.

"I think that's probably overkill, Gin," Harry pointed out.

"With Leolin Lefevre in tow?" Ginny said, nudging Leolin playfully. "I don't even know if it will be enough."

Leolin gave a shrug and smile.

"I'm french," she said in a fake haughty voice. "Möet is my water."

"C'mon," Blaise said, rolling his eyes. "Let's go sit on the roof."

Leolin hazarded another glance at Draco, and she was surprised to find that he was watching her, his hand still pressed to Gen's back as she talked animatedly to Daphne Greengrass. He watched her intently, and Leolin flushed before turning back to Ginny.

"Alright then," she said, accepting a bottle from Ginny. "Lead the way."

The five of them headed up to the rooftop patio, and Leolin couldn't hold back a sigh of appreciation. There was a sprawling deck and a huge lounge area and a glittering azure pool. Gracie kicked off her heels at once, gingerly lowering herself down and letting her feet hang in the water.

Leolin went to the glass railing, looking at the jutting buildings around them and the inky darkness beyond.

"Wow," she admitted. "This is fucking incredible."

"I know," Ginny agreed, popping one of the bottles. "This place is a bit much for me, but this part is great."

"Draco always did know how to impress," Leolin admitted, sinking into one of the poolside lounge chairs.

"Gin," Blaise said, coming up behind her and kissing her neck. "Will you pour me a glass?"

She nodded, rotating a little to peck him.

"Of course."

Leolin smiled, though there was still a dull aching in her chest.

"You all do realize the irony here, right?"

Leolin said, looking around at the four of them.

"What do you mean?" Harry said.

"Blaise _proposed_ to Gracie, and Ginny was your first love!" Leolin laughed. "It's like romantic musical chairs!"

"Well we're not Muggles," Grace defended, laughing. "We don't have an over-abundance of good ones to choice from. And I can't believe you proposed to me, "Gracie laughed, massaging her baby bump and smiling at Blaise. "That seems so foreign now."

"Me too," Blaise admitted, kissing Ginny again. "Thank Merlin one of us was sensible, or we could be married to each other."

"And miserable," Gracie said truthfully.

"No way," Harry said, sitting down and unlacing his shoes. "Grace and I would have found each other in the end."

"I love you," Gracie said, and Harry pecked her before putting his feet in the water as well.

"I love you, too."

"Thank you for rescuing me from the miserable bitch I was before I met you," she said earnestly.

Harry kissed her again.

"In my eyes you've never been anything but perfect, flaws and all."

"So," Leolin said. "_Grace_." The name felt odd on her tongue.

"It's so weird hearing you call me that," Grace said, smiling.

"I know," Leolin said. "But it seems like Gracie doesn't really suit you anymore."

"It doesn't," Grace said. "Please don't call me that."

They laughed.

"So I have to hear the story," Leolin said. "Ginny said you got married six weeks after I left!"

Grace looked at Harry, touching his cheek affectionately.

"Well it started at your rehearsal dinner. Harry was hiding for that _horrid_ girl he was seeing—"

"O-li-via!" Leolin and Ginny both said in a sing-song voice, bursting out in laughter.

"Merlin," Blaise groaned. "She was the truly the _worst_."

"Remember how she called you Gum-drop?" Ginny cackled.

"Draco laughed himself sick," Leolin said.

"Oh believe me," Gracie said, taking a sip of Harry's champagne. "I know the ills of Olivia Tanner better than most. Anyways, so Harry is hiding from Olivia, and I'm hiding for how disgustingly in love you and Draco were and how desperately Blaise was pursuing Ginny and how painfully single I was, and we sort of bumped into each other. Obviously on any _other _day I would have been biting and condescending, but honestly, most of that was an act. The truth was that I'd slept through all of Slytherin and most of Ravenclaw during school but never really dated, and I'd convinced myself that I was a slut and no one could actually want me. Then Blaise proposed and I realized that neither of us really loved each other, and that made me sad and bitter."

Grace sighed before smiling at Harry.

"So instead of being mean to Harry, I was just—myself. I'd never been myself with a boy before, and the minute we started talking, I knew I never wanted to stop."

Harry looked warmly down at her.

"I fell in love with her on the spot," he said.

Grace looked down, blushing.

"She's the most incredible woman I'd ever met," he said seriously, nudging her shoulder. She smiled again, kissing him soundly.

"She's your Leolin," Leolin said in a soft voice, and Harry and Grace looked up in alarm.

"I'm sorry about that," Grace said in an apologetic voice. "We should stop saying it."

"It's okay," Leolin said, looking down into her flute.

"At this point it's just synonymous with soul mate," she admitted.

Leolin looked down again.

"I wish it were still true," she said quietly, and they fell silent for a moment.

"Tell them how you got rid of Olivia," Ginny laughed finally, and Gracie groaned.

"That was a lesson in karma," she said, her tone warm.

"As soon as we got back to London, I burst into Harry's flat and accused him of getting me pregnant," Grace said.

"Once a Slytherin," Blaise said, raising his glass to her.

"I insisted if he didn't marry me that I'd ruin him."

"Oh my stars," Leolin said mirthfully. "What did Olivia do?"

Harry groaned.

"Of course she seethed about me being a cheating scum then _attempted_ to punch me in the face."

"Attempted?" Leolin asked.

"Well," Harry said pointedly. "Since I'd already been accused of being a cheating scum and was _actually _punched in the face by a former girlfriend," he looked at her and she blushed, biting her lip. "I was luckily able to read the signs and avoid it."

"Anyways," Grace laughed. "She stormed off in a rage and never came back. We bought a flat and moved in together the next week."

"How was it a lesson in karma?" Leolin asked.

"Well," Grace said, ticking off her fingers. "Firstly because I had to spend the next _month_ diligently making sure Olivia didn't catch poor Kelly Troy in her insidious little net, and secondly because—" she paused, beaming at Harry.

"Because she got pregnant with Scarlet six weeks later," Harry finished.

"The Kelly Troy bit was torturous," Grace said. "The poor bloke. But finding out I was pregnant was the best day of our lives. We got married two weeks after that."

"Do you have pictures of the girls?" Leolin said.

"Of course," Harry said, and Leolin sank down next to him as he pulled them out.

"This is Scarlet," he said, gesturing to a giggling girl with wild black curls. She was swinging about merrily, doing a silly dance. Harry pointed to toddler next to her, who was also laughing merrily as she watched her sister dance. "And that's our little Sophia."

"They're perfect," Leolin said, ignoring the aching in her gut. If she and Draco had stayed together and kept to their plan, she might have a newborn right now.

"That's so nice of you to say," Gracie smiled. "But they are both little cyclones. I only hope karma doesn't strike again when they're teenagers and I have to endure two versions of my snarky little teenage self."

"They won't," Ginny reassured her. "They have a good mum."

"Agreed," Blaise said. "I don't know how you do it."

"Children change you," Grace said, touching her belly affectionately again. "You can't really understand how much until you have them, but you just find this higher capacity for love that's—intoxicating."

Ginny looked at Blaise and he smiled, winking at her. Leolin was sure they were planning on trying very soon.

"So," Leolin said at last, a little pained by the notion of children. "Tell me about everything else. What's it like with Lucius as minister?"

"It's bad," Giny admitted. "Really bad. Right about the time you left, he divorced Narcissa and married the 24-year-old daughter of the German Minister of Magic."

"He did _what_?"

"Don't feel too bad for her," Blaise said wryly. "She turned around and married a Greek billionaire almost immediately. She's fine. Still vain and cold as ever, I assure you."

"What does she think of Gen?" Leolin asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Ginny laughed.

"She's—generally unenthused. Of course she can't stand that Gen's American, and Gen was dumb enough to try and jockey with her for power in her sweet little way. Unfortunately Narcissa's not one to be sweet-talked, and she was really hacked off that Gen was trying to butter her up. Ever since then, Gen's kept her distance, and she'd slowly been encouraging Draco to do the same. Gen's not like you; I don't get the sense she any interest in encouraging Draco's relationship with Narcissa. In fact, I think she'd be positively thrilled if the two of them had a falling out."

"I don't know if that's fair," Blaise said. "Being Narcissa's daughter-in-law would be hard from anyone. "Right, Lai?"

That stung. Blaise hadn't meant to belittle her, but it was belittling all the same.

"The closest I ever got to Narcissa liking me was her saying 'I know you and I will never be friends, but I think you love Draco'," Leolin admitted, tucking some hair behind her ear. "Even then, I think she was drunk when she said it."

"Oh trust me," Ginny said dryly. "You have become Narcissa's favourite weapon. You, and French. I guess Narcissa's always been annoyed that Lucius made her learn French, and she never spoke it because it reminded her of him, but now she speaks it to Draco _constantly._ They have these annoying conversations back and forth with him speaking in English and her in French."

"_Geneviève Marguax Beauchene_ doesn't speak French?" Leolin queried. "You're kidding."

"Apparently in America," Blaise said. "They are allergic to all things that aren't deep-fried or vaguely racist."

"That—surprises me," she blurted.

In point of fact, she found it vaguely annoying, though she couldn't really decide why.

"Anch'io ," Blaise agreed. "Draco's trying to teach her, I guess," he said. "Don't really get the sense they're getting anywhere with it, though."

"Yeah Leolin, we can't all speak six thousand languages," Harry said in jest. "We heard you speak Italian now, too."

"I only speak three," Leolin said. "Including English. But yes, one is Italian."

"Guarda questo," Blaise said. "Io sono lo zio di una scimmia."

Leolin laughed, making Ginny scowl.

"What did he just say?"

"Literally, 'I'm a monkey's uncle'."

"This is going to get really old," Ginny said. "I can already tell."

"Volete vedere come pazzi posso farla?" Blaise asked.

Want to see how "Sei su ghiaccio sottile, il mio amico," Leolin warned.

Blaise shrugged, but Ginny fixed him with a sweet smile.

"Every word you say in _italiano_ is going to cost you a week of sex."

"Okay!" Blaise said at once. "We'll stop!"

"That was you!" Leolin defended.

Grace laughed.

"She has you well-trained, Z," Grace said, smiling.

Harry smiled at his wife.

"Aren't you glad I'm dumb and only speak English?"

"Exceedingly," Grace said, kissing him.

"So," Leolin said, unhappy to have to darken the mood again. "Lucius has German support now."

"Once he took Narcissa out," Harry said grimly. "He came after your mom next. He had some thinly veiled attempts to control her or discredit her or both, and he was _not_ pleased when she got engaged to James. I don't know if Lucius was hoping to make her a mistress or sleep with her and expose her, but either way, he was furious when she went off the market. James was the head auror at the time, and he ended up quitting altogether."

"That's when Adrian got the job," Grace said nastily. "You won't believe the trouble he stirs up."

"Yes I can," Leolin said grimly. "I've already gone two rounds with him. He was never my favourite person in school, but now he's a downright terror."

"He's such a little bastard," Harry spat. "I'd love to wring his neck."

"Get in line," Blaise said. "He's been a cunt since school."

"What about my dad?" Leolin asked.

In addition to his family fortune, Leolin's father was also a psychologist.

"Lucius was after him, too. He cut government spending on mental health, and even though your dad's in private practice, he fought Lucius hard on it. It was very public and sort of ugly."

"The worst is his combined power over the banks and the Wizengamot," Grace said solemnly. "There are rumours Lucius's siphoning money out of accounts to fill government pockets. And the problem is it's legal. Gringotts just charges an exorbitant fee."

"I think the Hogwarts thing is worse," Blaise said in a grim voice. "He proposed this bill for 'separate but equal' treatment of pureblood and half-blood or muggle-born students. If it passes, which it no doubt will, it will be the first step to barring anyone who is not a pureblood's access to education. What's worse, Lucius is working to convince the Germans to pass the same bill at Derr Wolf Blut-Institut der Magie in Augsburg. If it does pass in Germany, it'll spread across the rest of Europe like wildfire. Durmstrang is already straining at the leash."

Leolin shook her head in disgust.

"It's more than that," Harry said, his brow furrowed. "Not to play the 'Boy Who Lived' card, but I think something bigger is coming. I think Lucius might be a seat warmer playing the long con."

"A seat warmer for who?" Ginny said.

Harry gave her a meaningful look, and she shook her head.

"That's not possible. Lucius is the one that killed—Voldemort in the first place."

"Did he, though?" Harry pointed out. "What if it was a ruse?"

"Well you were there," Blaise said. "Did it feel like a trick?"

"I'd just come back from the dead," Harry admitted. "I can barely remember the forest at all."

"Would Narcissa know if it was?" Leolin wondered aloud.

"No. If she did," Grace said thoughtfully. "Lucius wouldn't have divorced her. He would either of kept her silent or killed her."

"That's a good point," Blaise said.

"Maybe I'm just crazy," Harry said. "But I think we need to start reassembling the Order and recruiting. If I'm right and we wait, the overthrow will be over before it begins."

"Harry's right," Ginny said. "No time like the present."

Blaise nodded.

"We'll start when Ginny, Draco, and I get back from Charleston. Draco should lead the charge. He's the bank and the muscle. He's also the finesse, if he can behave himself with the former Gryffs."

"I'll start immediately," Ginny amended. "Since I'm not going to Charleston."

"Yes," Blaise said, fighting his mounting annoyance. "You are. Draco brought it up again tonight."

"Blaise, I said no," she said, eyes flashing. "Stop trying to force me!"

"Ginevra—" Blaise began, but sensing a fight, Harry intervened.

"Where's Charleston again?"

"In South Carolina," Ginny spit.

"It's Gen's that where Gen's from?" he queried politely.

Ginny nodded.

"Besides," Ginny continued. "I swore a _long_ time ago I would never go to America. I just have no desire."

"Me either," Grace admitted. "I don't think I'd fancy it. I mean, they don't even drink tea! That seems so bloody uncivilized."

"You sound like Victorian aristos," Harry pointed out, shaking his head.

"Quite so," Grace sniffed. "Will we _never_ be rid of the Americans?"

"Oh, I rather like them," Ginny replied in a stuffy voice. "They remind me of the virtues of the English."

"Well y'all better get on _board_," Leolin said in a perfect imitation of Genevieve's airy, breathy drawl. "Because_ Ginevra_ is leaving for _South Carolina _in three days."

"Don't you start, too," Ginny growled. "If I have to go, I swear to Merlin I will drag you with me."

Leolin bubbled her lips. "I wouldn't go for all the tea in China," she scoffed.

"Exactly," Ginny huffed.

"Besides," Leolin said, fighting viscously to sound casual. "Draco would never in a million years allow it, so I'm safe."

"Luck you," Ginny said.

"Let's table this for right now," Blaise said dryly. "I'm going to head back down. I'm hungry and I feel a little drunk."

"I'll come with you. Draco promised they would be serving devils on horseback."

"I'm legless," Grace slurred. "Someone get me out of the pool before I jeff."

Harry laughed, putting his shoes back on.

"No seriously," Grace said, laughing. "Help me up, darling. Your son is making me bottom heavy."

"Don't say that about our daughter," Harry said as he helped her back into her sky-high heels.

"You coming, Lai?" Blaise asked.

"I'm not really hungry," Leolin said. "I'm going to stay up here a bit longer. Merlin only knows when I'll be invited back."

"Love you," Ginny said, pressing a kiss near her ear as Leolin stood to look out at the uneven skyline of Wizarding London.

Leolin nodded, staring for a long time as she contemplated what she'd heard, drumming her long nails on the railing. It infuriated her to hear Lucius had targeted her parents, especially her mum. It only made her want to kill him more.

She had to do two things: she had to start mobilizing her Italian contacts who had English interests, and she needed to started working on breaking Lucius's new gag order. It had taken her three years to break the last one. She doubted if she had three months this time. She would have to start first thing tomorrow.

"Like the view, Lefevre?"

She didn't turn. She hated hearing Draco call her that. She missed hearing him said her first name in his deep, rich voice.

"It's lovely," she admitted.

"I knew you would," he said in a stony voice, leaning his forearms on the railing and gazing out as well. "I'm sure you hate the rest," he said. "But I knew you'd love this."

"I admit the flat is a little opulent for my taste," she said.

"It wasn't designed to with you in mind," he said bluntly.

"Touché," she bit out, still not looking at him.

They were silent a moment before he spoke.

"Gen was right, you know," he said, not looking at her either. "That is _quite _the little dress, though you never could resist showing off a little."

She rolled her shoulders in irritation.

"I hate when you say stuff like that," she admitted. "Knock it off."

"Why?" he said spitefully. "Does flattery embarrass you now?"

She finally turned to him, her scowl deepening when he openly appreciated her form again.

"Not at all," she snapped, her vanity flaring. "But I know I'm beautiful. I don't need you using it as some chauvinistic snipe to meant to demean me."

"That's what I'm doing, am I? How very interpretive of you to say so."

"What do you want to talk about?" she said in a tired voice. "You're giving me a headache."

"Well," he said in somewhat cold voice. "Despite you're ridiculous resistance to compliments, I have something I want to say."

"You've already told me!" she burst. "I get it, you hate me. You've bloody made your point; stop rubbing it in."

"That's not what I'm trying to say," he said, annoyed. "Just the opposite, really. Look, I can't _deny_ how I feel about you, but—I'm tired of hating you. It's exhausting."

"What does that mean?" Leolin said, looking at him again. She ached for the days when they were in school and he was the one chasing her.

"It means—" he said, clenching his jaw. "I don't know! It means I'm willing to tolerate you."

"How generous," she said, nonplussed.

"Look," he spit. "My good opinion once lost is lost forever. You of all people should know that. If you were _anyone _else, I wouldn't even consider this."

"Why are you, then?" she asked quietly, meeting his glittering gaze.

He didn't reply, only stared down at her.

"Are you doing it to honour what we were?" she asked softly.

He studied her intently before looking away and shaking his head.

"I'm doing it because—our lives are intertwined. We love the same people; we share the same values; we want the same things. I can't escape you, and if I can't escape you—I want to be able to accept you."

"I would be lying if I told you that doesn't make me happy," she said. "I know this is going to annoy you, but it's not exactly easy to be reviled by someone."

He clenched his jaw again. "No," he admitted. "I would imagine not."

They were silent again before he turned to her. Somehow he was a hair closer now, and her heart thumped as his eyes flicked to her lips for a millisecond. She'd never wanted to kiss him more in her life. She wondered if any part of him wanted her, too.

She remembered what he'd said the night before. _"I can't deny you still have an…effect on me."_

"Just tell me something," he said in a soft voice.

He was closer than she thought. So close that she could smell the vodka and mint he'd been drinking on his breath.

"Anything," she said, savagely fighting the urge to close the distance.

There was something deep and dark and sad in his sparkling eyes, and she realized at last that it was something akin to pleading.

"Tell me you left because you honestly thought it was best for me," he half demanded.

She fought not to look away. As good as she'd become at lying, she had never been able to lie to Draco. That was because he'd always had the power to look right into her soul. What part of the truth could she divulge? Finally she looked up at him, watching his scorching gaze as it arced back and forth across her face.

"If there was any way that I could've stayed, I would have," she said, and he nodded, breaking the connection by looking in the opposite direction.

She hung her head, still desperate for his touch.

"Then I'll try to let the past go," he replied.

She nodded but said nothing.

"You should, too," he said seriously.

"Who says I haven't?" she half-whispered.

His eyes seared her as he considered this, clenching his jaw a little. What was that in his eyes? Ire? Disappointment? Relief?

"No one," he said. "Goodnight."

She nodded tightly and simply looked out again. However, she grew more desperate with every one of his retreating steps, and her mind raced. She had two choices: say something bold or say nothing at all. Finally, she made up her mind.

"Draco!" she said, whirling around.

However he was gone, and Gen stood in his place.

"Sorry," she said apologetically, giving a delicate frown. "Just little ole me."

"You scared me," Leolin lied.

_You disappointed me. _That's what she meant.

"I'm sorry!" Gen said, giving an apologetic smile and touching her left hand to her chest in a penitent gesture. In reality it as just a way to force Leolin to look at her engagement ring again. "It wasn't my intention to startle you."

"No," Leolin said, trying to force some of the tension from her pose. "It's fine, really."

"Good," Gen said, offering Leolin a flute of champagne she'd brought with her.

Leolin noticed that she'd taken off her heels, and unlike her bare fingernails, her toes were an almost sinister blood red. They somehow felt symbolic, though Leolin acknowledged that was absurd. Still, it was as if she had a more dangerous side lurking under the modest veneer.

"I wanted us to have a chance to talk just us two," Gen continued.

Leolin looked down at the proffered glass before accepting it.

"Cheers," Gen, smiling as she raised her glass to Leolin.

Leolin raised hers as well before taking a healthy sip.

"This may be odd to say," Gen said after a moment or two of silence. "But I'm actually glad you're here."

Leolin considered, admitting to herself she didn't know what might be coming next.

"What do you mean?" she settled on at last.

Gen gave a sheepish laugh, a pretty blush spilling over creamy cheeks.

"You've always been this myth," she admitted. "This terrifying mystery that I was sure I'd never understand. But now I've met you and you're so lovely; I don't have to be afraid of you anymore."

She smiled at Leolin, and despite the somewhat unsavory insinuation of her words—you're not actually as great as I was afraid you'd be—she managed to make the sentiment feel overwhelmingly kind. Perhaps that was one of her Southern charms.

"Thank you," Leolin said admittedly at a loss for words.

Gen gave another sweet smile, but Leolin had begun to see something else, something a little more complex, swirling in her dark eyes.

"I can see what Draco saw in you," Gen continued candidly. "You're hopelessly beautiful. I'm embarrassed, but I can hardly stop staring."

Leolin looked at Gen, who was still smiling blithely. Before Leolin could even conceive of a comeback, whether it be a thank you or a sharp retort, Gen was talking again.

"Perhaps I ought to feel threatened by you," she said, her voice still casual. She turned to look at Leolin. "Should I be?"

"Excuse me?" Leolin stammered.

"I'm sorry to be so frank," Gen said, eyebrows synched together sympathetically. "But if you and I going to be friends, we have to be honest with one another."

Leolin admittedly didn't know what to say. Her heart was hammering in her ears and her throat was dry. It was the same feeling she got when her parents caught you in a lie; that same wrenching deep in your gut. She felt she might be ill.

"Leolin," Gen said, touching her arm as if they were close. "I want you to know that I'm not resentful of what you had with Draco; I know first loves can be so very infatuating. I just hope that the three of us can put the past behind us. Don't you?"

"What exactly are you asking me?" Leolin said, having grown weary of Gen's circumlocution.

"I love Draco," Gen said evenly, her voice a shade less casual now as she gracefully sidestepped the question all together. "I know you know what that feels like."

"Yes," Leolin said simply. "I do."

"Then you understand the position this puts me in. I have to protect what's mine."

"Do you mean Draco?" Leolin said.

"I mean the life he and I have built together. I don't blame you for running off, Leolin, no one does, but things have changed. I would hate to see lose sight of that embarrass yourself. I really would."

Leolin could feel frustrated tears in her throat. She clenched and unclenched her wand hand as she took another sip of champagne to loosen the hempen knot at the base of her throat.

"Excuse me?" she said in a soft but fierce voice.

"Draco loves me now, not you," Gen replied bluntly. "It would just be embarrassing for you if you did something that would force him to rebuff you."

"I understand you love each other, you don't —" Leolin began, but Gen cut her off, voice flat and stern.

"Then I'm going to insist you respect it."

Her voice was steady and calm, though her eyes were glittering with purpose.

"Promise me, Leolin."

"Promise you what?" Leolin replied, frowning. "You've yet to say what you really mean."

"Promise me you aren't still in love with Draco. Because if you are, I'm afraid I'm going have to break your heart, and I really don't want to have to do that."

Gen was giving Leolin a beautifully pitying frown, as if the thought really did pain her. Leolin clenched her jaw.

"Are you threatening me?" Leolin asked.

"Of course not," Gen said solidly, dropping the charm a little as she gave Leolin a solid look. Leolin could feel what Ariadne had warned her about; Gen wasn't nearly as sweet as she seemed. "I'm just asking you to keep your distance from Draco. Leave him be, and you and I will be perfectly happy together."

"I—"

"There you are!" a voice interrupted, and Leolin turned, grateful for the distraction.

Ginny was skirting the pool and heading towards them. Bless her impeccable timing.

"I thought you might have gotten drunk and fallen off the balcony," Ginny said to Leolin, eying the pair but making no further comment.

Gen laughed.

"Sorry, that's my fault," she said, smiling at Leolin. "We were just getting to know one another."

"Oh good," a new voice echoed. "You're both here."

That was Draco, Blaise trailing behind him. Leolin had thought at first he meant her and Ginny, but his eyes were on Gen as they approached. He'd mean Ginny and Gen.

Leolin's heart was still pounding from her conversation with Gen, and there was a flush in her cheeks and across the tops of her ears; she could feel them burning beneath her dark curtain of hair.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were looking for us" Ginny said, giving Draco a warm look. "I was just seeing the Potters off."

Draco's eyes flicked to Leolin before settling on Gen then dragging back to Ginny.

"No it's alright," Draco said. "We just need to talk about South Carolina. I want to leave the day after tomorrow."

"I'm not going," Ginny said delicately. "I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Stop saying can't," Draco said almost casually, though his eyes were hard. "That's bullshit."

"We can't all be jobless billionaires, Drake!" Ginny snapped. "I have obligations here."

"What sorts of obligations?" Draco pressed. "You work freelance. You could write from Jupiter if you wanted."

"He's right, Ginevra," Gen cooed, coming to stand at Draco's side. She pressed a hand to his chest as his arm slithered casually across her shoulders. "Surely they can wait a few weeks. You're in the bridal party, darling. I'll miss you terribly if you don't come. Besides, all my friends are dying to meet you; I've told them all about you."

Ginny glanced at Leolin, who by this point just wanted to lie down. She could feel the heavy weight of Draco's gaze on her as sure as if it were an albatross around her neck.

"I'm sorry," Ginny repeated. "But this isn't just about work. Leolin and I haven't seen each other in five years. I want to stay here with her. I hope you can understand; she and I have loads of catching up to do."

Gen fought to keep the warm smile plastered on her face. Leolin could see in her eyes that this blow frustrated her immensely.

"Of _course_ I do," Gen said. "But I'm sure Leolin won't mind sparing you for a couple of weeks. She'll still be here when you get back, right, Leolin?"

"I'm sorry," Ginny repeated a third time. "But if you were in my position, you would understand."

"Blaise, can't you convince her?" Gen said, giving a disarming smile. "We will simply be in the winter if Ginny isn't there."

Blaise and Ginny traded a look, no doubt in silent conference about their earlier fight. Finally Blaise clenched his jaw and looked away.

"I wish I had that sort of influence, G," he told Gen. "It would make my life a hell of a lot easier."

"You're pussy-whipped and fucking useless," Draco leveled at his friend.

"Piss off," Ginny snapped. "We're not your goddamn slaves."

"I don't understand why you're being so difficult!" Draco sneered at her. "It's only three weeks."

"Look, no one is stopping you from going on holiday. We will miss you. But unless Leolin comes, I'm staying in London to spend time with her!"

"Oh no," Leolin began. "I don't think—"

"Done."

At Draco's utterance, all three women turned to look at him in disbelief.

"Are you serious?" Blaise blurted.

"If this is the only way to get you to come to South Carolina," Draco told Ginny. "So be it. It's important to Genevieve that you be there, and I'm not going to let you disappoint her."

"No, it's alright Drake," Gen said, backpedaling. It was clear she would happily sacrifice Ginny's presence if it meant avoiding bringing Leolin. "I'm sure Leolin has other things to do! It's not fair to put her on the spot like this."

"I do," Leolin said, avoiding Draco's eye. If there was a way to win him back, this certainly wasn't it. "I assure you, I don't want to intrude."

"See?" Gen said, giving Leolin an approving smile that turned the latter's stomach. "She has much better things to do with her time then go to some silly parties in Charleston. Besides, we have all these wedding details to sort out. The poor thing will be bored to tears."

Leolin glanced at Ginny, whose eyes were pleading. Leolin shook her head. She was wholly unprepared for this, especially after Gen's polite declaration of war earlier.

"_Don't drag me into this," _Leolin mouthed.

"_Please," _Ginny mouthed back.

Ginny seemed to have sensed that Draco wasn't to be moved on the subject and there was no real away for her to avoid going. Now the best she could hope for was not having to go alone.

"I really don't think it would make much sense for me to go," Leolin admitted.

"For once in your life, Lefevre," Draco drawled, eyes teaming with something wild she couldn't quite name. "Will you please just do as your told?"

"You're not my mum," Leolin pointed out to him. "And I'm rather out of the habit of doing what you tell me."

"C'mon Lai," Ginny said. "Please."

"I really can't!"

"Fine," Ginny said, seeing what was perhaps her last chance to avoid Charleston. "Then I'm staying with Leolin."

Gen gave a pretty laugh that seemed to be a cover for her mild annoyance.

"Oh Ginevra, please. It simply wouldn't be right without you there."

She too seemed unwilling to go down with a fight.

Ginny parried Gen's blow easily.

"Then Leolin has to come!" Ginny said.

Everyone was looking at Leolin now.

"C'mon Lefevre," Draco said, looking at Leolin again. "Don't be difficult."

Leolin glanced at Gen, whose expression was neutral but whose eyes were sparkling with something unkind. Leolin considered. It was neither an ideal nor even particularly favourable situation, but the look, that dark, smouldering, unreadable look in Draco's eyes urged her on.

"Fine," she said at last. "I'll go."

Draco looked at Gen.

"See darling? Settled."

"Excellent," Gen said, giving a smile and a delightful laugh. "Oh, I'm so pleased. We're going to have so much fun."

Leolin, who was hanging on by a single fray nerve by this time, set down her glass.

"Right," she said, wanting to lie down. "Well, I should be off. Congratulations again."

"I'll walk you down," Gen offered quickly, linking arms with Leolin.

Leolin's throat clenched. She was wholly unprepared for what she was sure was coming next. She accepted Gen's gesture all the same, and Gen lead her off the deck and to the floo on the next story down. When she'd lit the fire, she turned to Leolin, and the flames cast shadows across her face, making her look far less beautiful and far more sinister.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, Leolin."

She was sneering now.

"Goodnight."

**A/N**: So what do y'all think of Genevieve?

xx

**Translations**

Guarda Questo.Io sono lo zio di una scimmia—Watch this. I'm a monkey's uncle.

Volete vedere come pazzi posso farla?—want to see how crazy I can make her?

Sei su ghiaccio sottile, il mio amico—you're on thin ice, my friend.


	6. Chapter 5: On Your Marks, Get Set

**A/N: **ONCE AGAIN, THE feedback is amazing! Y'all leave the BEST reviews! Also, **MirrorTrouble**, I don't mean to be overly America-bashy. I'm just trying to establish Gen and Leolin as foils, and that's easier when Gen is almost cartoonishly Southern and Leolin is obstinately British/French. I'm an American ex-pat myself, so I know what it means to love the stars and stripes. **Alice**, I think you are right about South Carolina, too. Gen is dumb as hell. Honestly, I don't know what she's thinking. She has a mind of her own… :)

**Larissa Hyperion: **I definitely love writing as much as you love reading. I really really do. And y'alls support is INTOXICATING. I mean seriously. To know that other people are as obsessed with these characters as much as I am is epic.

As for updating, I will try to shower as MUCH love as I can. However, you should know I'm on Spring Break right now, so I have more time then usual. Imagine I'm Batman right now. When school's back, I'll have to be Bruce Wayne again, and unfortunately the updates are going to slow a bit. Just a heads up. I will try and update once a week though, so I think that's still fair, right Anyways, keep up the excellent work I will try to, too.

**Chapter Five: On Your Marks, Get Set…**

_Draco walked out the café in Florence, running a distressed hand through his hair. He'd be lucky at this point if he didn't start going bald soon. He stood staring at the large and absurdly naked male statue across the piazza, and as truly asinine as he found it, it still made his heart ache. Leolin probably loved it._

_He ran another hand through his hair. He really thought Leolin was going to be here in Florence. It was the cradle of the Italian Renaissance, and Wizarding artists worked alongside their Muggle counterparts to create some of the greatest art to ever exist. Second to Paris, which had naturally been Draco's first stop, Draco had really believed he was going to find her here. In fact, he was still convinced he might. There had been something odd about the French girl at the café. His gut told him she knew more than she'd let on. A thought nagged him. Leolin wouldn't live here in disguise, would she? That hadn't __**been**__ Leolin, had it? No, Draco decided, that was just his grief playing tricks on him. One of the things Draco loved most about Leolin was her vanity. She would never assume another face, any more than she would live with Muggles. That just wasn't Leolin. Besides, she would never lie to his face like that. Despite what her note said, he knew if he found her she'd go with him. She loved him too much not to._

_On the other hand, that girl in the café was worth another shakedown. Perhaps she'd lied to Draco; perhaps she __**had**__ seen Leolin. If she had, he would get the information from her one way or another. He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty. He was desperate, and desperate men weren't afraid to go to any length. He turned back to the café, determined to have the truth, even if he had to pry it out of the girl curse by curse._

_Just as he started towards the door again, his floo buzzed._

"_Z," he said. "I'm right in the middle of something. What is it?"_

"_They found her," echoed Blaise's reply. "She's in Geneva. You need to get back to London right now."_

"_Are you fucking mad? No! I'm going to Switzerland."_

"_No, Drake. You don't understand. Come back to England."_

"_Is—" Draco didn't want to say it, didn't even want to imply it. "Is she alright?"_

"_She's fine."_

"_Then I'm going to Switzerland to get her."_

_Just then a message came through, and he opened it. It was a picture Blaise had taken for that morning's Daily Prophet. The headline read: _**ONCE A CHEATER, ALWAYS A CHEATER. **_Below it was a picture of Leolin, smiling and snogging a lanky bloke. Inset was a smaller picture of her and the same man at a romantic dinner, their feet intertwined under the table._

_Generally speaking, it was neither strictly legal nor entirely safe to apparate internationally. For concerns of National Security, The Liaison Office for International Travel mandated that Witches and Wizards had to produce a passport when traveling, and were permitted to pass either by Muggle transport or floo network to their destination. _

_That being said. the charm that disallowed International Apparation could be by-passed by what criminals called Leap-Frogging, which was essentially apparating through several countries in rapid succession via weak spots in the charm (namely unmanned borders) before arriving at one's destination country. Once there, a person need only apparate to a location where there was a high volume of Magical activity, and their trace would disappear._

_However, this was only rarely a problem, mostly because long-distance apparition was horribly dangerous. It was difficult to maintain the proper amount of determination to arrive safely. Splicing was more likely at long distances, and Aurors had caught many famous criminals in long-distance apparations gone wrong. It took a very specific type of person to perform international apparation successfully, and the brutal truth was most people simply didn't have it in them._

_Despite the 971 miles between Florence and London, Draco arrived in Blaise's flat five minutes later, making Blaise start. Draco had a nosebleed from the effort, but he seemed otherwise unharmed, and he snapped his fingers to stop the bleeding. Ginny, who was sitting on Blaise's counter cross-legged, bit her lip when she saw him._

"_Draco—" she began._

"_Let me see it."_

_Blaise handed the picture to him and Draco examined it. Leolin was wearing a slinky dress with no back, as she usually did, as well as the glittering Loubitons Draco had given her, her hands were pressed against the chest of a smarmy-looking Swiss bloke. They seemingly flirted for several seconds before he bent to kiss her. As she raised her left arm to twine her fingers in his hair, the dragon tattoo on her wrist was clearly visible._

_Draco looked up, his face unreadable._

"_Maybe it isn't her," Ginny said. "I'm still not convinced she wasn't set up."_

"_Who would do that?" Blaise. "We know it wasn't Lucius, and who beside him would want to destroy her like this?"_

"_It's her," Draco said in a deadly voice. "I know it's her."_

"_How do you know?" Blaise demanded softly._

_Despite what he'd said to Ginny, it was obvious he too was desperate for this to be a mistake._

"_Because," Draco said, pointing to the tattoo. "Polyjuice can't account for subtle cosmetic modifications."_

"_It doesn't replicate tattoos," Blaise interpreted, defeated as he hung his head._

_Ginny bit her lip, fighting the urge to cry._

"_Someone who knew she had that could've—"_

"_Occam's Razor," Draco interrupted, running his hands through his hair again as his rage simmered slowly towards a boiling point._

"_What's that?" Ginny asked._

_Blaise shook his head in utter disbelief._

"_It theorizes that the most obvious explanation is most likely the right one," he said._

_There was heightening tension in the room like the tightening of a metal wire. Finally, Blaise broke it, turning to Draco._

"_Drake—"_

_However, Draco simply disappeared a second later. When he reappeared in the flat he'd shared with Leolin, he looked around, half-mad with grief. Not even needing his wand, he flung out an arm, casting a charm the shattered six lamps, two light fixtures and the thick plate of the glass tabletop. Not finished, he swept into the kitchen sending a violent tremor hex through the room that obliterated every dish, tumbler, cup, mug, decanter, bowl, glass, and flute to jagged dust. He curled his fingers to his palms, knarling all the silver that Leolin had arranged neatly in the utensil drawer. He urged every knife out from the block on the marble counter and into the far wall, puncturing more glass and stainless steel. He smashed every light, shards raining down on him and crunching under his feet as he banged back through the door._

_When he was back in the soaring living room, he actually drew his wand, whirling it in circles and producing a powerful cyclone that tore through drapes and pictures, paintings and mirrors until the walls were tattered and bare. Somehow one lone picture frame had survived the storm. Draco glanced at Leolin smiling in his arms as they danced at their engagement party before grabbing the picture and casting it into the flames of the fireplace, watching with a cold pleasure as the glass tarnished and Leolin's image curled to a bubbling nothing._

_It still wasn't enough, and he stormed upstairs to her closet, flinging open the door and wreaking havoc. He tore dresses and mangled shoes, pulverizing her jewelry cases to dust, sending loose rubies and sapphires flying. The room was an avalanche of tattered silk and satin by the time he was done, and at least he reached the last illuminated jewelry case, which had been cleared out save for one item. Leolin's key pendant. Draco raised his wand and prepared to obliterate it, but when he did, every memory of seeing it around her neck flooded back simultaneously, and he crumpled to the floor, sobbing bitterly._

* * *

"I still can't_ believe_ you!" Leolin seethed at Ginnythrough the floo, throwing clothes haphazardly into a large suitcase.

"Oh, you think I wanted to go?" Ginny said. "I didn't! You know I didn't! How was I supposed to know Draco was going to pull a stunt like that?"

"I told you that would happen," Ariadne called as she walked by Leolin's room, which was a mess of trunks Severina had sent consisting of the entirety of Leolin's Florentine wardrobe.

"Why didn't I listen to my mother for _once_!" Leolin demanded. "Or at the very least, why couldn't you have kept me _out_ of it! Do you have any idea how nasty Draco and Gen are going to be to me? Draco hates me, and Gen is convinced I'm a threat. They are going to be_ pitiless_ together!"

"Well _are _you a threat?" Ginny said sternly.

Leolin frowned.

"Are you going to make me the villain, too? I didn't ask for this! You're the one who bloody dragged me into it!"

"You're right," Ginny said somewhat sheepishly. "I'm sorry. Blaise was bloody right; I shouldn't have let you wear that dress last night!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Leolin demanded. "Please stop trying to push this back on me!"

"Sorry," Ginny said. "I don't mean to. I'm just saying that, as usual, Draco couldn't take his eyes off you. Didn't you see the way he was looking at you? It was like he wanted to swallow you whole. It's the same look that he used to give you when you were dating Harry. Wolfish. _Hungry_, even."

"First of all, you're wrong," Leolin snapped, dumping six pairs of heels into her trunk. "Draco hates me more than ever. How do I know, you ask? _Because he told me again last night. _Second, why did you tell me to wear the bloody thing if you knew it was going to cause problems?"

"I didn't think it was going to snap Draco's neck quite so hard. I just—I wanted you to be you."

"Well maybe that's the problem," Leolin said, her voice a touch said. "He hates 'me'. Better that I were someone else."

Ginny looked sympathetic.

Leolin's fire flamed blue, signaling she had another call.

"Gin, I have to go. I have someone on the other grate. I will just see you in a bit. You are taking me on the most OUTRAGEOUS shopping spree when we get there."

"Yeah," Ginny said. "Fair enough. See you in a bit."

Ginny disappeared, the fire crackling normally for a second before Severina's face appeared.

"Tesora!" Severina said brightly. "How are you?"

Leolin tore through the nearest trunk in frustration before growling.

"I've been better."

Severina laughed. "I got your note. How I long to be there! I would set this little bitch straight. I love crushing someone's spirit. I don't get to do it as much now that I'm a mother."

"Ri," Leolin groaned. " She's a walking nightmare. She came right out and told me to stay away from Draco, and when it was decided I was going to South Carolina she all but threatened me."

"Why is she even still there?" Severina asked. "Why haven't you told him the truth yet? I expected the two of you to be celebrating by now."

Leolin flopped frustrated on the bed.

"I can't tell him the truth. That's the problem."

Severina gave a gorgeous frown. She was born to pout.

"Perché _il diavolo_ non?"

"Because," Leolin said hopelessly. "Lucius knew about La Genie. He forced me into another_ goddamn_ gag order."

"You will break it," Severina said confidently.

"I will? In the meantime I'm caught between Draco hating me and Gen trying to ruin me."

"You don't need the truth to win Draco back, cariña. He loves you like nothing I have ever seen."

"Then you might want to come to London and get a load of it yourself. He just—_loathes_ me. I know he's trying not to, but I can see in his eyes how much I disgust him.

Severina gave another perfect pout.

"That's an exaggeration, I am sure."

"It isn't. But what's really frustrating is he openly admits that he still finds me very physically attractive, which just makes me feel sort of—cheap. I used to be so much more than that to him, and now the only time he's not snapping at me is when he's staring down my dress."

"Sex can be a gateway, Tesoro. When I met Xavier, it was only sex for months. The other things came later, and one day I woke up and realized I loved him. I didn't want to spend even one more day as anything short of his wife, and we got married two months later."

Leolin laughed in spite of herself.

"I still can't believe you married your third cousin."

Severina gave a lovely laugh.

"Only a Borgia can love a Borgia, it would seem."

"I suppose so."

"Speaking of the devil. Xavy, estoy hablando con Leolin. Venga y dile hola."

Xavier's handsome head appeared, and he smiled. Despite their somewhat distant relation, Xavy did resemble Severina in a lot of ways, and it might have violated the laws of man and nature, but Leolin had to admit their resemblance had made for two gorgeous daughters.

Xavier was holding their youngest Isidora, who was three and a half, and upon seeing Leolin, she wiggled out her father's hold.

"Zia," she cried. "It is you!"

"Sì," Leolin smiled. "Sono io. Are you practicing your Inglese?"

"Sì," she said proudly. "Zia, when are you to back to Firenze?" she said, sad now. "Mi _manchi_!"

"I miss you too, tesoro. And I hope soon. Will you tell Angelina I miss her too?"

"In Inglese?"

"O Italiano," Leolin smiled. "Whatever you want, amore mia."

"Venga, bambina," Xavier said. "Let us let Mama e zia talk."

"Ciao!" Isidora called as she was hoisted up by the waist.

"Ciao, tesoro," Leolin said, blowing her a kiss.

"Nos vemos, cariña," he told Leolin," Xavy said. "You and I will talk soon."

"Okay," Leolin said. "Ciao."

"Sorry," Severina said. "I know you're on a schedule."

"Not at all," Leolin said. Throwing more clothes to the side for South Carolina. "I absolutely don't mind making Gen wait. On the other hand, if Ginny gets there before me, she will go mental."

"So tell me more about this Genevieve," Severina said. "What is it that Draco finds so alluring?"

"She's charming," Leolin admitted. "She'd good at making you feel special. And she'd very pretty."

"Pretty was never really Draco's taste," Severina said arrogantly, batting thick lashes. "Look at you and me. So when did she start threatening you? What did she say?"

"Well, it starts with Draco's stupid bloody _gorgeous _rooftop deck. I'm up there with Ginny and Blaise as their regaling me with all the horrible things Lucius has done while I was away, then they leave and Draco comes up instead, and he's not exactly nice to me, but I can_ feel_ something flowing between us, and I don't know if it was just sexual tension or what, but I could feel it and I know he did too, and the last thing he asked me was if I really left because I thought it was what was best for him. I swear to Merlin I was a second away from telling him the truth. I really, really was. At the very least, I wanted to tell him I loved him."

"He wants to love you again, can't you see? When he is no longer blinded by his pride, he will accept that and you will be together again."

"But what if he doesn't?" Leolin said fretfully. "He is _engaged _to her, and she's smart; she'll either rush the wedding or get pregnant. Either way, I'll lose him forever."

"No," Severina smiled. "Draco is smarter than that. After all, that's how his mother trapped his father. He'll have her on the potion, and he will be taking something as well."

"I'm worried," Leolin admitted. "When we were together, he was really eager for kids. He was always talking about getting me pregnant."

Severina gave a feline smile.

"Ah, but she is not you, tesoro. I guarantee he is not quite so eager with her."

"How do you know? You've never even seen them together."

"Because," Severina said seriously. "You told me once that Draco said he would have proposed to you the day he started dating you if he thought you'd let him. He wanted you to be his wife from the beginning. It took him two years to propose to her. _She is not you_."

"It took him two years to propose to me, too."

"And let us talk about why that is, amore mia. First his father was threatening you, then your family hated him, then he almost died, then I interrupted, then you didn't speak for sixth months. All that in the first year. He spent the second convincing your father one week at a time that he loved you and was worthy of your love in return. He waited until he got your parents' blessing before proposing. If he was selfish with you the way he is selfish with everyone else, he _wouldn't _have waited. He waited for you. Because he loved you. Because you, tesoro, are his _Leolin_. Your love is legend among your friends. You were the gold standard for soulmates."

"Were, was, used to be! Things have changed, Ri! I'm not what I used to be. I don't wield any of the power I used to."

Severina shrugged, her dark eyes glittering as she watched her friend.

"Then take the power back. He isn't beyond your grasp. You just have to exert the right pressure."

"Honestly," Leolin said, tipping an armload of books about the magical principles of binding contracts into her bottomless South Carolina trunk. "My first priority is Genevieve. She thinks she can hold onto Draco by complimenting me and cornering me into saying things I don't mean while she pours poison about me into his ears."

"Then show her she's wrong," Severina said arrogantly. "She has no _earthly _idea who she's tangling with. You are without doubt the love of Draco's life, and no amount of misdirection or manipulation on her part will change that. She thinks Draco was distracted by you yesterday? That was just the tip of the iceberg. No one knows how to make Draco's knees weak like you do; not even me."

Leolin nodded, feeling emboldened.

"I was Slytherin royalty once; perhaps I ought to teach Gen what that really means."

Severina gave a sinful smile.

"Bury her, tesoro," Severina urged. "She thinks she can beat you with petty tricks? She has no idea she has a Borgia-trained vipress on her hands. As for Lucius, he's always underestimated you, and you still have two wins to your name. You're going to slip his noose, and when you do Draco will be yours again."

"I love you," Leolin said. "I love you more than I love a good old-fashioned take down."

"That's _la genie_ I know," Severina smiled. I will let you go. Ti amo."

Leolin nodded. "I love you, ma belle. We'll speak soon."

"I can't wait," Severina said, smirking.

When she was gone Leolin turned back to her trunk; she knew immediately which outfit she would wear to Gen's. It was falsely casual, so no one could accuse her of dressing up unnecessarily, but it was alluring. Her scoopneck gray tank top was loose and thus "coincidentally" low-cut, and it allowed a generous view of the lacy bra underneath. The real beauty of the look was the bra itself, which was so far from ordinary. The top portion was lacy, but the lace was _sheer, _so the tops of her breast were still clearly visible, even though it wasn't a pushup or even low-cut. What was more, the bra wasn't black or red or pink, but rather nude, which made it feel as if it wasn't meant to show; as if it was letting the viewer in on the not-so-secret secret of Leolin's tantalizing breasts.

Draco was going to go mad, and so was Gen. Merlin. Leolin couldn't wait. She threw on simple jeans, riding boots, and a slouchy oversized sweater on as well, as if she was dressing to accommodate for the hassle of overseas travel and not to give Draco a hard-on. He had better be there when she got there.

It was a cheap play, but right now she didn't care. She slapped her trunk shut, levitating it down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, she heard the floo crackle and she looked up.

"Ami!"

Her stepmother emerged, beaming as she dusted soot of her dress.

"Oh Leolin, thank Merlin you are still here! We were so worried you had have left already."

To Leolin's delight, Max bounded out of the floo next, beaming at Amelie.

"Maman! I flooed all by myself."

"I know, canard!" she smiled "You are so grown-up."

He looked at Leolin, studying her for a moment before coming over and smiling at her.

"You are my sister Leolin," he said.

He still had the sweet, small voice of a child. He wasn't quite a gangly, dirty, snarky little boy yet.

"Yes," Leolin said, smiling. "I am."

"You knew me when I was a baby," Max said knowledgeably. "But I didn't know you because I was a baby, and babies can't remember."

"Exactly," Leolin said. "You're really smart."

Pleased with this compliment, he ran over to her, throwing his arms around her. He was still small enough that his head only reached her stomach.

"Maman says you're going to America. Are we going to play when you get back?"

"Of course," Leolin said, smiling at Amelie and mouthing _"Thank you_."

Amelie nodded, tears in her eyes as she beamed.

"I bet you have the coolest toys," Leolin said.

"I do," Max admitted. "I don't let Henri play with them because he usually just chews on them, but you can come over and play with them whenever you want. Even if I'm not there."

"That's so nice of you," Leolin said. "I can't wait."

The floo flamed again, an Adrien stepped through with Henri on his hip. The minute Henri saw his older brother hugging Leolin, he began to squirm. He was the quintessential younger brother, always wanting to do whatever his brother did.

Adrien set him down, and he tottered over, his forefinger in his mouth and Lambie under his arm.

"Henri, this is our sister Leolin," Max said as Henri extended his arms to be held. "We have to share her, okay?"

Leolin winked conspiratorially at Max before scooping Henri up and pressing an absurd amount of kisses against his cheek, making him giggle. He looked in her eyes for a second, then, as if recognizing that they were family, he threw his arms around her neck. Leolin's heart melted as she pressed a hand to his small back to return the gesture. There were two feelings in the world that exceeded all the others. Receiving the love and approval of animals and the affection of small children.

"Puis-je avoir un baiser?" She asked him, and he nodded, extracting his slimy finger for his mouth a pressing a soft, wet kiss on her cheek.

"Merci beaucoup," She said, tickling his round belly.

"Okay," Leolin groaned. "I have to get going. I really wish I didn't."

"We do, too," Adrien said. "But we will see you soon enough."

"Hold me, too," Max said.

"Maximilien, you are too big," Amelie said. "You will break your poor sister's back. "

However, Leolin shifted Henri to her left hip, extending her right arm in response.

"Can you jump up?" She asked.

"Be careful, please," Adrien said.

Max jumped and quickly found purchase on her other hip. He was still light enough that the two of them were no real burden. They both cuddled her fiercely as she shuffled over to her laughing parents.

"Goodbye, frérots," Leolin said, kissing both on the cheek before easing Max down first, where he only proceeded to hug her small waist.

"Bye, Max," she said, ruffling his hair. "I can't wait to play when I get back."

"Me either!" he said eagerly, finally letting her go.

"Adieu, Henri," she told the toddler in her arms.

"Pouvons-nous dire au revoir, Henri?" Adrien asked.

Henri nodded.

"Au revoir," he murmured, and she kissed him again.

"Allons," Adrien said. "venir avec papa, mon petit prince."

Adrien came over, kissing Leolin on the head as he took the baby from her arms. When she was free, she hugged his open side.

"Love you, lapin. Have fun in America."

"Merlin help me," she said, and Adrien laughed, kissing her head again.

"Goodbye, Maman," Leolin said, turning to Amelie.

Amelie smiled, gesturing to Leolin's carefully-crafted cleavage and giving a thumbs-up. _"Nice" _she mouthed so Adrien didn't see.

Leolin winked.

"Miss you already, lapin," she said. "Hurry back, and try not to cause too much trouble."

Leolin smirked sinfully, kissing and hugging her pregnant stepmother.

"Moi? Trouble? _Never_!"

"Leolin Lefevre, you impossible little thing," Ariadne called, smiling and descending the steps.

"Am I still your favourite daughter?" Leolin asked, hugging her mother fiercely.

"And the most troublesome," Ariadne laughed. "But also the loveliest."

"Oh stop," Leolin laughed grabbing her trunk. "You're _embarrassing _me, darling. Alright, family, I'm off. I'm late, and if Ginny gets to Gen's before me she will most likely rip off my arm and beat with it."

"Cool!" Max piped

"Not quite," Leolin laughed, preparing to apparate.

"Love you all. Hopefully see you on the other side. If you don't hear from me by tonight, please floo the authorities and tell them about my suspicions about Gen."

"Get out of here!" Ariadne laughed, and Leolin blew a kiss and disappeared.

* * *

Ginny was standing leaning on her trunk when Leolin apparated in from of their flat, and she gave her friend a sympathetic look as they embraced.

"I'm so sorry, Gin. My brothers came to say goodbye."

"Don't be," Ginny said, kissing her cheek. "I _just_ got here."

"Thank Merlin. Max was morbidly excited about the prospect of you ripping off my arm and using it as a club, but I wasn't."

Ginny laughed.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this," Ginny said, touching her friend's arm affectionately. "I promise I won't let Draco or Gen bully you."

The band of her ring brushed Leolin's wrist, and she looked down and watched the canary diamond wink at her in the afternoon sun.

"C'mon," Ginny said. "The sooner we go inside, the sooner we can raid Draco's truly excellent booze cabinet."

Leolin nodded, and as she turned towards the door, Ginny scowled.

"Oh my _days_, woman!"

"What?" Leolin said innocently.

"Cleavage much?"

Leolin shrugged.

"Hey, you know how what they say. If you've got it—"

"—stop flaunting it in front of your ex and his new fiancée lest you touch off a World War. C'mon Lai, I know this Gen thing is uncomfortable, but you're giving a wrong impression. She's going to assume you're—"

"I'm what?" Leolin said.

"Are you wearing that for Draco?" Ginny said sternly. "Is this you trying to get his attention?"

"What do you mean?" Leolin said.

"Tell me once and for all; are you trying to win him back?"

Luckily the door swung in, and Leolin was spared from answering. Leolin tried not to blush as she took in Draco's bare chest, taut abdomen, and curving oblique muscles. He was already wearing low-slung khakis, though his feet were also bare.

He turned to look down at Ginny first, and Leolin noticed he still had the falcon tattoo on his side. Interesting. She was worried he'd get it removed.

"Ew, gross, why?" Ginny said in reference to his state of undress, putting a hand to his side and pushing under his left arm.

He turned his head back to watch her retreat.

"Hello to you, too," he called to her called, smiling.

"I need a drink please."

"You know where to find it, then."

Finally, his eyes dragged back to Leolin, hardening a little as her sweater _casually_ fell a bit. He admired her gorgeous face for a moment before dipping to her tantalizing neckline, or lack thereof. He hadn't failed to notice the lock pendant, either.

"Merlin's beard, Lefevre," he growled, not budging.

"What?" she demanded, folding her arms over her chest, which only enhanced the view.

He rolled his eyes before looking at her intently, his diamond irises flicking to the bright red stain on her full lips for a millisecond.

"You know damn well what," he said in a low. "Stop it."

"I'm not _doing _anything," she said.

"What? They have free will, then?"

"As a matter of fact," she said in an innocent voice.

"If you are planning on torturing Gen with those all trip, I will seriously send you home."

"Do you promise?" she scoffed.

"Woman—" he began.

"Are you going to let me in or what?"

He stepped back and letting her pass, still glaring.

"Would you be happier if I changed?" She asked.

"Yes," he said, bluntly.

"Fine," she said in an even tone, tugging the tank off and making him hiss in displeasure.

"Lefevre," he growled as she turned her back to him and fished for a t-shirt.

Obviously she couldn't see him, but she knew he wouldn't be able to resist looking at the curve of her arse as she bent over. She watched him flex his right hand in her peripheral, and she smirked to herself. She knew he was fighting the urge to slap it soundly.

"Look," she said, still bent over as she dug. "You were the one who burst in on me like six times the other day. Stop acting so scandalized."

"Twice," he grit out. "It was _twice_, and belief me, I didn't enjoy either one."

She stood up again, putting her hands on her hips. He looked towards the ceiling and groaned again.

"You're not wearing a shirt," she pointed out.

That's what she'd said to him all those years ago on the Hogwarts quidditch pitch when she'd shown up in bra and knickers. She was teasing the memory out, and he didn't disappoint.

He leaned in until the tip of his nose was literally brushing hers.

"I don't have a rack," he seethed. "Let's start there."

She bent down, still looking at him as she retrieved a fade Slytherin Quidditch t-shirt.

She threw it on, holding out her arms.

"Happy?" she said, and he growled and rolled his eyes.

"Not even a little bit."

She skirted past him and into the kitchen, where Ginny was sitting on the counter drinking a vodka tonic with a lime.

"Can I have a sip of that?" Leolin asked, hopping up as well. She didn't even like vodka, but she liked being sober even less.

Ginny extended the glass.

"Where's Gen?" she asked Draco, who was heading for the staircase.

"Just finishing up packing. She'll be down in a second," he said, retreating.

"Are you coming with us?" She called louder.

"No," he shouted back, his voice muffled by the distance. "I'll be there around four."

Ginny nodded, taking a sip of vodka and handing the glass to Leolin again.

Gen's trunk gave floating down the stairs, but she was still in the loft. Ginny caught sight of her blonde hair and groaned quickly, accepting the glass back from Leolin and taking a healthy swallow.

Gen was leaning on the wall, looking around the corner and talking to Draco, who must have been in the bedroom.

"How long does he expect us to wait for her?" Ginny said in polite but obvious annoyance, throwing two more round ice cubes in the glass and dousing them with more expensive vodka.

"She's the bride, I guess," Leolin observed, the vodka already beginning to work its magic.

"No, she's been like this since birth, I imagine. At the very least, she'd been like this since she started seeing Drake. Seriously, we're _always_ waiting on her. It drives Blaise mad."

"I can't imagine why," Leolin said dryly.

They watched as Draco emerged, finally wearing a shirt. He smiled wickedly and crushed Gen to the wall, kissing her neck heatedly as she let out little mews of pleasure.

"Okay now, see what you've started?" Ginny demanded scowling at Leolin. "You and your damn _boobies_, Leolin."

As heartsick as their display made her, it also gave Leolin a grim satisfaction that her little trick had had an effect on Draco.

His hands skimmed up Gen's side, pushing up her shirt as his mouth finally found hers. Her bell laugh echoed down into the kitchen below.

"Draco!" she purred delightedly. "I have to get going," she said in her sweet voice. "I can't keep the girls waiting any more. I'm already late!"

In reality Leolin sensed that Gen didn't really care if she was making them late, and this was simply part of her genteel veneer. Draco, for his part, must have been trying to convince her to stay, because a second later she was peeling off the wall and tugging Draco away from the stairs.

"Girls," she called in a breathy voice. "I am so sorry, but I just realized that I forgot to—"

Leolin could hear the deep rolling wave of Draco's laughter, but Ginny interrupted them.

"Nope," Ginny said solidly. "Sorry, but we are absolutely not waiting for you two to have a shag. Leolin and I are leaving. See you when you get back from South Carolina."

"Alright!" Draco called, laughing again. "Keep your knickers on, Gin."

Ginny growled in frustration.

"Only if you keep on yours! Merlin, Draco, you are _such_ a conniving little twat."

More laughter.

"Go on, darling," he said in a husky voice to Gen. "We'll finish this later."

There was a loud noise as he slapped her on the arse. Leolin rolled her eyes and Ginny screwed hers shut in mounting annoyance.

"I'm sorry," Gen said apologetically as she came down the stairs. She was so good at feigning genuine concern. It really was jarring. "That was really rude of me. Anyways, I'm here. Y'all ready?"

"And waiting," Ginny said as politely as she could, and Gen gave her a warm smile.

Gen turned to Leolin, biting her swollen lip so Leolin couldn't forget how heatedly Draco'd just been kissing her.

"Leolin," she said, her voice kind but not sweet enough to feel fake. "That's an interesting shirt. Is that from boarding school? Merlin, it must be ancient."

"Thank you, I think," Leolin said.

Gen gave a bright smile.

"You're welcome. Drake?" Gen called to Draco, sliding a pair of tasteful sunglasses into her careful updo. "We're leaving. I love you."

Draco came to the railing of the balcony, looking over and watching them.

"You too," he said. "See you in a bit."

Now that Gen's back was turned, Draco's eyes followed Leolin, and she met his gaze. He raised his eyebrows as if to say, "_checkmate."_

She only shrugged nonchalantly in response, her pose suggesting, _"what do I care?"_

In reality, that had been torture for Leolin, and the vodka that had been so smooth going down threatened to bubble back up again. She felt the urge to hang her head.

Gen grabbed her hand softly, her dark eyes brimming with faux concern.

"You alright, sugar?"

Leolin nodded and smiled.

"Of course."

Ginny, who had watched to this point without comment, seemed annoyed for Leolin's sake.

"Draco?" she called in sweet voice.

"Ginevra?" he replied in a similar tone.

She spun, flashing hi the v-sign. "You are a _twat_."

He winked in response, blowing her a kiss.

"I love you too, sweetheart."

"Alright ladies," Gen said, clapping her hands excitedly as an attendant came through the front door to handle their bags.

How long had _that_ poor bloke been waiting, Leolin wondered.

"Let's go."

* * *

The Transatlantic train—which, in typical Wizarding fashion, magically crossed the Atlantic like a bridge across a short revine—only took about three hours. Leolin sat with Gen and Ginny in their spacious compartment, brooding. They were both sleeping, but Leolin was too restless.

To begin, she'd _sworn _she'd seen Adrian getting onto the Charleston train. She thought about mentioning this to Ginny, but ultmiately she decided she was just being paranoid. Still, the thought nagged at her. What possible business could he have for going to The US, and how suspicious of a coincidence would it be if he was going the same time they were? The very thought mad the arm on her arms stand up. Unwilling to think about Adrian any more, she turned her thoughts back to Gen and Draco.

After last night, it was clear she needed a strategy. She hadn't forgotten the look in Gen's eyes when she'd walked Leolin to the floo; Leolin would be torn to pieces if she couldn't find a way to defend herself.

The best way, she decided, was to simply be herself and try and steer clear of Gen's games. Draco had fallen in love with the first time without her chasing him; she needed to give him room to come to her. Besides, the more Leolin stayed out of the fray, the less cause Gen would have to lash out at her.

The odd part was, Leolin had to think about what it really meant to be Leolin. She'd been Naomi for so long, and she was finding the five years away was making it hard to relax back into who she really was. She had to, though, for her own sake as much as Draco's.

The Leolin of old, the Leolin that Draco had fallen in love with all those years ago at Hogwarts, wasn't easily swayed by male attention, even Draco's. She stood her ground. She only awarded attention where it was due. She put herself first. It was an innate part of her personality, and three years of friendship with Severina had won back the power that Lucius and Cristian had stolen from her. That's how she needed to be now. No matter what Draco said or did out of misguided anger, she needed remain above it. She needed to remind him that she was still a prize to be won. Once some of the frustration and anger burned off, she knew Draco would see that. This trip was about being patient.

As for Ginny and Blaise, she decided it was best to keep them out of it for now. Neither seemed particularly keen on Leolin pursuing Draco, at least not until she told them the truth, and she didn't want to sow tension by pushing. If she pursued Draco, she was the villainess, breaking his heart then wooing him into falling in love again like a siren.

As for Gen, she simply had to avoid her as much as possible. Gen was a confidence player, and Leolin was ill matched to that style of aggression. Next to Gen's impeccably polite façade, Leolin was sure to come off as fiery, impulsive, and overly sexualized. She had to let Draco see her on her own terms, not in comparison.

By the time the antique-looking Steamer arrived at the bustling Charleston station, Leolin felt more confident, more herself. She loved Draco and she hadn't done anything wrong, and she deserved him and to be happy. She needed to remember that. She wasn't guilty of anything.

Gen led them them down the street and through a dreary old tavern that lead to a red-bricked street that Leolin assumed was Charleston's Diagon Alley. She stopped outside a small shop jammed with a odd assortment of flotsam and jetsam.

"I just have fetch our portkey," Genevieve said, looking at the familiar harbour before smiling at her companions. "I'll be right back."

When she was gone, Ginny scrutnized Leolin's easy smile. "Should I be worried that you're smiling?"

"Worried?" Leolin asked, laughing. "Why would me smiling be worrisome?"

"Because you have a bevy of different smiles, and right now you're wearing 'I've just hatched a dastardly plan'."

"That is _not _one of my smiles!"

"It is! It _so_ is. Blaise and I have agreed it's one of the more unsettling looks in your repertoire."

"I'm happy I'm here with you," she said truthfully. "Obviously I wish it was under different circumstances, but I have missed you and Blaise so much."

Ginny nodded, squeezing her hand.

"We've missed you, too. You have no idea how much. I was worried I was never going to see you again."

Leolin nodded.

"I know, I'm sorry. But I'm here now; I'm never leaving again."

"How can we be sure of that?" Ginny said quietly.

Leolin looked at her.

"That was in the past," Leolin said. "I'm not the same person I was then."

"What about Draco?" Ginny pressed. "What does that mean for him?"

"He loves Gen," Leolin said, daggered by her forthcoming lie. "I need to let him, even if it hurts."

"I want so desperately to believe that," Ginny said more seriously.

"I can't change what happened with Draco," Leolin said, eyebrows synched in pain. "Now I have to face the consequences of my actions."

_You're innocent_, she reminded herself. _Don't lose sight of that._

Leolin began to feign a pained look, but then she realized that a real one was always lurking just beneath the surface, and all she really had to do was let it show.

"I made a decision for both of us five years ago based on what I thought was best. Now I have to let Draco do the same, even if it kills me."

Ginny frowned sympathetically.

"Look," she sighed, "I know 'soulmates' are a tricky business, but I honestly think there is more than one person for everyone."

Leolin looked at her.

"Can I ask you a hard question?"

"Of course."

"If Blaise died unexpectedly tomorrow, do you think you could love someone else?"

Ginny considered this earnestly.

"It wouldn't be easy, of course, but yes, in time I think I could love again. I would always love Blaise, but I think I could make room for someone else too if the right one came along. Blaise would want that for me."

Leolin didn't have time to consider this, because Gen was approaching, a rusty lantern in one hand.

"All set. Let's get home."

She held the lantern aloft, and as soon as they were all three touching it, they were jerked away.

They arrived several seconds later outside a small but opulent beach house 100 yards from the shore.

"Come on," Gen said. "I will give y'all the tour."

She ushered them inside, and Leolin glanced around. There were high ceilings and tons of big windows and warm neutral colours on the walls, all of which gave off a Southern feel.

Gen led them through several parlors and such, explaining about the house's history and all her banal design choices.

"I want to sincerely apologize in advance," she said, giving a sympathetic frown. "But this house wasn't designed for five guests, so it's going to be a little tight.

"Ginny, this one is you and Blaise," Gen said, gesturing to a door. "And Draco's friend is in the smaller one next to y'all."

She turned a corner to another two doors. "This is me and Draco," Gen said, tapping her index finger on a door. "And Leolin, you're in here, and I'm so sorry; we didn't know you were coming, so we had to put you in the Master Suite spare."

"The _what_?" Leolin asked.

Gen bit her lip and gave an apologetic look.

"It's connected to ours," she said. "We usually have glass French doors between them, but I had my contractor switch them so you can have some privacy, and we'll keep it locked, of course. I promise, you wouldn't know we're here."

Leolin fought to keep her expression neutral, not wanting to fuel the fire by acting as if this bothered her. Still, she hoped the walls would be sound proof. She didn't think she could bear listening to Draco plough into Gen all night.

"Right," Gen said. "I feel like a terrible hostess dashing out on y'all, but I promised my cousin Ashley I would go see him when I got back. Do y'all mind?" She asked, smiling.

"Not at all," Leolin said, perhaps too quickly. "Go ahead, we'll see you later."

Gen gave her a carefully crafted smile.

"The boys should be here in an hour. We're going out later, so you two may want to take a nap. Nights out in Charleston usually end up being mornings out in Charleston. There are towels in the bathrooms if y'all want to lay by the pool. It's a gorgeous day out, especially after you've been in London for weeks. See you two later. Have a lovely afternoon."

"Thanks," Ginny said, seemingly a little uncomfortable now that they were firmly entrenched on American soil. "See you in a bit."

When she was gone, Leolin turned to Ginny.

"What do you think? Should we just hang by the pool?"

"I see a wet bar," Ginny said, smiling wryly. "So of course I'm in."

Leolin quickly changed into her suit and headed to the immaculately manicured pool deck, where Ginny was already waiting in an impossibly tiny black bikini.

"You want a caiparinha?" Ginny asked, already muddling a lime.

"I don't know," Leolin said dubiously. "What's in it?"

"Lime, sugar, and an ungodly amount of white rum."

"Swap out rum for gin and I'm there," Leolin said. "Thank you."

Leolin laid down on a lounger and closed her eyes, letting the rustling of the tall grass past the deck and the distant ocean lull her into a blissful half-sleep. She fell easily into a fantasy about Draco, and she indulged it by imagining him nestled between her thighs.

Draco had been brilliant at knowing when to use his fingers and when to use his tongue, an she had to remind herself not to buck her hips at the memory. It was always fingers first, and he could do things with them that she previously had _not_ deemed possible. She'd never found that pleasurable with the other boys she'd dated, and she'd always seen it as a means to a greater end.

With Draco, though, he could actually get her off with just his fingers if he wanted. When she was feeling lazy or greedy, she would let him give her her first orgasm with just his fingers and tongue. Draco used to say that he loved fucking her every way imaginable: with his fingers, with his tongue, with his cock.

Draco was the conqueror of her body. He'd shown her things she'd never even known existed, and the pleasure of that had always been two-fold: the sensations he elicited were never anything short of ecstasy for her, and that's probably why she was always screaming all the time and waking the boys up; Draco was literally fucking her into euphoria. It was equally as pleasurable to know that Draco loved being her first anything, and that it somehow brought them closer together. Once or twice, Leolin caught herself wishing she'd been a virgin when she started dating him

She remembered the night before the quidditch cup her sixth year when she'd let Draco fuck her in a new way for the first time. Had he convinced Gen to do the same for him? Leolin could still feel him in the shower, gracefully sliding in and out between orifices, making her moan.

_Does that kind of fuck make you sore? _He'd asked her once.

_yes,_ she'd admitted.

_How badly?_

_only enough to remind me I'm yours._

"Hello?"

Leolin snapped out of her fantasy. She must have been out for awhile.

"The boys are here," Ginny said, standing at once as two figures approached.

Her face split into a dazzling smile as she watched Blaise approach, and he awarded her with the same.

"Hey baby," Blaise said, lifting Ginny easily into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders as he supported her torso. His hand slipped down Ginny's back to rest on her shapely bum as he kissed her. "How was your day?"

"You mean besides waiting an hour for Genevieve while she messed about then toyed with the idea of shagging Draco while we were in the flat?"

"Yeah," he said. "Besides that."

Ginny smiled

"It was good, and now it's even better."

She kissed him again before allowing Blaise to greet Leolin.

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty," he said, tapping her foot.

Leolin opened her eyes at last, trying not to look at Draco as he too approached. He was dressed more casually than usual in a pair of Nantucket red pants with a lightweight gray pullover, which he was wearing with the hood up. He was wearing boating shoes on his feet, and sunglasses. He was shirtless under the pullover, and she could see his tanned chest underneath.

"Quit staring," Draco laughed, and Leolin flushed. However she realized after a second he was talking to Ginny.

"What the hell are those trousers?" She laughed, hugging him. "I'm weirdly in love with them."

"Weasley, I'm gorgeous. I can make anything look good."

Leolin didn't say anything to Draco, but she could feel his eyes on her suit. It was a tantalizing peach, and like everything she owned, the emphasis was on her top half. She wore a slim gold body chain as well, which hung around her neck before looping around her small waist.

Leolin ignored Draco's gaze, squinting towards the beach.

"Where's your mystery guest?" She demanded.

Blaise smiled.

"He's coming."

"He's here," a tall figure amended, and the sun made it hard to distinguish him at first.

Finally, he was close enough that she could see him.

"Ieuan fucking Bird!" she squealed delightedly.

He was well-over six foot now, and he bent his knees a little so he could her catch as she leapt into his arms. However, she unsettled their balance with her exuberance, and they ended up falling into the pool.

"Ieuan!" She cried again when they emerged. "How are you? Is your fiancée here?"

Ieuan laughed. "He refused to come. He's sort of a party-pooper like that."

"Why does Luke get to stay home?" Ginny demanded.

"Because he's not in the bridal party," Blaise replied, taking a sip of his mojito.

"I'm just happy you're here!" Ieuan said to Leolin. "I like the new hair, by the way. It's nice."

Leolin smiled, dropping kisses all over his face.

"I can't believe how tall you are!" she said. "You were such a skinny little thing at Hogwarts!"

"I know," Ieuan said. "I was like a twig until I shot up at the ripe old age of 19. I grew eight inches in one year."

"Merlin," Leolin laughed.

"It was boy to man in 2.5," Ieuan joked. "Hey, do you know what I was thinking about the other day?" He laughed. "When I was crying about Dom Godfrey and you sat with me in your knickers while I cried!"

"Yeah," Draco bit out. "That was bloody hilarious."

Ieuan ignored him. "You don't know what that meant to me," he said to Leolin. "Thank you."

"And that's ancient history, Drake," Ginny said sternly. "Stop griping about it."

"I just don't understand why you were sitting under the water," Draco grumbled, and Leolin looked at Ieuan and shrugged.

"Shall we get out?" Ieuan suggested. "Since I'm not actually wearing a bathing suit?"

Leolin nodded, pushing her black hair out of her eyes as she emerged dripping from the pool. She didn't bother with a towel, just flopped back down on her lounger to air dry as she slung an arm over her eyes to shield them from the sun.

"Where's my fiancée?" Draco asked to no one in particular.

"With her cousin," Ginny said. "I think she'll be back soon."

"Surprise," a voice drawled from the house. "Hello, darling, welcome home."

"Hi," he replied, and Leolin was glad she could only hear them kiss.

Leolin cracked open an eye taking in Gen's modest white one-piece. It had straps and a flirty peplum, and despite the fact that it didn't really show any skin, it was very fetching on her, even against her pale skin.

"How was the trip?" Gen asked him, pulling his wayfarers off his head so she could run a hand through his pomaded hair.

"Boring," Draco replied, folding the glasses and tucking them in his pocket. "Yours?"

Gen shrugged.

"About the same. I mostly slept. I wanted to be well rested for tonight."

"Who all did you invite?" Draco asked.

"The usual group," Gen said. "Savannah and Ashley and some of his friends from college. And Max Brankovitch. He's in town for the tournament."

"Sounds like it might get rowdy," Draco said, smirking at her.

"Doesn't it always?" Gen said, making him laugh.

It would be interesting to go out with Gen, Leolin decided. She didn't really seem the type to cut loose, though Leolin supposed that you couldn't get engaged to Draco Malfoy if you didn't like to party.

"You two look well-rested," Gen said, sitting on the lounger next to Leolin and smiling at her. "Did you have a relaxing afternoon?"

"Very," Leolin said, getting up and flitting to the bar to put some distance between her and Gen.

"Leolin," Gen said conspiratorially, smiling as if they were close girlfriends. "You should wear something extra special tonight."

"I should?" Leolin asked, avoid Draco's scrutinizing gaze.

"Ashley already told Max we were bringing a pretty girl, and he's chomping at the bit. You're just his type; he loves brunettes."

"Oh," Leolin said, wildly uncomfortable. "I don't—"

"He's such a sweetheart," Gen said. "You're going to fall madly in love with him. Don't you think he would be perfect for Leolin, Drake?"

Draco clenched his jaw in unveiled annoyance. He might not have specifically wanted Leolin at that moment, but he certainly didn't seem eager to share her with Max Brankovitch.

"I think he might be too American for her," Draco said stiffly.

"Well we'll see what happens tonight," Gen said, giving Leolin a warm smile. "Let me know if you want help picking something out. Not that you need my help, of course. You're utterly gorgeous on your own."

Leolin gave an uncomfortable nod, her eyes flicking to Draco. He read her unease at once. He knew she was never one to chase male attention, and it likely agitated her to have it forced on her.

"Let her be, Genevieve," Draco ordered, giving Leolin a softer look. "Brank can be complete overkill. Don't make him her responsibility all evening."

This was the most diplomatic thing Draco had said to Leolin in a while, and it felt good to have him advocate for her, and against Gen, no less.

"I'm sorry, Leolin," she said in a tone that mimicked sincere remorse. "Of course I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable! I will make sure Max behaves, I promise."

Leolin nodded.

"Thanks, I guess."

"Of course," Gen continued "I just want you to have a good time. I'm not trying to force anything on you."

Draco, seemingly satisfied that Gen was playing nice, rewarded the comment with a soft kiss.

"Tonight will be fun," Draco affirmed. "Charleston nights always are."

"I'm looking forward to it," Blaise said, Ginny perched on his lap.

"So am I," Ieuan said. "Though I wish I could have convinced Luke to show."

"What about you, Ginny?" Gen pressed. "Everyone is over the moon about meeting you. I talk about you all the time."

"I guess," Ginny said, glancing at Blaise, who kissed her neck reassuringly.

"Excellent," Gen said, delighted that things were once again going her way.

After raising her glass to the group, she gave Leolin a little smile that said, _this isn't over. I've only begun to make you suffer_.

Leolin, still searching for her old courage, raised her glass to Gen boldly, unwilling to cower.

"Here's to tonight, then. Let's do some damage."

She raised her eyebrows at Gen, and Gen's smile slipped a little. She looked a bit threatened, and a nasty fight bloomed in her eyes in response.

"Yes," Gen said, giving Leolin a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I'll drink to that."

* * *

a/n: You go Leolin! I know some of you were worried Lai was too fragile at first, but give her a break: it's been a tough five years. However, she's found her old fire, and the gloves are coming _off. _

So obviously this chapter was a big set-up for the next, which begs the question: What do y'all think is going to happen on their "wild night out"? Comment and let me know. Of course, the reality is HAHAHAHHAHAAHHAAHAH you have NO idea. I guarantee y'all are going to be surprised. I will probably keep posting a chapter a day all week, so I hope you enjoy! I know y'all are already AMAZING at this, but… KEEP REVIEWING PLEASE!

* * *

**TRANSLATIONS**

Puis-je avoir un baiser—Can you give me a kiss?

Pouvons-nous dire au revoir—Can we say goodbye?

venir avec papa—Come with Papa


	7. Chapter 6: A Little Party Never Killed

**A/N: **I so admire y'alls FERVENT desire for Draco and Leolin to UTILIZE THE ADJOINING DOOR. I had no idea the door was going to cause such a fuss. Now, since you each are amazing in your diligent reviews, I'm just going to react of you quickly. **Alice, **I love the babies, too. So cute! Yes I did change the title, I originally thought the chapter was going in a certain direction but when it changed I decided to change the title. The new one is better, I think. Also, y'all tears keep me young and beautiful. Also, all your wild sex predictions make me laugh. They could all come true. None of them could come true. Who knows? Just kidding, obviously I do. :D Also, I know Gen might SEEM naïve, but don't underestimate her. She's not Draco's fiancée for nothing…**Laet67** merci beaucoup, lapin! **Swanrage**, I live to make you all weep. I cry writing nearly every flashback, which is really your fault because they were your idea in the first place… **Larissa****Hyperion**, poor Kelly Troy! He is like the ultimate good guy! If only she could have loved him enough! Also, you can cheat on me. It's okay. We all know that Leolin is Draco's true love. And let's not feel TOO sorry for old Maximus until we meet him…**hannahhobnob**, I totally agree Gen's got to watch her damn back. On the other hand, y'all are going to get some glimpses into she and Draco that DON'T have to do with Leolin, and I think those will be telling. **MASHinsomeroyals,** seriously can't wait to hear what y'all think of Max. Is he the next Kelly Troy?

**Chapter Six: A Little Party Never Hurt Nobody.**

_Leolin stood in the opulent receiving hall of Palacio Ducal Gandia in Valencia, waiting for an audience with the great Severina Borgia. It agitated Leolin that she had grown so desperate that she had to turn to The Borgia for help. However, she __**was**__ that desperate. _

_She'd been in exile for a little over a year now, and she was wasting away. She'd dropped thirty pounds she hadn't really had to spare in the first place, her hair had deteriorated to a brittle frizz, and her skin was sallow and dull. Even Cristian had begun to grow tired of her, often complaining that she was no longer the beauty he had agreed to come to Florence with. Her breasts had shrunk along with the rest of her, and when he did deigned to fuck her, she simply lay still and took it passively. He had seemed determined at first to screw the fight out of her, but now that he had, he was growing tired of her, and he'd begun whoring around instead, which suited Leolin just fine. _

_With every day, Leolin felt herself slipping away from who she'd been. She wasn't beautiful anymore. She wasn't vain anymore. She wasn't fiery anymore. She wasn't interesting anymore. She had become a wraith. She had contemplated hanging herself more than once, but both times she tried, an odd apparition of Draco appeared, begging her not to. She woke the morning after her final attempt oddly inspired to live again. She would find a way to make money. She would find a way to bring Cristian to heel. She would find a way to __**live **__again._

_She spent several weeks contemplating, stewing over what she could do. What was she qualified to do? She was bilingual, but she didn't think it was a good idea to look into any ambassadorial positions, firstly because she had no way to explain the fact that she couldn't travel to France or the UK, and secondly because she was afraid Lucius would catch wind of her and crush her. _

_So she began to think. What did she love? What would set her world on fire? Then one day she was walking out of the café after a long shift, and she realized she had literally been staring the answer in the face the whole time. Art. She knew art. She __**loved **__art. That's what she was good at, and that's where she would make her fortune._

_However, she soon came to find the traditional channels were closed to her. She had no credentials because Naomi St. Jacque didn't actually exist, and she couldn't take credit for all the good work Leolin Lefevre had done in The Louvre. However, she picked up what scraps of information she could, carefully filing them away and hoping one would eventually prove useful. It was in this begging that she stumbled among the seedy underworld of legitimate dealing, and she realized the two were not so disparate as she'd believed. Wealthy collectors solicited the auction houses for certain pieces or artists, and if they couldn't find them, the dealers would sometimes go to the black market to search instead. In terms of galleons, it was a much more lucrative transaction for dealers. Once they stepped outside the legal confines of the galleries and auction houses, they were free to charge what they liked, kicking nothing back to their employer. _

_This was where Leolin discovered where she would fit at last. In recent years, Magical collectors had been clamouring for the works by wizards that had been made for Muggle patrons. In the days of the Old Masters like Leonardo and Michelangelo, wizards lived harmoniously with Muggles, and artists worked for both types of patrons. After the International Statute of Secrecy was passed in 1689, the works were separated by type of patron, and wizards grumbled at the loss of such great works. Any Muggle works, whether in the traditional market or the illegal one, where snapped up at once, and as the craze raged on, the reservoir of works was quickly drying up. Muggle works were selling in minutes of being revealed, and yet no new works were coming in. For that to happen, someone would have to willing to loot the Muggle world of its treasures, and though there were plenty of characters nefarious enough, they were none brave enough._

_Leolin recognized this niche at once, and she quickly tallied what she would need: first, a team of thieves. She would do the majority of the work, but it was realistically a three-person job. She would need to establish a way to use the littlest amount of magic necessary. The more things they did the Muggle way, the more they would keep the authorities' gaze away from the Wizarding world. She needed contacts. She had accepted stealing art as an unpleasant necessity, but she wanted to know what collectors were __**most**__ eager to possess. Those would be the only pieces she would steal. Finally, she needed a way to make said contacts. _

_She needed someone the dealers, buyers, and auctioneers trusted, someone they liked, to introduce her into the fold. That's why she'd come to Severina Borgia. Severina was the social darling of both Rome and Florence. Every man wanted her and every woman wanted to be her. More importantly, she was a shrewd businesswoman. Leolin knew from Draco's dealings with her that she knew how to be a shark, and Leolin calculated that Severina wasn't above peddling a little of her morality for millions of galleons. And it would be millions. Soon they'd be richer than gods._

_She looked down at the exquisite marble mosaic of the world on the world beneath her feet, wrinkling her nose. She hoped bitterly that Severina would be able to set aside the past and see the value of Leolin's proposal._

"_¿Senorita?" a willowy servant said stiffly. "Doña Borgia se quisiera saber la razón por su visita. _

_Interesting. Severina was married, and yet she was still a Borgia. Perhaps she had simply kept her maiden name. On the other hand, Leolin thought she'd heard a rumour Severina had married a Borgia cousin._

"_La doña no se acostumbrada a recibiendo visitantes inesperados," the man continued._

_Leolin sighed. She only understood about half of what he'd said. Something about unexpected visitors?_

"_Ah—por favor, le dice que Leolin Lefevre le gustaría verla."_

"_Vale," the man replied. "Espera."_

"_Vale," Leolin repeated._

_Fine. She'd wait. She hoped her name would be enough to spark Severina's curiosity, and so it was. The man appeared a minute later._

"_Ven," the man said to her. _

_Leolin didn't move. What the fuck did ven mean?"_

_He looked back when he realized she wasn't following._

"_¡Señorita! Por favor, ven conmigo."_

_Leolin shook her head. "Ah—lo siento, no estoy segura que—"_

"_Come," the man said exasperated. "You follow me."_

_She nodded, hurried after him, and a minute later he admitted her to a lavish study, where a glowing Severina sat by the fire. She was about seven months pregnant, and she looked radiant._

"_¿Algo más, Señora?" The man asked, admitting Leolin._

"_Nada, gracias," Severina replied._

"_Leolin," she said in fake enthusiasm. "¡Qué sorpresa! Ven aqu_í y sientate."

_Leolin narrowed her eyes. Severina knew damn well Leolin's Spanish was poor at best._

"_Grazie, tesora," Leolin said more confidently. "Che cara sei."_

"_Sientate," Severina repeated, and Leolin flushed. She wasn't sure what that meant. "Sit," Severina repeated, smirking._

_Leolin stepped into the light of the flickering fire and did as she was told. At seeing Leolin's tattered form, Severina's nasty smile faltered, her obsidian eyes no longer quite so unkind._

"_I must admit," Severina began. "I only agreed to see you because I have always hated you, and I wanted to delight in your misery. But, now that I see you, I only feel pity."_

_She gave a pretty frown, and Leolin couldn't decide if Severina was teasing her or being genuine._

"_What happened to the beautiful girl I knew?" Severina said in a soft voice._

_Leolin bowed her head, fighting not to cry. Severina wasn't making fun of her. She was asking a question no on had cared to ask since the day of the wedding._

"_She died," Leolin admitted weakly. "Lucius Malfoy killed her."_

"_That's too bad," Severina said in a steady voice. "She was a worthy adversary."_

"_I'm hoping she might make a worthy business partner," Leolin said as steadily as she could._

_Severina's eyes were glittering again. She steepled her fingers, and Leolin took in her long pointed nails. That was all the rage these days, though on Severina it looked particularly fierce. She leaned in._

"_You really think you're ready to make a deal with the Borgia, regazza?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Then I'm all ears."_

* * *

Leolin sat on her bed and drummed her fingers together, listening. She ought to have been getting ready, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to get up and get going. She could hear Gen in the next room primping, singing to herself as she did so.

Leolin had been right; she had a gorgeous voice. Her timbre was plaintive and sweet, and she'd obviously been professionally trained. Even into her upper register and belt, her vibrato was tight and strong. It only made Leolin feel worse; she hated thinking about all the things Draco probably loved about Gen. This had to be one of them.

Leolin had a gin and tonic beside her as the sat on the floor, and she took a generous sip every minute or so. She was waiting for the liquor to take the edge off before she got up and started getting ready. She knew Gen would find ways to subtly ridicule whatever she wore, and Leolin had to find something that both made her feel like her own self while still not soliciting male attention.

Gen had set the Max Brankovitch trap perfectly, and at this point Leolin had no means of avoiding it. She would simply have to weather it as well as she could, which made the prospect of going that much more daunting. She listened to the door clicking open to admit Draco.

"You sound gorgeous, as always," Draco told her.

"Oh," Gen said, sounding genuinely sheepish. "I didn't know you were—how embarrassing."

"Not at all," Draco replied, as Leolin could imagine him coming behind Gen and kissing her neck. "I could honestly listen to you all day."

Gen laughed, and Leolin heard them kiss.

"Thank you," she breathed.

"Always," he murmured back.

Though Gen's singing had been perfectly audible, their conversation was muffled, and Leolin had to strain to hear what they were saying. She didn't know why she was listening, it only really made her feel worse, but in the end she couldn't resist. She considered a minute more before going to her bag, grabbing an extendable ear, and shoving it under the door.

"What's going on with the Hogwarts Bill?" Gen was asking.

Draco sighed.

"I've been trying to run last minute interference, but honestly, I think my father already has this one in hand."

"What makes you say that?"

Leolin realized that now that Gen was alone with Draco, her drawl was less pronounced. Her accent was still slow and Southern, her tone still musical, but she wasn't hanging on her syllables quite so much. Interesting. So that bit was something of a show.

"I've been tallying votes that I know will go one way or another, and it's damn close. Besides, the few who are outstanding are vulnerable. One has a gambling addiction his wife doesn't know about. One has a teenage daughter who secretly got pregnant. One's having an affair with a _very _prominent married woman. If they don't take my father's bribe, he could easily apply pressure elsewhere."

"I'm sorry, darling," Gen said sympathetically. "What can I do?"

Leolin heard Draco sigh.

" Just kiss me."

"Of course," Gen said soothingly.

Leolin prepared to retract the ear, but the kiss was brief, so she continued listening instead.

"I love you, Draco," Gen continued. "Do you know that? I have loved you since the very first moment I met you. In my eyes, you're perfect."

"Maybe you need glasses, then," Draco said, laughing. "I'm about as a far from perfect as people get."

"That's not true," Gen purred, and Leolin could imagine her kissing his neck.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" he asked earnestly, and Leolin's heart ached dully, as if someone had squeezed it a little too hard. She screwed her eyes shut and laid her head on the door to dull the pain as she stroked the lock pendant Severina had given her.

"We were always meant to find each other," Gen told him. "That's why fate intervened all those years ago. You weren't meant to marry Leolin; you're meant to marry me."

"Let's not talk about her," Draco said in a husky voice. "That's a part of my past I'd prefer to forget."

"I know, darling," she said sympathetically. "I'm sorry. I just—"

"No," Draco said, giving a tight sigh. "Don't apologize. You—you make the pain worth it. If she hadn't run out on me, I wouldn't have found you."

"Is it hard seeing her after all this time?" Gen queried.

"She doesn't change us," Draco said heatedly, side-stepping the question entirely.

Gen didn't seem to notice.

"I was worried you mig—"

"I want you," Draco interrupted. "You and only you. From now until forever."

Leolin heart felt like it was being squeezed it a vice, and it made her breathless and nauseous.

"You love me that much?" Gen purred, kissing Draco. "Why don't you show me, then?"

Leolin listened in agony as they kissed with vigour.

"Get out of those sinful knickers and get on the bed," Draco breathed, and Leolin yanked the extendable ear away at once, standing up and immediately going to the other side of the room. Even without the ear, she could hear Gen's breathy sighs intensifying. It became unbearable when she could hear Draco breathing heavily and groaning as well.

Earlier Leolin had been so ebullient that she felt like she had wings. Now it was as if her legs and arms were filling with lead, and it was difficult to stand at all. She wished she hadn't heard any of that. She was breathless with anxious energy as she paced the room. She couldn't go tonight. She couldn't bear to dress up and smile and stomach whatever overbearing overtures Max Brankovitch was sure to make. She needed to make an excuse and stay home. However, before she could truly wallow in this sensation, the door that joined her room to Draco and Gen's swung open. So much for it always being locked.

"Hey, I—_Merlin_, Lefevre!" Draco chided, taking her in. She noticed the flush in his cheeks and she forced down a lump in her throat.

"Why aren't you dressed yet?"

"Oh," Leolin fumbled. "I—um—sorry. I was on the floo with a friend from Florence. I guess I lost track of time."

Her hand instinctually went to her throat, cradling the pleasant weight of the lock. He scrutinized her, tilting his head to the side as he studied it.

"That pendant that you wear," he said, gesturing to it with his eyes. "Who gave you that?"

"Oh," Leolin said, surprised. The conversation she'd just overheard had put her in such a tailspin, and she couldn't muster up the cunning to be anything other than her vulnerably real self. "A friend."

He considered this.

"Male or female?"

"Female."

Was that relief she saw sparkling in his eyes? She had such trouble reading him these days.

"Is it supposed to be symbolic?" he asked in a serious voice.

"What, the lock? No, not particularly."

He continued to study her.

"Why are you so interested?" She said, fingering the pendant nervously.

He didn't flinch.

"You know damn well why," he said , quietly eyes glittering. "Why did you leave the one I gave you behind?"

She sighed.

_Because your father ripped it off my throat._

"Because I knew it would be too painful to bring it with me."

He gave her another hard look before turning away. He groaned, driving his hands into his pompadour.

"Why are we even talking about this?" he demanded.

She shook her head, dragging her knees a little closer to her chest. She needed to buck up if she was going to gain any ground tonight.

"I'm not sure," she said evenly.

He shook his head.

"I was just sent in here to tell you that Genevieve and Ginevra are ready and waiting for you. The boys and I are going ahead to make sure we have a table. We'll meet you there."

She nodded her understanding.

"Sure, fine, see you in a bit then," she said, looking away from him.

It was too painful to meet his eye. He looked handsome as ever, and she could still hear his amorous groans as he'd driven into Gen earlier.

"Get up and get dressed," he said tightly, seemingly annoyed she was ignoring him.

"On it," she replied, not looking at him as she stood and turned towards her closet. She was dressed only in knickers again, and she could feel him drinking her in."See you there."

She closed the door, leaning on it heavily from the other side. He hadn't left yet, and it felt as if there were something else he wanted to say.

"Alright," he said tightly at last, giving the door a salutatory rap with his knuckles. "I hope you're ready to get fucked up."

Leolin waited until she was sure he was gone before stripping and stepping into a cocktail dress she'd bought in Italy. The fitted bodice was made black silk, and it yielded at the waist to a skirt made entirely of willowy black ostrich feathers. It might have sounded absurd, but Leolin knew it looked good. For one, the bodice clung to her large, shapely breasts, and the hem high mid-thigh, showing off her creamy legs. Still, it wasn't so provocative as to _invite _attention. That wasn't to say that she wouldn't receive it, she knew she would, but at least this dress didn't say "_come hither_".

"I'm ready," she called, hurrying down the stairs. "Let's go."

"Let's do a shot first," Gen said, holding up a bottle of tequila. "To start the mood off right."

Leolin knew what Gen was doing. Leolin would be more prone to bad behaviour if she was drunk.

"I didn't peg you as a tequila drinker," Leolin admitted to Gen, who smiled.

"I know I seem boring," she said, smoothing her painfully simply cocktail dress. It was once again cap-sleeved and sheer on top, the soft mesh yielding to a simple black bodice. It was, as always, knee-length. "But I can be fun too, I swear."

"Alright," Leolin said, unwilling to cower. "Let's do it."

"I'm in," Ginny said. "Lai, do yo—are those ostrich feathers? Are you wearing ostrich feathers tonight?"

"I am indeed," Leolin said proudly, smiling at both girls. "Shall we?"

They clinked glasses and tipped the golden liquid down their throats before each sucking a lime.

Leolin fought off a shudder; she hated tequila.

"Leolin," Gen said, smiling warmly. "You look _magnificent_ in that dress. Honestly, you're a vision."

"Thanks," Leolin said meekly, already steeling herself for whatever was coming next.

"I'll do my best to make Max behave," Gen said, giving a pretty laugh. "But I'm going to have a devil of a time."

It was clear she intended to do the exact opposite and sic Max on Leolin like he was an attack dog. Leolin fought bitterly not to roll her eyes or say something smart. She reminded herself that she needed to be above it all.

"Right," Ginny said, obviously growing impatient. "Let's go already."

Okay," Gen said, smiling and grabbing her clutch. "We ready?"

"I already hate this," Ginny muttered to Leolin before Gen wrapped an arm around both of them and apparated them away.

They arrived a second later in front of a swanky-looking club, and Gen only smiled at the bloke at the door before they sauntered in. The interior was decorated like a lavish circus, and everywhere they looked was gold silk and glittering tiles. It was as if the whole place had been dipped in gold.

"What do you think?" Gen asked sinfully, smirking as they received solicitations from almost everyone they passed.

"Let's go find the boys," Ginny simply in response, seemingly ill-at ease.

They spotted Blaise first, and he gave a rare smile.

"Ginevra Weasley," he said in appreciation as he hoisted her off her feet, making her laugh. "Why are you so gorgeous?"

She laughed again, her sour mood forgotten.

"Thank you, darling."

"I love you," he replied, kissing her.

She laughed a third time and playfully pushed him away.

"Merlin, Blaise, you're embarrassing me!"

"I don't care!" he said. "Kiss me again or I'll stand on the bar and make a scene."

"Enough already," Draco said, rolling his eyes as Gen came to his side. "Hello, darling."

"Hello," she cooed, kissing him as well before appraising him. "I love when you wear these," Gen said, indicating his glasses. "There are so hopelessly stylish on you. Don't you think so, Leolin?'

She turned her warm yet ultimately caddy gaze on Leolin.

"Hum?" Leolin said dumbly. She had admittedly stopped listening.

"Don't you think Drake looks gorgeous in his glasses?"

His eyes glittered from behind them as he took in Leolin's fitted dress and glossy hair.

"Umm," she fumbled, trying not to flush. Gen had a wicked nose for blood. "Uh, yeah, I guess?"

"Knock it off, Gen," Ginny said, giving her a stern look.

"Oh, I'm sorry Leolin!" Gen said in a sweet, penitent voice. "You know I wasn't trying to put you on the spot!"

Leolin gave Gen an extremely cool look to indicate she hadn't been fooled. She then gave a charming laugh.

"Enough chit-chat," she said, raising an eyebrow at Ginny and biting her lip in mock wantoness. "Let's get drunk."

"Here here!" Ginny cried, taking Leolin hand as they made their way to the bar.

"What the fuck is wrong with her?" Leolin growled. "I don't want to play a sodding game of tug of war!"

"That was weird," Ginny agreed. "Though now that it's just us, I think we both have to admit that Drake does look fucking fantastic in those frames."

Leolin rolled her eyes so she wasn't forced to either lie or agree.

"Just saying," Ginny said, shrugging.

"Well don't just say or I'll tell Blaise!"

"Tell him!" Ginny laughed, sticking out her tongue. "He's made peace with the fact I think Draco is very attractive."

"Why don't you go play tug of war with Gen then?" Leolin laughed.

Ginny wrinkled her nose.

"I'm not attracted to him!" Ginny said in mock disgust. "Bleh! But it's not like Blaise and I never talk about this sort of thing. He thinks you're beautiful; doesn't mean he wants to shag you."

"Thank _Merlin_," Leolin said dramatically as they approached the bar.

When the barmen turned around, Leolin's eyes glittered and the smile slipped off her face. She raised an imperious eyebrow.

"Jaime Quinn," she said evenly, eying in the bartender from The Emerald Crocodile. "You slick bastard."

"Well, well, well, " Jaime said, leaning over the bar and smirking sinfully at her. He didn't fail to eye her breasts hungrily even though she wore a high neckline.. "If it isn't my favourite little Slytherin princess."

His eyes flicked to Draco as he sauntered up, Gen tucked underneath his arm.

"And look, she's even brought her erstwhile prince!"

"How are you, Quinn?" Draco said tightly. "It's been an age."

Jaime smiled blithely, reaching over to shake Draco's hand. Draco had never much cared for Jaime, and Jaime bloody well knew it.

"Much better now that's you've brought Leolin Lefevre into my bar. Five years is a long time, Lefevre," Jaime pointed out. "Where's my proper greeting?"

Leolin, already over Jaime's attention, rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on, Lefevre!" He goaded, tapping his cheek.

"Merlin, Lai, just do it," Ieuan said. "I need a drink!"

She avoided Draco's gleaming gaze and leaned over the bar as Jaime turned his cheek to receive a kiss. However, he moved at the last minute, catching her off-guard and pressing a hot, open-mouth kiss her lips. She jerked away at once, wiping her lips against the back of her hand.

"Oh fuck you, Quinn," she snapped irritably.

Gen also came to her defense, and for once it seemed somewhat genuine.

"That wasn't very gentlemanly," Gen said reprovingly.

Jaime shrugged, undaunted.

"I saw an opportunity and I took it. Can't say I'm sorry about that."

"I bet you aren't," Blaise drawled, annoyed.

"Once a Slytherin, mate," Jaime said, shrugging again. "Now where were we? _Ah _yes, I was fixing this enchanting soul a drink."

He winked at Leolin and she responded by turning away, nonplussed.

"Gi—" she began, but he cut her off, already measuring liquor into a shaker.

"Gin martini, right?" he said, eyes glittering. "Good to know you haven't changed entirely, angelfish."

"You know me so well," she said, deadpan.

"I'd like to know you a whole lot better," Jaime purred.

"You know damn well that I'm not that type of girl, Jaime," she sneered.

He stopped for a second to lean forward and give a Cheshire grin.

"And yet I don't see Malfoy's ring on that finger anymore," he said a little more seriously, raising his eyebrows. "From where I'm standing, it's a whole new dawn."

Leolin knew this game well, and she simply sneered and said nothing. It was an old Slytherin trick: Jaime didn't necessarily want anything from Leolin nor did he have any particular reason to antagonize Draco; he was simply goading them in the hopes of stirring up trouble. No one loved trouble like a Slytherin. She turned away to signal she was bored of his tripe.

"Quinn," Ginny said, annoyed. "Has anyone ever told you that you're _i__nsufferable_?"

"Many times," he smiled, going back to making Leolin a drink. "But insults have always rolled right off my back."

"Probably because you're so fucking oily," Draco said in a dry voice.

"Rubber and glue, Malfoy," Jaime grinned.

"So," Jaime said, handing Leolin her martini. "What brings you lot to Charleston?"

"Can't imagine how that's any of your business," Blaise pointed out.

"But…?" Jaime prompted, clearly dissatisfied with that non-answer.

"We're on holiday," Ginny said, annoyed. "Is that alright with you?"

"Certainly!" Jaime said, grinning. "No need to get defensive, Ginevra my angel."

"I think the better question is why are _you _here," Ieuan pointed out.

Jaime shrugged.

"I like it here. It suits me. Now, what can I get the rest of you fine ladies and gentlemen?"

"How about those shots you used to make Pansy Parkinson," Blaise said, raising his eyebrows.

"Good choice, Zabini," Jaime said in response, setting out twelve shot glasses and retrieving several bottles of phosphorescent liquor.

"There's only six of us," Bird pointed out, and Gen too looked questioningly up at Draco. He winked devilishly in response.

"Hush now, little Bird," Jaime said, glancing up at him. "Or should I say, Big Bird. Merlin, you got tall."

"Oh my days," Ginny said, her voice a mix between a laugh and a groan. "Is this the fire and ice?"

Fire and Ice was a concoction Jaime had made up when he was tending at The Em. It had become so popular that many of the London bars had began to offer them as well.

"Ten points to Gryffindor," Jaime said delightedly. "I do hope none of you girls are pregnant," he laughed, preparing to set the first glasses alight.

It felt like everyone looked at Leolin for this.

"Why are you all looking at me?" she demanded. "I'm the only single one here."

Jaime wiggled his eyebrows mischievously.

"That's not much of an answer, is it, Malfoy?"

Draco gave Jaime an imperious frown, not even bothering to look at Leolin.

"He's got a point, Lefevre."

She huffed.

"Not that it's any of _you_ lot's bloody business, but no, obviously not."

Gen gave pretty smile, blushing as if the question had actually embarrassed her.

"I'm not," Gen affirmed, glancing shyly up at Draco. "Not yet, anyways."

He gave her a wink. Children were one of his weak spots and she obviously knew it.

"Ginny?" Leolin said pointedly,

Ginny laughed.

"Would I be drinking this poison if I was?"

"Alright, boys and girls," Jaime said, as their glasses caught alight. "Fire first, then the ice. It hits hard and fast, so buckle up."

They each grabbed a glass, tipping the liquid fire down their throats before dousing it with ice. Leolin felt the familiar dichotomy of hot and cold sliding down her throat, and she shuddered a little as it tingled in her fingers and toes.

"Ooooh shit!" Blaise said, laughing a little and shuddering as well. 'That brings back a lot of fond memories."

"Ugh," Ginny said, laughing too. "It reminds me of the night stupid Jaime made us do like six!"

Leolin avoided Draco's gaze. Ginny was talking about the night Leolin and Draco had gotten engaged.

Jaime gave a little bow.

"I was trying to foster true love," Jaime said, gesturing to Ginny and Blaise. "Looks like it worked. Well, half worked, I suppose."

He glanced at Draco and winked. Draco, for his part, looked ready to throttle him.

"Sorry mate," Jaime continued, a devious smile twinkling in his eyes. "I'm a wizard, not a miracle worker. Maybe they'll bring you better luck for your next wedding."

"For Slytherin's sake," Blaise groaned. "Knock it _off_ already, Quinn."

"My apologies ladies," he said to Leolin and Gen.

They both huffed.

"What in the actual hell is in these?" Ieuan asked.

Jaime laughed. "Better not to ask, Big Bird."

"My scalp is tingling!" Gen said in a breathy half-laugh. "Is that normal?"

"Totally," Draco said, smirking. "That's how you know it's working."

"Can I get you lot something else?" Jaime asked, clearing the glasses and already easing a vodka martini into Ginny's hand.

As shitty of a person as he was, he was an equally excellent bartender.

Leolin took a sip of her own martini. The fire and ice was starting to hit, and it made her feel bold. She ought to slow down; gin had the ability to turn boldness to recklessness rather quickly.

Finally, Jaime turned to Gen.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe I've had the pleasure. Jaime Quinn."

He extended a hand. She eyed it for a moment before slipping her hand into his.

"Genevieve Beauchene," she said somewhat tersely, probably for Draco's benefit.

"Genevieve," Jaime said in a wicked voice. "What a gorgeous name. What can I get you, Genevieve my dove?"

"A gin martini as well," Gen said.

"Both gin drinkers," Jaime said, raising his eyebrows at Draco. "Very interesting."

He slid Gen's drink to her, and she took a sip.

"It's good," she said, giving a small laugh. "Strong."

"I believe that's their charm. Ask Draco about what my gin martinis can do to a girl. You know better than most, don't you, Malfoy?"

Draco only smiled nastily at Jaime, looping an arm around Gen's waist. "I don't have to tell her," Draco said. "I'll just show her later."

"I'll drink to that," Jaime said, rising a glass to Leolin.

Now that she was tipsy, it was harder for her to not outwardly react. However, she knew Jaime would be waiting for that, and she simply touched her martini to his, making the crystal sing.

"Here's to gin-drinkers."

"Quite," he replied, still watching her intently.

"I'm already feeling it," Ginny admitted, a flush in her cheeks. "Let's go sit down!"

"Agreed," Gen said, looking lovingly at Draco. Leolin could tell she was feeling extremely smug right now. "Nice to meet you, James."

"Genevieve," Jaime purred. "The pleasure was all mine." He turned to Leolin. "Lefevre, good to know that some things just get better with age."

Leolin gave him her best Slytherin smile in response.

"Have a good night, Quinn," Draco said pointedly, jerking his head at Leolin as if to ensure she didn't stay and talk to Jaime.

"I don't need a babysitter, Malfoy," Leolin pointed out, glancing back at Jaime as if she were actually interested.

"I'm not babysitting," he amended. "I'm making sure that you don't embarrass yourself. Or worse, me."

The rest of the group was ten or so feet ahead of them now, and Leolin tried to ignore the gazes of the men she passed, all of whom were looking for an excuse to talk to her. One bloke was quicker than the rest, and he was sliding in front of her immediately, blocking her path.

"You have the most incredible brown eyes I've ever seen," he charmed.

"My eyes are blue," Leolin pointed out, though she still smiled at the bloke.

Three, two, one…

"Shove off, mate, she's not interested," Draco snapped, inserting himself between them.

"Who are you? Her boyfriend?"

"I'm her brother. Now shove off."

"You don't look like siblings."

Draco didn't miss a beat.

"She's adopted."

"I just wanted—"

"I will gauge out your eyes if I catch you looking at her again. Understood?"

The man shrugged irritably and turned away, and Leolin scowled at Draco.

"What did you do that for?" she snapped, despite the fact she had zero interest in pursuing a conversation with the bloke. "I can bloody well take care of myself!"

"I'm not going to listen to you fuck like a bunny all night," he said evenly.

"You and I both know I'm _not_ that type of girl," she sneered. "And I could to say the same to you."

"I don't know _what_ type of girl you are these days," Draco said. "And to be perfectly honest with you, I don't really care."

"Oh fuck off," she snapped.

They'd reached their friends now, and they split in different directions, sitting as far as possible from one another. Leolin ended up next to an empty seat, and she bit her lip in veiled annoyance. She had a sneaking suspicion Gen had orchestrated it like that.

"_What _was in that _drink_?" Gen demanded, laughing.

"Nobody really knows," Draco said, sinking on the low couch and pulling her into his lap. "I think that's sort of their charm."

"I can't decide if that's exciting or disturbing," she mused.

"We've been drinking them for years and no one's died yet," Blaise mused.

"Yet," Ieaun laughed.

"There is a reason I haven't had one of those in years," Leolin said, still shuddering a little.

"Yes," Draco said in a clipped tone. "It's because you hadn't been to London in half a decade."

"They don't have these in…" Gen began. "Where was it you went, Leolin? Geneva?"

Leolin could tell Gen was annoyed Draco brought up Leolin's absence, and she wanted to remind him that Leolin had ran off to Switzerland with another bloke.

"I was in Florence and Rome," Leolin said evenly, trying to be diplomatic. "And no, they didn't."

"Let's talk about something else," Ginny said, smiling. "This conversation is boring."

"What is it that you want to talk about then, my love?" Blaise asked, kissing her neck.

He was already buzzed, Leolin could tell.

"I don't know," Ginny laughed. "Let's talk about hippogryffs!"

"What about them?" Draco said, smirking.

"I don't know," Ginny said, laughing again. "They're weird!"

"Are sphinxes real?" Ieuan cut in. "I've always wondered that."

"Yeah, they are!" Leolin said. "Harry had to face one in the TriWizard Tournament!"

"What are they like?" Gen pressed, interested.

"Nothing you'd want to tangle with, I'm sure."

"Please," Draco said. "All they want to do is tell riddles. Not exactly the stuff of nightmares."

"Yeah," Ginny said. "Unless you get one wrong and they tear you to bits and eat you raw."

"That's easy, then," Draco said. "Just don't get any wrong."

"Fine, if you think you're so slick, answer a riddle right now," Blaise challenged.

Draco shrugged and adjusted his glasses self-importantly. He looked expectantly at Blaise.

"I don't have any!"

"I do," Ieuan said excitedly. "A leathery snake with a stinging bite. I stay coiled up. Unless I must fight."

"A whip," Draco said almost instantly. "Next."

"That was too easy, Birdie!" Ginny chided.

"You have a better one?" he said in challenge.

"As a matter of fact," she said, turning to Draco. "You hear it speak, for it has a hard tongue. But it cannot breathe, for it has not a lung."

He narrowed his eyes are her. She raised her eyebrows in return.

"It has a hard tongue," Draco said aloud to himself. "And it makes noise. What inanimate thing has a tongue besides shoes?" He considered then laughed. "A bell."

"Damnit!" Ginny said.

"That was admittedly a good one," he said.

"It still only took you about a minute," Gen pointed out.

"Well I'm just that good, darling," he said, tilting his head up so she could kiss him.

"Our children are going to be geniuses."

His smirk grew and Leolin had to fight not to sneer. He raised his eyebrows sinfully.

"I know."

"I have one," Leolin interrupted, unable to bear Gen and Draco any longer.

"Go on then," Draco said, eyes sliding from Gen to Leolin.

"Today I'll trip you up and I'll torture you tomorrow, yet I'm also there to ease the pain when you're lost in grief and sorrow."

Draco's eyes glittered as they danced across her lovely face. She was a match for his intellect and he knew it.

"You think you're pretty clever, don't you, Lefevre?"

There was no malice in his voice. In fact, those who knew him well enough would be able to detect the admiration. Leolin glanced at Gen. Clearly she didn't know him as well as she thought because she was smiling.

"About as clever as you think you are, I'd imagine," she shrugged. "So yeah, pretty fucking clever."

Ieuan laughed.

"You have no fucking clue, do you Drake?"

"He doesn't!" Ginny laughed. "He _totally_ doesn't!"

Leolin raised her eyebrows and smiled at the group before casually taking a sip of her drink. She had to admit that she was somewhat surprised he hadn't at least made a guess. The answer was in no way beyond his intellectual grasp.

However, when she looked at him she understood why, and she no longer felt like grinning. His face remained insouciant, but he couldn't quite keep the pain out of his eyes.

For Draco, that answer to the riddle could easily have been Leolin herself. Her return had tripped him up and would likely continue to torture him with every passing day. Still, she had always been the ultimate balm for his grief and sorrow, and Leolin knew he would never in a million years be able to forget just how good that solace felt. She certainly hadn't.

"Good thing Leolin isn't a sphinx, darling," Gen laughed raking her nails through his hair. "She would be tearing you to bits right now!"

She must have been a little tipsy, too. She wouldn't normally have teased Draco about his pride.

"At least give him a hint, Lai," Blaise said.

"Alright," Leolin said, taking another sip. "This is something Draco of all people should know about."

Draco's eyes hardened. Fuck, she hadn't thought about the way that was going to come out. It only made it worse, and she felt cruel. She hoped Draco didn't think she was doing it on purpose, though she was sure he probably did.

"That was actually two clues," Leolin said, smiling. "In fact, the answer is literally staring you lot in the face!"

"I have no clue," Ginny said before taking a swallow of vodka.

"It's alcohol," Leolin laughed. "Merlin, you lot are _already _tripped up!"

"Clever," Draco said, having regained some control. "Very, very clever."

His eyes were still drinking her in, and she thought he might have been remembering how she'd taken care of him when Cormac McLaggen had almost killed him. Clearly eager to stop reliving the past, Draco turned back to Gen.

"You know what else are kids are going to be?" he said, and Leolin knew he was only bringing it up again to hurt her.

"What?" Gen giggled.

"Gorgeous," he said sinfully.

"Gag," Ginny said. "Stop talking about children. It's freaking me out."

"We'll just talk about it when you're not around, then," Draco said, kissing Gen's neck.

"Watch your hands, Malfoy."

"_Ashley!"_

Gen jumped up, hugging her cousin while Ginny and Leolin frowned at her uncharacteristic shriek.

"How excited can she really be?" Ginny demanded. "I mean, she saw the guy less than eight hours ago!"

"Let's play a game tonight and see how many things Gen overdramatizes," Leolin said, clinking glasses with Ginny.

"Ooh! Yeah, that's fun!" Ginny said. "You have to drink every time she blows something out of proportion!"

"We are going to be _legless_," Leolin said, and they both laughed.

Leolin looked up at Gen's maternal cousin Ashley Benton, who Ginny had told her was from money as old as the South itself. Of course, that was nothing to people like Leolin, who could trace her Welsh lineage back to a Roman conqueror who first settled in Britannia 1000 years before the Age of Merlin. However, Leolin supposed by America Standards, Benton's "old" money made him a big deal.

For cousins, Gen and Ashley looked nothing alike, both though they were both willowy and blonde. However, his eyes were a chilly blue, and unlike Gen, he was clearly a natural blonde. He was wearing a light gray suit with loafers and no socks, and the shirt underneath is light pink.

" Is it wrong that I hate him already?" Leolin whispered to Ginny.

"Why does _everything_ they wear have to be in a pastel?" Ginny replied.

"This is my cousin Ashley," Gen announced, looking lovingly up at him. "Ashley, you know my Draco of course, and this is his best man Blaise and Blaise's fiancée Ginevra That's Leolin beside her, and—"

She turned to Bird.

"—Ieuan," he finished for her. "It's Welsh for John."

Gen laughed.

"You never told me that! I could have just been calling you John this whole time!"

Leolin and Ieuan, who were both Welsh, shared an annoyed look.

"You could just call me Bird," Ieuan pointed out.

"Whatever for?" Gen said.

Again, he looked at her expectantly.

"It's my last name?"

Gen laughed again.

"Oh," Gen said dolefully, as if she'd accidentally kicked Ieuan's dog. "I didn't know that."

She looked with Draco with pleading eyes for support.

"I don't know I ever mentioned it," he supplied easily, taking a sip of his drink.

Leolin rolled her eyes internally. That was a bullshite cop-out. There was no way Draco hadn't told Gen; he barely ever called Ieuan anything else. In fact, they'd been calling him Bird all night.

"My," Gen said. "I'm sorry, I must be drunk already."

"Charmed, y'all," Ashley said in an accent just like Gen's.

"Ashley,darling, come sit down," Gen urged. "Where's Brank?"

Just then a brawny, dark-haired man appeared, clapping Ashley on the back and grinning at Gen.

"_Maximus_!" Gen squealed.

"Drink," Leolin and Ginny muttered in unison, each taking a huge swallow of their martinis.

"Hey sweethahrt," Max Brankovitch said, folding Gen under his arm. "Long time, no see!"

Max was clearly not from the South, though Leolin had no idea where he was from instead. He had a somewhat heavy regional accent, and his "a" sound came out as harsh "ahs"

He was as tall as Ieuan, probably approaching six foot five, though he was a great deal more muscular. His outfit was cartoonishly American in Leolin's opinion, though he wore it with such an air of confidence that it actually looked quite good. He was wearing a basic chambray button-up with a jean jacket over it and a blazer over that. His thick dark hair was pushed away from his face, and he had deep blue eyes not too different from Leolin's. Now _he _could pass for her brother.

"Max," Gen cooed. "I assume you know the boys already?"

"Of course. How are you, gentleman?" He said to Draco and Blaise, nodding and smiling. "Hey Birdie."

He ruffled Ieuan's hair, who sitting closest to him.

"This is Ginevra," she said, gesturing to Ginny.

"I know Weasley," Max said, smiling. "How are you?"

She smiled.

"Fine, thanks."

His eyes flicked to Leolin, and she could tell by the way he was sizing her up that he thought she was going to be easy prey. This annoyed her endlessly. She took a sip of her martini to signal that his appearance meant less than nothing to her.

"Unfortunately," he said, eying her with appreciation before smiling broadly. "The only person I don't know here is you, sweethaht. Who ahre you?"

Leolin gave him a small but decidedly unenthusiastic smile.

"Leolin," she said.

"Leolin?" he repeated, his eyes flicking from her to Gen to Draco and back. "As in, 'Draco's' Leolin'?"

She hazarded a look at Gen, who wore a blithe yet threatening smile.

"Don't be silly, Max," Gen protested, winking at Leolin. "That's ancient history and you know it."

"Glad to here it," Max admitted bluntly, and Gen gave an overly-exuberant laugh, at which point Leolin and Ginny simply clinked glasses and took a drink without even looking at each other. "In that case," he said, sinking into the coincidentally empty seat next to her. "I have to know everything about you."

She placed her empty glass on the low table in from of her in an effort to escape his surrounding embrace.

"Not much to know, I'm afraid," she said blandly.

"Oh," Max said, giving her a wildly blatant up-down before biting his lip. "I don't believe that for a second."

"Gen," Ashley said, sitting as well. "Beau's also coming later. Keep an eye out for him, will you?"

Gen looked mildly alarmed. "You invited Beau," she snapped. "Why?"

Interesting, Leolin mused. Who was Beau? An ex-boyfriend, perhaps?

Ashley only laughed in response.

"He asked us what we were doing. Was I supposed to lie to the poor man?"

"Taylor's coming?" Brankovitch said, forgetting Leolin for the first time. "Good, I've been meeting to talk to him."

"He's a busy man these days," Ashley said cryptically.

"Don't I know it," Max replied.

"I though he was down in Atlanta," Gen said.

"He got back this morning. Was I wrong to invite him?" Ashley pressed Gen.

Gen's eyes flicked casually to Blaise before she looked back at Ashley and smiled.

"Of course not," she said genially. "The more the merrier. "So, Maximus," she said, seemingly eager to change the subject. "When did you get to town? It's been an _age_ since I've seen you."

"You should come to Bahston more often then, Genny."

She gave a laugh.

"You know I don't like Boston," she said, leaning into Draco again. "I don't do well up North. Those Yankee girls can be so harsh."

"You're all Yanks to us," Ginny said dismissively, and Gen smiled to hide her obvious annoyance.

"Not in this part of the country," Gen kindly explained as if Ginny was stupid. "This is the Old Confederacy."

"In that case, long live the past," Ginny said in veiled irritation.

Leolin didn't know enough about American history to know what the Confederacy was or what it stood for, but something about what Gen had said was seriously agitating Ginny.

"I assume you're in town for the tournament?" Ginny asked.

"What tournament?" Leolin asked, and Max smiled.

"It's a three-day quidditch tournament between six teams of the best British players, amateur and professional, and six American ones," Max explained, eager to have her attention. "I think it's _technically_ about charity, but we all know what it's really about."

"Of course," Ieuan said in a falsely self-important tone. "It's about proving that lanky Welshmen make the best seekers."

"Is that so?" Max said, smiling. "How's Portree treating you, Birdie?"

"It's a rebuilding year," Ieuan replied.

"You have some of the best players in the world," Max said. "You should have been better last season."

Max turned back to Leolin.

"I'm surprised you didn't know about the tournament. The four of us are all playing in it."

He meant the boys.

"Tons of other professional and amateur players, too."

"I find it profoundly annoying that out of the two of us," Ginny said, gesturing to her and Blaise. "I am the only one that has played professional quidditch, and yet he gets to play in my place because I don't have a nob!"

"Well this is South Carolina," Gen said to Leolin. "So of the tournament is Boys_' _Club, but it's tons of fun," she assured her. "Ladies wear big hats and everyone dresses in black and white. It's like a three-day garden party. You'll love it."

"You're going, aren't you, Leolin?" Max asked too eagerly. "I bet you look sinful in white."

Leolin could imagine Draco clenching his jaw even though he was behind her. That had always been his contention about Leolin in white as well.

"It would be awfully ironic if I did," she pointed out, and Max laughed.

"I love irony," he said, his powerful quad touching hers. She shifted her legs again to indicate she didn't appreciate him invading her personal space.

"But maybe I won't go on moral grounds," Leolin said, knowing that would annoy Gen. "Ginny's right; it's not fair she shouldn't be allowed to play just because she's a woman. She's an amazing chaser!"

"Speaking of which," Max said. "I meant to tell you Weasley, you were fantastic against Ireland in the World Cup last year. You really gave them a run for their money."

"If only if weren't for Kelly Troy!" she said, laughing. "We would have had them."

Max shrugged, smiling. "Kelly's one of the best players to ever fly," he said. "There's no shame in losing to him. Speaking of, have you boys seen him yet? I'm sure he's down here already."

"He got here yesterday," Ieuan said. "I flooed him earlier and told him and Cara to come out for a drink. I doubt he will, though. He's not really much for America."

"Should have told him Lefevre was with us," Blaise said, his drinking loosening his tongue. "Then he _definitely _would have come."

"What makes you say that?"

Max looked at Blaise keenly, and Blaise bubbled his lips.

"He fell madly in love with her one summer," Ginny said, drunk as well. "And he was still in love with her three years later."

"He was _not_ in love with me," Leolin amended hastily. "And that was eight years ago."

Nothing set Draco off faster than Kelly Troy, and she didn't want to go down that road. From the sound of it, Kelly was married now, and she wanted to be happy from him at a safe distance. Kelly had, like Draco, always occupied a special place in her heart, and in another world, she was his.

"Oh my _Merlin_! Yes he was!" Blaise said. "He used to give you these _ridiculous_ googly eyes. Honestly, it was enough to make you sick."

"You only saw us together once the whole summer we dated," Leolin snapped. "And that was the night I practically ruined Kelly's life because I'm horrid and he's amazing. I never deserved him, and I don't want to talk about it."

"Ooh, there a story there," Max said, eyebrows raised.

"Yes," Draco sneered. "And it's also none of your goddamn business."

"Relax, Malfoy," Max laughed. "I was fucking kidding."

"No, I think I have to agree with Z here," Ieuan said, changing the subject. "Kelly still asks about you sometimes, Lai, and he seemed happy to hear you were back."

"I thought he was married!" Ginny said, and Ieuan shrugged.

"Listen, darling, just because there's a keeper—"

"No!" Leolin said hurriedly. "The Kelly chapter of my life was lovely, but it's also finished. I'm only writing new chapters now."

She glanced at Max then looked away when his smile widened. Ugh, why were men so damn easy to manipulate?

Draco had been ostensibly silent during this conversation, though he took the opportunity to change the subject when it arose.

"Should we do another shot?" he said kissing Gen's neck, and nudging her off his lap.

"Absolutely," Max said, and Draco conjured eight shot glasses and filled them with the vodka that had been chilling on the table.

"What should we drink to?" Ashley said.

"Let's drink to new chapters," Max said pointedly, and Leolin flushed.

"I say we keep it simple," Blaise replied. "to getting fucked up."

"Here, here!" Ginny said, and they all threw their heads back before slamming the glasses down.

Just then, one of the floos lying on the table began to emitting a violet smoke, signaling there was an incoming call. Not knowing whose it was, Leolin simply picked it up and answered it.

"What the fuck, Lefevre?" Draco said without malice. He'd obviously relaxed considerably with the booze. "That's mine."

"Shh! I'm on the floo!" she said a little drunkenly, making Ginny laugh. "Hello?"

Leolin listened for a moment before smiling broadly.

"Ah! Comment allez-vous? It's good to hear your voice, too."

"Who is it?" Draco hissed, as they all fought not to laugh.

Leolin covered the flame so she could loudly whisper, "It's your mum."

"Give me the floo, woman!"

Leolin batted his hand away.

"Non," she said, speaking to Narcissa again. "Il est là. voulez-vous lui parler? Draco," she said finally, making Ginny and Blaise laugh outright. "She's asking for you."

Draco rolled his eyes, snatching the floo away and smiling in spite of himself as he stood.

"I'll be right back," he whispered to Gen, kissing her before straightening. "Oui, maman? qu'est-ce que vous avez besoin?"

Gen turned her eyes to Leolin, smiling politely.

"You have to teach me to do that," Gen said. "Clearly she loves you."

"I assure you she doesn't," Leolin said mildly.

"I'm going to get another bottle," Blaise said, standing as well. "I will be right back."

He disappeared into the throng, and no sooner had he left than Ashley was standing and waving someone over.

A lithe man in tight jeans and cowboy boots appeared, and Gen grudgingly rose to greet him when he arrived, her eyes flitting nervously to Ginny before she gave the newcomer a sparkling smile. This must be Beau, Leolin surmised.

"Hello angel," he said, hugging her. "You look beautiful as ever. Where's the fiancée?"

"Beau, as always, you're too much" she said diplomatically, carefully peeling his arms away from her sides. _Definitely _an ex-boyfriend. "And he's on the floo. Don't worry, he'll be right back. "

"Brank," Beau grinned, clapping his friend on the back as they embraced. "Long time, no see. How's the North, General?"

Beau had an even heavier accent that Gen, and all his "oh" sounds came out as "ah".

It was oddly similar to the way Max sounded, though Beau spoke much slower, making his vowels languid where Max's were staccato.

"Good to see you, Beau!" Max said, smiling and shaking the newcomer's hand. "I've been meaning to floo you."

Beau nodded, and they shared a solemn gaze.

"Of course, General. We'll talk later."

_What was that about? _ Leolin wondered. It seems a trifle more serious than a mere social call.

"Beau," Gen said, clearly aware of what Beau and Max were talking about but not wanting to draw attention to it. "These are my friends Leolin and Ginevra," she finished.

Beau's eyes swept over Leolin in boredom before settling on Ginny. They glittered as they drank her in, and he immediately sank into the spot Blaise had been occupying.

"Lovely to meet you Ginevra," he said intently, extending a hand and silently requesting permission to kiss hers.

He ignored Leolin outright.

Despite the fact that he was sitting to her right, Ginny extended her left to him instead, her resplendent canary diamond flashing almost as brightly as her eyes.

"Charmed," she said flippantly, but he wasn't to be deterred.

His brush a soft kiss on her knuckles right next to her ring, and she softly jerked her hand away, her patience waning.

"So," he said. "Ginevra. Where is _your_ fiancée? If I had a girl as pretty as you, I'd never leave her side."

"He just stepped out," Ginny said in a curt tone. "He'll be back in a minute."

"Leave her alone," Gen said sweetly, touching Beau's arm in an effort to divert his unwanted attention. "She's not interested."

"That's a damn shame," Beau said candidly, smiling at Ginny as if they were old friends sharing a joke.

Just then, Blaise reappeared, holding the bottle and frowning a little. Gen seemed to tense, and Beau drew out three American galleons and extended them to Blaise.

"Thanks, boy."

Blaise frowned.

"Why are you offering me that?"

Beau shrugged and pocketed the money before smiling at Ginny again and looking up at Blaise.

"You can just put that down and run along now."

"Excuse me?"

Blaise looked at Ginny, who was scowling at Beau as she came to stand next to Blaise, accepting the bottle from him and kissing him softly on the mouth. However, he was distracted by Beau, who was now scrutinizing the couple with a smirk on his face.

"So _you're_ Ginevra's fiancée?" He said, his smile condescending. "Fascinating."

"Does that surprise you?" Blaise demanded coolly as his grip on Ginny tightened.

"Well, yes, I suppose it does," Beau said, still smiling. "Forgive me for saying so, but you two make an…_odd_ couple."

"Not forgiven," Leolin spat, glaring at Gen.

So this was why she hadn't wanted Beau to come. Draco wouldn't be pleased.

"I don't see why," Blaise countered, growing agitated.

Beau gave a soft laugh, standing as well.

"C'mon boy," Beau said. "You and I _both_ know why."

"Don't you dare call me that," Blaise snapped. "And are you really going to stand here and imply I shouldn't be with her because colour of my skin?"

Blaise's jade eyes glittered hatefully, though no more so than Beau's, whose Southern charm had begun to fade into something a little more sinister.

"I mean no disrespect, of course, but in _this_ corner of the world, that's not how we do things."

"I wouldn't know," Blaise spat. "I come from a corner that's _much_ older and more powerful."

"Gentleman please," Ashley said in a mild voice. "Let's not spoil things by fighting."

"Stay out of this," Blaise snapped dangerously before pointing an accusatory finger at Beau. "I would have happily killed you for the way you were looking at Ginny," he sneered, drawing his wand. "But now I'm going to peel the skin from your flesh and barbecue you at a low heat."

"I'd love to see you try, you nig—"

"What the fuck is going on here?"

Draco had just appeared, instinctually grabbing a lunging Blaise and hauling him roughly back as Ashley and Max moved to separate the two. Beau was strong, but Max was stronger, and the muscles in Beau's arms flexed as Max held him back.

Blaise struggled as Draco restrained him.

"What the Hell happened?" Draco demanded, grabbing Blaise by the collar.

"Get the fuck off me!" Blaise sneered, shoving Draco back several steps. "Ask your damn fiancée and her racist little friend."

"Blaise!" Ginny cried, rushing to his side and grabbing his wrist.

"Let go," he said in a soft voice, slipping out of her grip.

"Darling—" she began, but as soon as he was free of her touch he disappeared with a loud crack.

Ginny turned back to the rest of the group, tears of anger in her eyes.

"Fuck you," she snapped at Beau. "And thanks a lot." That was to Gen.

She headed towards the door, and immediately Leolin was on her feet to follow. Max grabbed her wrist before she could get to far.

"Wait! Will I see you again?"

"Not now!" she seethed, annoyed as she wrenched her wrist away.

She followed Ginny out onto the sprawling patio, where Ginny sat near the pool, smoking a cigarette and crying a little.

Leolin sat down next to her, taking a cigarette as well and igniting it with her floo. Ironically, it could still function as a lighter.

"Want to talk about it?" She asked after a drag, blowing the smoke skyward.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said, wiping her eyes. "I have no right to cry about this."

Leolin considered her sympathetically, touching her back.

"Is this why you didn't want to come to South Carolina?" Leolin asked, and Ginny nodded.

"I know that it's a gross generalization that all American Southerners are racist, and I know Blaise can take care of himself, but I—I can't stand the fact that someone would treat him that way over something so trivial! And it kills me that someday my children might have to go through something like that."

"I'm sorry," Leolin said soothingly. "That was hideous of him."

"No wonder Gen didn't want him to come," Ginny said, wiping at more tears. "She didn't want Draco to find out that Ashley's friends are racist."

She began to cry a little harder, and Leolin rubbed her back.

"I'm sorry," Ginny sobbed. "I'm being so selfish right now!"

"No, you aren't," Leolin assured her. "Go ahead and cry."

Ginny tipped her head onto the soft pillow of Ostrich feathers that made up Leolin's skirt, crying for several minutes. Finally, Draco appeared at the far end of the sprawling deck, his eyes finding them at once.

"Tell him to go away," Ginny said savagely. "He's the last fucking person I want to see right now."

Leolin eased Ginny's head down and stood, her tall heels clicking against the concrete as she met Draco in the middle.

"Let me talk to her," he demanded at once, and Leolin shook her head.

"She doesn't want to see you right now. Just give her a minute."

"Sod that," he said, skirting around him, but she grabbed his wrist.

It was the first time she'd touched him since the party at the Manor, and despite everything that was going on it still made her heart quicken.

"Drake," she said seriously. "I mean it. Leave her be. She'll talk to you when she's ready."

Draco seemed affected by Leolin's touch as well, and she could feel his heart rate elevating as her fingers held his pulse-point. Neither moved for a second.

"See you at home, then," he said, gingerly easing his wrist from her grasp. His fingers curled against hers for a millisecond before he let go, and her heart thundered in her chest"

"I—" she said, looking up at him. He gaze was keen as he waited for her to say something. "Yeah—," she said at last, turning back to look at Ginny. She was drunk. Best she didn't say something she would regret tomorrow. "See you there."

He nodded, turning on his heel and disappearing. Leolin and Ginny sat for a long in silence, both simply happy to be in the other's company. Finally, Leolin wrapped an arm around Ginny's shoulders.

"Should we go home?" Leolin said, smoothing some of Ginny's fire-kissed hair back and kissing her temple.

"Yeah," Ginny said miserably as she wiped her eyes again.

They stood.

"Ginevra."

Gin whipped around to see Blaise standing at the far side of the pool. She ran to him at once, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him fiercely. When she let go, he grabbed her cheeks, kissing her softly on the lips.

"I love you," he whispered, and she nodded. "Can we go somewhere and talk?" he murmured, pushing her curls back so he could kiss her again.

She nodded again, looking back to Leolin to ensure it was alright.

"It's fine," Leolin said, picking up Ginny's shoes and purse. "'I'll see you both at home."

With that, she disappeared, reappearing several seconds later in the living room of the beach house. The doors to the pool were open, letting in the crescendo of what Leolin surmised to be a rather nasty fight between Draco and Gen. They were both screaming at each other, and Gen continually stamped her foot like a small child.

"I told you already," Gen cried in frustration. "I had no _idea_ Beau was coming until we were _already_ there!"

"No!" Draco sneered. "That's not fucking good enough! You shouldn't even be friends with him, Genevieve. He's fucking hideous."

"He's not," Gen defended in her musical voice. He's just—he grew up in a different world. But I've known him all my life. I can't just cut him out because some of his views make you a little uncomfortable."

"Goddamnit, Genevieve, do _not _push me on this. I said get rid of him, so get rid of him, or I will."

"This is the South," she said solidly. "Not everyone is going to be as obliging about these sorts of things."

"Obliging?" Draco repeated incredulously. "This is a question basic human decency. It's the goddamn twenty-first century. Besides, Blaise is my best friend. I'm not going to stand by and let some snot you used to fuck disrespect him!"

"I think you're judging Beau too harshly," Gen defended. "He has good qualities, too. I know he's not perfect, but he's a good person deep down. I've known him since I was a child."

"Are you making excuses for him on the basis of his poor upbringing?" He said nastily. "Huh? BZZT! Try again, that answer _doesn't _work for me."

"He wasn't raised poorly," she snapped, her sweet charm beginning to fade. "His mother and father are lovely."

"No one is born with prejudices. It's a learned behaviour."

"I don't think Beau was trying to be racist. He was just jealous about—"

Draco was on her now, and he had her by the arm instantly, dragging her up so they were nose to nose.

"How _dare _you defend him against Blaise," Draco hissed. "I can barely stand to look at you right now."

She wrenched free of his grasp.

"I will tell him not to do it again," Gen said sullenly.

"No," Draco said. "I told you. I don't want you to see him. He insulted Blaise, and I _know _you were still sleeping with him when we first started dating.

"What I did before you is none of your concern!" She snapped.

He had her by the arm again.

"The hell it isn't. You're going to be my _wife_. Everything you've done concerns me."

She gave him a pretty little pout.

"Why should I give up friends when your slutty little past is sleeping in the next room?" Gen sniped savagely.

Draco relinquished his grip, shaking his head in disgust.

"You _begged _me to get Ginny here. Leolin was part of the compromise. Get over it."

"You didn't have to bring her along! You did it because you still can't get enough of her. Admit it."

"I'm not going to admit to something that isn't true," Draco pointed out. "And you're dead wrong about Leolin; I don't give a damn about her. In fact, I hate her. You of all people should know that."

This stung so badly that Leolin's knees felt weak and her mouth watered. She worried for a moment she might get physically ill.

"I'm sick of having to relive y'all's past," Gen cried. "That's all we've done since she showed back up."

"What you do want me to say?" Draco cried. "If I could change the past and erase Leolin from our lives, I would. But I can't, so stop being so paranoid and learn to accept her!"

"I shouldn't have to!" Gen said, in tears now. "Send her away!"

Draco growled in frustration.

"I can't do that!"

"Why not?" Gen begged. "How is this any different than me and Beau?"

"It is and you know it," Draco said fiercely. "If I ran Leolin off, Ginny and Ariadne would never forgive me. They're _family _to me, Genevieve! Can you said the same about that sodding twat Taylor?"

Gen stomped a heeled foot. "I'm not going to stop talking to Beau!" Gen cried petulantly. "Not until you get rid of Leolin once and for all."

"Genevieve, _goddamnit_—" Draco seethed, but she cut him off.

"And I'm spending the night at Ashley's."

"Don't you dare leave," Draco grit out quietly. "I am_ warning _you."

"Why don't you go cry to your precious _Leolin _about it!"

"Genevieve—!"

_crack!_

She was gone.

"Goddamnit!" Draco screamed in frustration. He picked up a bottle of vodka and levitated it into the air. When he released the charm and it began to plummet, he obliterated it mid-air, showering powdered glass into the pool.

Leolin, who had absolutely zero desire to interact with Draco when he acted like this, moved to sneak upstairs. However, Draco sensed her presence and whipped around, his diamond eyes finding her form even in the semi-darkness.

"Don't just sneak off," he sneered. "How much of that did you hear?"

"Only the very end."

He said nothing and she thought she was off the hook, but his booming voice echoed back and ensnared her.

"Tonight is your fault, you know."

She stepped out onto the patio, crossing her arms.

"And how do you figure?" she snapped, hurt.

She could still feel the tingle of his fingers against hers.

"Gen only brought Beau to punish me for having you there."

"She didn't even know he was coming. I was there when Ashley told her. Besides, I didn't ask to come here. In fact, I would have been more than happy to stay home with my family. _You _are the one that dragged me into this, so excuse me if, _for once_, I bow out of playing the villainess!"

"Why?" he sneered caustically. "It was a role you were born to play."

She shook her head sadly.

"You and Gen just want it both ways, don't you?" she snapped, her hurt and anger boiling over. "You want to rub things in my face when they're good and blame me when they're not. I'm sick of it. Tonight had _nothing_ to do with me, and deep down you know that."

"Everything has to do with you! That's the problem! We can't go two second without seeing Jaime Quinn slaver all over you or hearing about how much Kelly Troy loved you!"

"That's not my fault!" Leolin cried. "I had _no idea_ we were going to see Jaime tonight, and I didn't ask him to air any of our history to Gen! As for Kelly, I wish for his sake he'd never met me, because thanks to you, I _ripped _his heart out!"

"That was all my fault, was it?" Draco sneered.

Leolin felt a fury towards Draco bubbling up that she hadn't experienced in a long time.

"You know it was," she sneered. "You orchestrated that whole encounter at the gala with the sole purpose of getting me to cheat on Kelly. You abused my feelings for you just so you could hurt me. You're lucky I even _wanted_ to marry you after that!"

"Well, you obviously didn't want to marry me that much, or you wouldn't have run off with some bloke to Geneva!"

"That's _not_ what happened!" She roared. "Not at all! And you can't keep holding this over me! It's not fair!"

"You ruined me," he seethed. "You don't get to be bitter now that I've moved on."

"You ruined me first," she spit back. "When you treated me like a _whore_ out a jealousy and pride. I still forgave you."

"That was different," he growled, though she could see in his eyes he knew it wasn't.

She'd touched a nerve. She knew that he was wracked with guilt for what he'd done to her, and rightly so.

She shook her head again in disgust.

"I'm leaving. I hope you and Genevieve can find something to fight about in my absence."

"The Hell you are!" he snapped. "Get back here!"

"What for?" she said bitterly. "So you can punish me again? No, thank you. I'm done being tortured by you. Have a great fucking life."

"What?" He goaded, a cruel smile in his voice. "So you're just going to leave Ginny here all alone?"

Damnit. She'd forgotten about Ginny. She couldn't leave her; not after what happened tonight.

"Checkmate," he said grimly. "You're staying."

She turned back, coming toe-to-toe and glaring up at him, her expression equal parts anguish and fury. His eyes flashed dangerously as they drank her in, and his gaze once again dropped to her lips for a second before moving back to meet hers. It made her stomach clench to know sex was the only thing he still wanted from her.

"I really hate you sometimes," she admitted. "I hope you know that."

With that she turned to the stairs, leaving a seething Draco standing on the patio alone.

* * *

**TRANSLATIONS**

Doña Borgia se quisiera saber la razón por su visita-Mrs Borgia would like to know the reason for your visit.

Ah—por favor, dile que Leolin Lefevre le gustaría verla—Please tell Leolin Lefevre would like to see her."

Por favor, ven conmigo—Please come with me.

Lo siento, no estoy segura que—Sorry, I'm not sure what

Qué sorpresa! Ven aquí y siéntate—What a surprise! Come here and sit.


	8. Chapter 7: Monsieur du Bones

**a/n:** I love y'all's predictions; it 's fascinating hearing what you think is going to happen! I hope the reality lives up to expectations. Also, some of my most brilliant ideas (yeah, I'm modest) are based on y'all's comments about what you'd like to see happen. Speaking of which, how are we feeling about the flashbacks? I am kind of loving them….showing is SO much easier than telling. Obviously the support is my HEROIN, please keep it coming and I will keep churning out chapters! Also, **rrikerR5**, you asked if my characters are based on me in any way. I honestly think I am more Ginny than Leolin, though Gen can be me at my worst. I also identify a lot with Pansy. I really struggle to write characters like Amelie, because I'm not nice…If it wasn't obvious, Leolin's love and knowledge of art history stems from my own. Also, Radames is pronounced Rod-dam-mays. Just FYI.

**Chapter Seven: The Ole Monsieur du Bones…**

_Draco was lying on his back, a naked girl on either side of him. They were both kissing his neck and touching his chest, but he was so high he hardly noticed, nor did he really care. When you have as much sex as Draco had in the last six weeks, it starts to lose it's lustre. Besides, Draco had taken a new street drug tonight called zehir, which was Turkish for poison. The man who'd sold it to him had promised it would blow Draco's mind, and it hadn't disappointed. It was a synesthetic drug, and it addled the brain and fused the senses._

_He could taste the swirling laughter of his bedfellows, and he couldn't say why, but he felt like he was hearing the colour purple. Everything was going in and out of focus, but Draco had never felt so good. Of course, the highest highs always had the lowest lows, and tomorrow he likely wouldn't be able to get out of bed for the pain he was feeling._

_In the six weeks since the picture of Leolin had ran in the Prophet, he'd been in London only a handful of times, and despite Blaise's insistence that he come back and face his reality, he had yet to do so. He'd started with the alcohol, but when that wasn't enough, he'd quickly escalated to drugs. Blaise had already bailed him out of jail twice, once in Istanbul and once in Barcelona, but Draco didn't care. As long as the pain of losing Leolin persisted, he would persist in chasing his next high._

"_Draco," one of the girls beside him moaned. "Are you alright?"_

_He continued to breathe heavily, dizzied as he watched __her airy voice vibrate through the air like a butterfly. Fuck, this stuff was strong._

"_Draco," she repeated, her voice less breathy and more concerned. In fact, that wasn't her voice at all. He knew that voice. "Draco? Can you hear me?"_

_He labouriously rolled his head to the side to look at the blonde, and his heart hammered in his chest as he stared into Leolin's eyes instead. It was not the first time she'd appeared while he'd been hallucinating, but it was no less unnerving._

"_Cal," he croaked._

"_Draco," she said softly, running a hand through his hair. "Why are you doing this to yourself?"_

_Her voice tasted like rose petals in his mouth. He was hearing purple again._

"_Because," he said. "You left me."_

_She tossed her head slowly back and forth._

"_I still love you. Don't do this to yourself. You're destroying your body."_

"_I don't care."_

_Leolin brushed her lips to his._

"_I care. Don't do this. This isn't you."_

"_It is," he grit out. "This is me without you."_

"_Draco," she replied, and his eyes slipped closed. "Draco."_

"_Draco." _

"_Draco!"_

_He opened his eyes again to find the blonde was back; Leolin was gone._

"_Darling, someone's here for you," she said, biting his ear._

_The room was spinning. Where was the other girl? He looked around. There wasn't a second girl. There never had been. He'd been seeing double of the naked bint plastered to his chest right now._

"_Draco," a new voice said, and it tasted like iron shavings._

_Draco struggled to sit up, his head spinning. The sheets below his fingers seemed to actually be singing. It was freaking him out._

"_Draco," the shaved steel voice said again, and he found its source standing at the foot of the bed._

_It was Blaise, but Draco couldn't decide if he was moving or standing still. He felt like he was going to throw up._

"_Draco," Blaise repeated, his voice spinning from his mouth like a top. Draco watched the top spin and spin and spin as the gyrations grew larger. "Draco! Can you hear me! Do you know who I am?"_

"_Blaise," Draco slurred. "Stop moving."_

"_I'm not," Blaise said. _

_Draco pitched up into a standing position before leaning over the bed and vomiting. He looked down. It was mostly blood._

"_Drake," Blaise said sternly. "I have to get you home. You're not well."_

"_Where am I?" Draco asked. Now he was hearing black instead of red._

"_In Riga," Blaise said._

"_How did I get here?" _

"_I honestly don't know. But everyone is worried sick about you. I have to get you back."_

_Draco felt as if there were invisible hands on him, pushing him back onto the mattress. There was a pinwheel on the ceiling._

"_Come on," Blaise said, attempting to haul Draco up._

"_No," Draco said, not sure which Blaise he was talking to: the one tugging on his left arm or the one tugging on his right. "I'm not going back."_

"_Everyone's worried," Blaise said. "I'm worried. Drake, you're scaring the shit out of me. How many drugs have you taken today?"_

"_I'm not going back," Draco said more vehemently. This was to Leolin, who stood in the corner again, shaking her head._

"_You don't have a choice," Blaise said. "We're going back."_

_Draco jerked his arm roughly, his elbow catching Blaise in the nose, and the latter cried out in pain._

"_I'm not going back," Draco said, drawing his wand. The high was wearing off, but he could still taste the wood of his sleek Italian wand. It was potent and bitter. "I'm never going back."_

"_Drake," Blaise said, wiping blood from his nose. "Please. I'm begging you. If you keep on this way, you'll die."_

"_Good," Draco said, his eyes rolling back in his head for a second as his head grew heavy._

"_This is mad!" Blaise said, reaching for Draco again._

_However, Draco had gained some lucidity, and he hurled a stinging jinx at Blaise, which hit him right in the face._

"_Get out," he said. He could smell the jinx. It smelled putrid and sharp._

"_Drake, I'm trying to help you!"_

_Draco threw another curse at Blaise but missed._

"_I don't want your help."_

_Blaise, was still cradling the left half of his face, which was swollen from Draco's jinx._

"_This is the last time I come after you," Blaise warned. "If I leave now, I'm not coming back for any reason."_

_Draco saw a pill lying on the bedside table and he picked it up, washing it down with vodka._

"_Fine—go."_

_Blaise considered before trying to help Draco as he collapsed backwards, too exhausted to keep his head up. However, as Blaise got closer, Draco blasted him back again, where he crumpled before standing labouriously._

"_Get out," Draco slurred, the new pill kicking in._

"_Fine," Blaise said, his voice tight with tears. "I'm done. Please don't let the next time I see you be in the morgue."_

_x_

_Draco woke the next morning with his head pounding. He sat up, and he started when he saw Leolin standing near the door. No way was he still tripping from last night. He closed his eyes and shook his searing head, but when he opened them again she was still there. He squinted at her blearily. Everything was still fuzzy. _

"_Leolin?" he croaked at last. _

"_Twenty years ago, perhaps," the figure said stepping more fully into the room and sitting on the edge of the bed. "Hello, Draco."_

_Draco's forehead was splitting in two with pain._

"_Ariadne," he said, wincing as he turned his head and one eye went temporarily black. "What are you doing here?"_

"_Blaise Zabini showed up at my house last night scared half to death. He's worried about you; we all are."_

"_What do you care?" Draco said sullenly, driving two hands into his hair and gently tugging in an effort to relieve some of the throbbing in his skull. "Leolin's gone. You don't have to pretend to like me anymore."_

"_I care very much," Ariadne said. "I care because I love Leolin and I know seeing you like this would destroy her, and also because it makes me ache to see you suffer. You're very bright, Draco. To throw that away would be a terrible waste."_

"_Leave me alone," Draco said tiredly. "I don't want or need your pity."_

_Ariadne gave him a critical look before frowning concernedly. _

"_I know you've convinced yourself that no one in the world understands how you feel, Draco, but you're wrong; I do."_

"_No you don't!" Draco spit. "You have no idea how I feel."_

"_Yes," she repeated. "I do. In fact, I am the only person who does. Some days I hate Leolin so much that I hope I never see her again, and others I am so desperate to hold her that I would do anything to have her back. I know you feel like Leolin is the only person you ever truly loved, and so do I. I will always care very deeply for Leolin's father, but nothing, __**no one**__, has set my world on fire the way Leolin did the day she was born. She was my everything, and I always told myself that as long as I had her I didn't need anyone else." _

_Ariadne stopped, her throat tightening as she struggled to go on. When she looked up, two tears had run down her cheeks._

"_I __**know**__ what agony this is for you. That's why I want you to come back to London with me. Why I need you to come back. I can't go through this alone anymore. Please, come back home and we can help each other through."_

_Draco bowed his head forward, completely disarmed by her words._

"_Draco," she said, touching his cheek. "I know you're sick with grief, but please, let me help you. Leolin loved you more than anything, and you are the last part of her I have left. If I lose you I will never forgive myself. If I lose you, I—I lose her, too."_

_Draco's heart was pounding as he considered. His jaw aching as he tried to remain stoic._

"_Please," she said desperately. "Come back with me and we can keep her alive together."_

_His stoicism began to crumble as he felt her earnest and loving gaze sweep over him, and reading his expression, she folded him into her slight arms, soothingly stroking his hair as he began to weep like a child._

* * *

Leolin sat on the patio and watched the searing dawn claw open the sky, sending fiery ribbons of bright light across the mirrored surface of the pool and the choppy waves just beyond the beach.

Gen had returned around half three, evidentially to make up with Draco, and Leolin had been woken up by the intensity of their love-making as they reunited. It started with the headboard, but as she more fully regained consciousness, she could hear Draco softly moaning Gen's name.

At first she was furious at him again, seething that he was so intent on punishing her. However, as she tried to block out Gen's breathy sighs of pleasure, she realized they weren't exaggerating the experience for her benefit. If anything, they were trying to be quiet, and this realization was more painful than the idea that Draco was trying to hurt her.

Leolin leapt out of a bed at once, covering her ears as she ran across the hall, knocking on Ieuan's door. He answered a minute later, his hair a mess and eyes bleary.

"You alright, Lefevre?" he said, yawning.

"Can I come sleep with you tonight?" she asked sheepishly, and his eyes flitted to Draco's door before he nodded.

"Of course," he said, tucking her under one arm and kissing her temple. "Come in."

Ieuan had fallen back asleep immediately, and Leolin listened to the soothing swish of his breathing as she tried to wrap her head around the emotional turbulence of the night. Being here was like swimming upstream, and she was already so exhausted that she felt unable to go on. She knew she had to dig deep, as much for Draco as for herself, but part of her was scared to delve farther into her feelings. These were dark parts of her heart she hadn't explored in years, and even she wasn't sure what she might dredge up down there.

She'd finally fallen back into a discontented sleep around four fifteen, but it only lasted forty-five minutes or so. She had a dream where she had no voice, and she couldn't tell Draco the truth because he couldn't hear her. After that, Draco married Gen in a Muggle cathedral full of snakes as Adrian Pucey locked her in chains and threw her in the ocean.

She woke with a start, her heart hammering as she sat up. Her mind was racing faster than her heart, and she was experiencing so many emotions simultaneously that she honestly felt nauseous. She needed a tether. She needed something concrete to focus on so she could escape her headspace for a bit and regroup. After last night, Gen would be hitting it hard as ever. Leolin needed to be ready to hit back.

She rose quietly and went to her own room, fetching an arm-full of dusty tomes about the magic of binding contracts and bringing them out onto the patio. The complexity of the material would demand her full attention, and she would feel better knowing she was even a fraction of an inch closer to showing Draco the truth.

She currently sat chewing on the end of an already-knarled quill, re-reading the same line over an over again.

_If one imagines the stipulations of a binding contract as a series of locks, there are two ways to unlock them all: first, one may forge a unique key to unlock each individually. Alternatively, one may design a skeleton key and unlock them all simultaneously. Quite simply, the quickest way to break a contract is to determine the thematic nature of the charm that binds all the stipulations into a singular contract and break that charm._

Leolin considered this. Last time, Leolin had focused on each line of the contract individually, designing a charm to counteract it before moving on to the next line. However, if she could follow the book's advice and break all the stipulations individually, she had a chance of breaking the gag order before the wedding.

Leolin looked up again, surprised to see a figure on the beach this early. Even from a distance she could tell it was Draco. He wore a thin white t-shirt, and she could see his toned chest underneath. As he grew closer she realized he had a dog with him, and she frowned. Surely that couldn't be his.

His eyes were on her as he reached the manicured deck, an elegant Doberman on his heels. At seeing her, the dog perked up at once, coming over to stiff her and assess her threat level. Leolin gently extended a hand for his to sniff, which he did dubiously. However, he must have smelled something he liked, because he suddenly sat down beside her. She reached an exploratory hand out to pet the soft black fur on the top of his head, and when he didn't bite her hand off, she pet him more vigourously, scratching behind his tall ears and under his chin.

Draco took a seat on the lounger next to hers, watching them.

"He likes you," he said simply, and she didn't look up at him.

She hadn't forgotten the things he'd said to her last night. This time around, she wasn't going to forgive his misguided tantrums so easily.

"What's his name?" she asked, running a hand down the dog's soft snout.

"Radames," Draco replied. "He was a birthday gift from your mother three years ago."

Leolin looked up from petting Radames for the first time to find Draco studying her keenly.

"He's beautiful," she said tightly at last. "Was he at your flat the other day? I didn't see him."

Draco shook his head. "He was at the trainer's in London. I just picked him up this morning."

"This early?"

"It was midday there," he pointed out, and she nodded, feeling stupid.

"Right," she said blandly. "Of course."

"I'm surprised he's being this friendly; he's usually very wary of strangers. Maybe he knows you're your mother's daughter."

"I never imagined you as a dog-owner," she admitted, trying not to flinch as Draco rand a hand down the glossy fur of Radames's head as well.

"I'm a lot of things now that I wasn't before I met your mum, including a good man, though I admit that bit comes and goes."

She looked down at Radames again, too pained to reply to that comment, but he covered her hand with his to get her attention. She jerked hers away and gave a hurt frown before standing up and walking away.

"Wait," he said softly. "Can we talk?"

"I think you did enough talking last night," she said, setting the niceties aside so she could finally speak plainly. "So I don't really want to hear it."

He rose, and Radames rose with him.

"Lefevre," he began, but she simply rolled her eyes and made to walk back into the house. "Leolin," he said more purposefully, grabbing her wrist.

"Don't touch me," she snapped, rubbing the skin as if he'd burned her.

He held up his hands and took a step back.

"I'm sorry. Just please listen to me."

She crossed her arms sullenly across her chest. When he was convinced she wasn't going to walk away, he began to speak.

"Look," he said, stepping towards her again. She stepped back in response. "I'm—I'm sorry about the way I acted last night. You were right; it was unfair of me to blame what happened on you. I know it wasn't your fault. I know none of it was your fault and I—I was bang out of order blaming you."

She tried not to let her misery show.

"Then why did you?" she said.

He looked away, the long muscles in his jaw clenching.

"Partly because you were just unlucky enough to be standing there," he admitted. "And also because after what happened between us—now, whenever I'm feeling mad or stressed, you just pop into my mind and I automatically start reliving the day I found out you weren't coming back."

"Sorry," she said quietly, not actually sure what she was sorry for.

"Look, this whole thing hasn't been easy for me, but you should know that even when I hated you, there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't regret what I did to you and Troy. I admit it was selfish and cruel and—you didn't deserve that, and neither did Troy, so I'm sorry. And you were right: you did forgive me. Perhaps it's time I did the same."

"Last night was the last time I let you bully me," she said softly. "Next time you do I'm leaving, and I'm going to take my family with me. I know you and my mum love each other, but I guarantee you that she won't choose you over me."

He nodded, looking away.

"Fine."

They silent a moment before Draco picked up one of the books she'd been reading.

"Why are you reading about contract law?" he asked. "This all looks terribly boring."

She hastily grabbed the book from his hand and closed it.

"It is boring," she affirmed. "But it's for work. I'm—freelancing for a friend at the moment."

He scrutinized her.

"What exactly _was_ your job in Florence? You've never said, though if your wardrobe is any indication, it was very lucrative."

"That's terribly boring, too, I'm afraid," she said.

He gave a cool look to express his annoyance before standing up and walking off a ways. Radames immediately picked his head up from where he'd laid it in Leolin's lap and trotted after Draco obediently.

"What does Gen think of Radames?"

Draco smiled grimly, stroking Radames's soft head again.

"I don't think it would surprise you to learn she doesn't like him."

"Not particularly, no," Leolin admitted.

"She a bit skiddish around dogs to begin with, and they're both very territorial," Draco explained. "I think they both feel they have to compete for my affection."

"You do realize you are comparing your fiancée to your dog, don't you?" Leolin asked dryly.

"Radames is more than just my dog," Draco said sharply, though he quickly regained control of his tone and continued more neutrally. "He's a symbol of your mother's faith in me. Gen isn't really crazy about that bit either, I suppose. She wants me to get rid of him when we get married."

"And are you going to?"

"Hell no. He was here first."

"I thought you told me that you never deny Gen anything?"

"I just said that to torture you," he said a bit spitefully. "I deny her things all the time. Usually the more insistent she gets, the more adamantly I refuse. It's like a little game."

"Yes, I remember it well."

"No, it wasn't like that for you. I spoiled you; I gave you almost everything you asked for. I'm not nearly as lenient with Gen."

"Why not?" she asked.

He turned to give her a piercing look.

"I learned my lesson."

They were silent again, and Leolin's gaze felt to the ink on Draco's side as he rested his hands on the top of his head.

"Draco?" she said.

"Leolin?" he replied as he always had, not turning from the sunrise to address her.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just have."

"Then I'm going to ask you another."

"Go on, then."

"Why didn't you get rid of that tattoo?"

She could see his shoulders tensing, but he didn't answer.

"The falcon, I mean."

"I know what you meant," he countered before shrugging. "And I kept it because I like it."

"And what does Gen think about it?" Leolin asked boldly.

Draco turned, his face somewhere between annoyed and amused.

"She likes it," Draco said, smiling a little. "She loves it, in fact."

"Does she know what it means?" Leolin asked.

Draco gave her a pointed look.

"It doesn't mean anything anymore."

There was probably more Leolin could have said, but just then Gen appeared in a lilac satin slip and a soft cotton robe, smiling at Draco as if Leolin weren't there. At seeing her, Radames began to growl quietly.

"Ça suffit!" Draco said, and Gen instantly came to Draco's arms, and Radames flopping down at Draco's feet, huffing his discontent.

"Va-t'en!" Draco murmured, nudging Radames with his foot. "Go on."

Annoyed at being chided, Radames padded back over to Leolin, lying down next to her chair instead.

"I hear you," Leolin muttered quietly, pretending to work as she savagely fought not to listen to them. "I don't like her either."

"You look tired," Gen was saying to Draco, running a hand through his hair.

"Well I didn't get much sleep last night," he said huskily.

"I know," she replied in the same tone. "I think that's my fault."

Draco gave a deep laugh.

"Don't even apologize for what you did last night," Draco said, and Gen gave a musical chuckle.

"Morning," Ginny said, interrupting their moment.

Leolin could have kissed her.

"Ginny!" Gen cried, and Ginny turned her back and rolled her eyes as Gen came over. "I'm so sorry about last night. Beau can be such a brute. If I'd known Ashley was going to invite him I would have told him no. You know that I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you."

"Thank you," Ginny said tightly. "But it's Blaise you should be apologizing to, not me."

"I know, and I will. Where is he?"

"Still sleeping," Ginny said. "He and I didn't get much last night."

"I hope you're not too tired. We're going to New Orleans today, remember?"

Leolin and Ginny traded a look. They were going with Gen and a gaggle of her friends to pick out a wedding dress, and it was difficult to say who was dreading it more: Ginny or Leolin.

"How could I forget," Ginny said, giving a weak smile.

She was still determined, it seemed, to be cordial to Gen for Draco's sake.

"Leolin," Gen said, turning to give her a friendly smile. "You'll have to keep us all awake. It seems you were the only one who got any sleep!"

"Who says?" Ieuan asked, loping onto the deck and high-fiving Leolin. "She didn't get a wink either."

He winked at Leolin, and she laughed in spite of herself.

"What do you mean?" Gen asked, giving a pretty, albeit confused, smile.

"We have a magical night together," Ieuan said dreamily. "She fucked the gay right out of me. Right, Lai?"

Ginny laughed, but Draco rolled his eyes.

"Knock it off, Bird. You're not funny."

"Weasley thinks I am," Ieuan said proudly.

"Weasley is a laugh slut," Draco said. "She will laugh at anything."

Ginny shrugged.

"Sad, but true."

"So," Ieuan continued, pouring himself a mimosa. "Are we going to talk about how awkward last night was, or have yous already discussed it?"

"There's nothing to discuss," Draco said pointedly. "It's over."

Ieuan raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, fine! All I will say is, thank Merlin I couldn't convince Luke to come. Then it _really_ would have gotten awkward."

"Blaise and I appreciate it," Ginny said. "We prefer to be the token social aberration, if possible."

"That's enough, both of you," Draco said, and Ieuan winked at Ginny, making her laugh again.

Gen looked at Leolin, feigning genuine interest. Merlin, she was a good actress. "What are you working on, Leolin_?"_

"Work," Leolin said, closing the last book before assembling them in a pile and vanishing them. Draco watched her with bright eyes.

He was the one who had helped her perfect conjuration and vanishment. They were both rather thorny forms of Transfiguration, but he had always been very good at them.

"What exactly is it that you do?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

Leolin chewed her lip. If she kept avoiding the questions, their misgivings would only grow. Better to give them something now and get them of her back.

"I—detangle contracts for my employer."

"You're a bind-breaker?" Ginny demanded. "Is that even legal?"

"Yes, strictly speaking," Leolin said.

"Strictly-speaking," Ieuan said delightedly. "I love it."

"Who's your employer?" Ginny asked, but Leolin was frowning.

She didn't like the look Draco was giving her. It felt like he was stumbling on to something he shouldn't be.

"She works for the Borgia," he spit, and Leolin fought no outwardly react. "Still does, apparently."

Leolin couldn't hide the look of alarm on her face. Draco raised his eyebrows in challenge.

"What?" he drawled. "You really thought you could keep your association with them a secret from me?"

"I wasn't keeping anything a secret," Leolin defended. "Let's talk about something else," Leolin said, and Draco shook his head in disgust and turned his back to her.

"What's the story with today?" Ginny said, looking at Gen, who smiled magnificently.

She probably had no clue who the Borgia even were or why they mattered, but they fact that they'd sown rife between Draco and Leolin pleased her immensely. Leolin shook her head. Despite her best efforts, it really did feel like Gen was heading her off at every turn.

"We're leaving here around noon. We'll be back in the early evening. Are y'all going to be able to manage here without us?" Gen asked Draco, sitting on his lap.

His sat back a little so she could drape both legs across his thighs and thread her hands into his hair. Last night might not have been a show intended for Leolin, but this certainly was. Draco was mad about the Borgia, and he wanted Leolin to know it. She clenched her jaw, wishing Severina were there.

"What are you going to give me if I say yes?" Draco said in a low voice.

Gen laughed as she bent to whisper something in his ear. Leolin's stomach clenched as Draco face split into a dazzling smile in response.

"If that's really true," Draco said. "I'm sure we'll manage."

Leolin stood up abruptly, and Ieuan shot her a sympathetic look.

"I'm going to shower and make a floo call. I—will be ready by noon."

Still feeling sick, Leolin hurried off.

* * *

New Orleans was the oldest Wizarding cities in the United States, and though that made it a fairly young city by Old World standards, it was home to some of the oldest and most powerful magic.

The city itself wasn't founded until 1718, but most of it's magic had bled up from the surrounding Bayous and the nearby island of Haiti, and the magic found in those places was old as time itself. Wizards practicing in the Caribbean in the first centuries of the Modern era weren't bound by the same moral strictures their counterparts in Athens are Rome were, and the result was the cradle for sure of the greatest and most terrible magic ever made.

Mostly wrongly believe that the horcruxes had been invented by an Ancient Greek sorcerer called Herpo the Foul, but it reality their origins were much more recent. The first horcrux was created in the seventeenth century when a Creole witch killed her cheating husband out of jealousy then tore her soul in two in grief and same for what she'd done. This legacy of darkness, danger, and depravity still clung to the city, and Leolin could feel it making the hairs on her neck stand up as she and Ginny walked arm and arm down the cobblestones street later than day.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Leolin grumbled. "Why are we even here?"

"I'm here so Gen can try to force me into indentured friendship," Ginny said matter-of-factly. "I'm not sure why you are. To torture you a bit, I suppose."

She glanced at Leolin, who was visibly uneasy.

"Hey," she said. "Are you alright?"

Leolin nodded.

"Fine. I don't know what Gen is hoping to accomplish here. I know she's marrying Draco already; she's not going to shock me into a manic depression by making me watch her try on sixty different boring dresses."

Ginny laughed.

"Well, you should know that she found out that Blaise helped you pick your dress out, and she whined to Draco for weeks. Blaise told her it was the kind of thing he'd only do for family."

Leolin smiled, squeezing Ginny's hand.

"Well that's sweet," Leolin said. "But Blaise didn't do that for me. The only way I could get him to agree to come was by dangling you in his face, First he demanded I get you to agree to drinks and dinner, but I negotiated him down to sitting next to you at the salon. He literally made me sign a contract saying I would have to give him Draco's Vanquish if he wasn't satisfied with the progress he made with you."

Ginny laughed.

"You can never tell him this _ever_, but I was already desperately in love with him by the time we went shopping for your dress. If you'd let him take me to dinner, I would have secretly been thrilled."

"He really is your Leolin," Leolin said, both warmed and pained by the depth of Ginny affection for Blaise.

At least someone was happy.

"I didn't know it was possible to love anyone so much," Ginny admitted.

Leolin glanced side-long at her.

"It's a lovely feeling, isn't it?"

"It's a bit terrifying, actually."

"That's what makes it so lovely," Leolin said.

"Ready, you two? We can't be late." Gen called, already arm in arm with a nasty little brunette friend called Hyacinthe.

Leolin stomach bubbled uncomfortably.

"I wish I'd thought to bring a flask."

"They will be serving champagne," Ginny said. "Let's just hit 'em hard, hit 'em fast."

Leolin nodded grimly and stepped into the shop, where three or so other girls were fawning over Gen now as well. When Ginny and Leolin entered, Gen turned.

"Ladies, I would like y'all to meet Ginevra, Draco's best man's fiancée's, and her friend Leolin."

"Oh," a willowy blonde said, eying Ginny. "You're the one marrying that _gorgeous_ caramel fellow. My, he is a _dream_."

"I guess I am," Ginny said tightly. "And thank you, I suppose."

"Ginevra, Leolin, this is Delilah, Ashley's sister," Gen said, gesturing to the blonde. "Lillian," she pointed to a shorter, plumper blonde. "And Savannah." Savannah looked like a female Adrian Pucey, and Leolin immediately wanted to kill her.

"Ladies," The shop owner said. "Shall we sit down? Ms. Beauchene, if you would follow me please."

The next few hours were some of the most tedious of Leolin's entire life, and she and Ginny drank six glasses of champagne as Genevieve tried on gown after gown after gown. In her usual fashion, all of the ones Gen chose were exceedingly delicate and, in many cases, almost maddeningly modest. Still, she wore them with an air of superiority, seeming to suggest that a bride who chose anything else was somehow less of a lady.

By the third hour Leolin had fallen into something of a polite stupour, and she wished Gen would just pick something so she could go home. She had a pounding headache, and the oppressively dense heat was making her nauseous.

"Alright," Genevieve called. "I'm trying something a little different. Let me know what you think."

Leolin looked up, and her heart literally fell out of her heart, sizzling hotly in the acid in her stomach. Gen was wearing _Leolin's_ wedding dress. Of course it wasn't the same design, but it was similar enough to make Leolin's hands tremble.

_"Oh Leolin!" Ginny said at last, her hand inadvertently falling on Blaise's knee as Leolin twirled for them. "It's absolutely incredible!" She turned to Blaise, who seemed more engaged than he had been all afternoon. "Don't you think?"_

_He turned to acknowledge Ginny, his eyes reluctant to leave her and look at Leolin. "I agree with Weasley. You're perfection in this."_

_"Darling, it's gorgeous," her mother said. "It was made for you."_

_The dress was made of the most delicate Spanish lace, with off the shoulder long sleeves and a silhouette that followed her natural contours flawlessly. It trailed behind her effortlessly._

_Leolin bit her lip, staring into the mirror and clearly fighting up the urge to cry._

_"Narcissa? You haven't said a word. What do you think?"_

_Leolin was met with silence, and she turned._

_"Narcissa?"_

_Leolin turned, stunned by what she was faced with. Narcissa was biting her lip, fighting not to cry._

_"It's stunning, Leolin," she said at last, and she even met eyes with Ariadne for a moment. "I think Draco will love it."_

Somewhere, Leolin was dimly aware that Gen was speaking again. Leolin couldn't hear her over the ringing in her ears. Ginny touched her knee gently.

"This is one of Leolin's stepmother's designs," Gen explained.

She was standing with her back to them as they all admired her, and Gen's warm chocolate eyes found Leolin's in the mirror.

"What do you think, Leolin?" she asked innocently. "I'm channeling you; I can imagine you wearing something like this and outshining everyone."

She gave a lovely laugh to accompany what outwardly seemed like a compliment. It wasn't, of course; it was one the cruelest and most grievous insults Leolin had ever suffered.

Leolin mouth was so dry it felt like she had swallowed a pint of ash, and her hands were shaking so furiously she had to cross her arms to keep it from showing. She'd never wanted to kill Gen so much in all her life.

"I—it's—I like it," Leolin choked, not knowing what else to say. Of course she liked it; she'd chosen it.

"I don't know," Savannah chimed. "It' isn't really you, Gigi. I don't like how much skin is exposed."

"Really?" Gen asked innocently. "You don't think it looks good?"

It was clear that she'd only put it on so her friends could tear it to shreds in front of Leolin.

"It looks good," Hyacinthe explained. "It's just sort of, I don't know—"

"Slutty," Savannah finished for her. "Like you're trying too hard."

"I don't think Draco would appreciate you showing that much skin," a third friend, whose name Leolin hadn't particularly cared to learn, chimed. "I think he's going to prefer something more—traditional. Classic, I guess."

"Annabelle, you've met Draco twice," Gen said blandly to the girl. "Believe me when I tell you have no fucking clue what Draco likes. And I disagree _completely_," Ginny cut in fiercely. "It's gorgeous. "But it's all wrong for you Genevieve. I'm sorry, but you could never pull this off."

This earned Ginny a disapproving frown from the other girls, but she wasn't done. Gen's eyes were fierce as well.

"You're right," Ginny spit at Gen. "This is the kind of thing only Leolin should be allowed to wear. Unfortunately, it's just a tragedy on anyone else. Besides, I hate to be so blunt, but you just don't have the figure for this dress. It was made for an hourglass; you're a stick, darling. You'd need bigger breasts and curvier hips."

Here Gen looked downright insulted, though she only let that expression show for a second before letting it fade to something blithe.

"You ought to stick to something more plain," Ginny finished, eyes flashing. "That style suits you much better."

If Leolin wasn't so shaken she would have kissed Ginny. Gen opened her mouth to defend herself, already acting wounded, but she was interrupted by Leolin's floo smoking.

"Sorry," Leolin said, standing. "It's my mum. I'm just going to pop outside and answer this."

Grateful for a reason to leave, Leolin flicked open the floo just as she exhaled a shaky breath, shocked tears already in her eyes.

"Mum," she said as she stepped into the sunshine.

"Leolin," Ariadne said, sounding relieved. "Are you alright? I just got a message from Ginny saying I needed to floo you right this second."

"Yes," Leolin said, giving another huge sigh. "Sorry. It's nothing to worry about. I was having a—moment."

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"Gen's trying on wedding dresses," Leolin said, taking off down the street a bit to calm he nerves. "And she just tried one that looked just like mine."

"Oh sweetheart."

Leolin was choking back tears now.

"How did she know?"

Ariadne gave a concerned sigh.

"There was a burglary at Amelie's shop about six weeks after you left. Rita Skeeter claimed that an anonymous source had shown her the dress, and of course she'd posted it in the Prophet. She ended up having to serve six months house arrest for possession of stolen property, but she claimed it was worth it. She said the world deserved to know what they'd been denied when you called off the wedding."

"Oh gods," Leolin breathed, trying to stay calm. "What am I going to do if she chooses that one?"

"She won't," Ariadne reassured her. "She could never pull something like that off and she knows it."

"That's what Ginny said," Leolin said, feeling better.

"Besides," Ariadne said warmly. "That dress was designed for an hourglass figure like yours. Gen is too thin to properly fill it out."

"Ginny said that, too" Leolin said, laughing.

"Well great minds think alike. How's it going down there?" Ariadne asked seriously. "Are you alright? I worry about you."

"It's hard," Leolin admitted. "But nothing I can't handle, I promise."

"Sweetheart, I—"

Leolin wasn't listening, though. She rounded the corner and was looking down a darker, more narrow alley just ahead, where she distinctly saw Augustus Rookwood look around to make sure he wasn't being followed before disappearing into a small side door. That was odd. What the hell was Rookwood doing in New Orleans? He was the Liaison for Foreign Travel, but his jurisdiction only covered Europe. Langdon Ecclestone was the American liaison. Besides, whatever Rookwood was doing, it was far from official.

A second after Rookwood disappeared, a young man apparated into the alley, an extremely frail hooded figure at his side. He helped the weak old man to the door, pounding on it three times. As he looked around nervously, Leolin could see the odd gold flecks in his eyes glinting in the sun, and her heart stopped. She would know that face from a thousand miles away. It was Adrian Pucey.

"Mum," Leolin interrupted. "I have to go. I love you, call you later."

Before her mother could protest, she hung up, pulse pounding in her ears. She didn't know quite why, but something about this made her blood run cold. She knew she'd seen Adrian at King's Cross the other day. What the hell was he doing in New Orleans? Something told her that she didn't actually want the answer to that. The door has swung open to admit him by this time, and she chewed her lip, mind racing as she tried to decide what she wanted to do. She hadnt forgotten how he'd threatened her the last time she'd seen him, and he wasn't likely to thank her for interrupted whatever nefarious act he was engaged in now. Still, she was a world-renowned thief. Perhaps she could sneak in and find out what he was up to before he caught her.

She stuffed her floo in her purse before taking off across the square separating her from the alley. When she'd been completed swallowed by the shade of the covered corridor, she approached the door cautiously, examining the larger structure as well. She couldn't a single other point of entry, whether it be another door or a window. She raised her fist to pound on the door, but eventually thought better of it. What if Adrian answered?

She backed away several steps, chewing her lip. What were they doing here? Who was the old man they'd had with them? Leolin thought about what Harry had said about Lucius being a seat-warmer and shuddered. Surely that couldn't have been—no, she thought. He was dead.

Just across the alley was a sleepy little apothecary, and Leolin eyed it for a moment before slipping inside. The interior was dark, and it was empty save for a bent old man with skin the colour of dark coffee. He was making a shrunken head.

He looked up at her approach, and his eyes were milk white. He was blind.

"Kisa mwen ka fè pou ou, pitit mwen yo?" he said in a low, slow rumble.

She didn't recognize the dialect, but she assumed it was probably Haitian Creole. It was close enough to French that she understood most of it. He'd asked her what she wanted.

She swallowed.

"Je veux savoir dont la boutique se trouve en face de la vôtre," she said, pointing across the way to the worn door.

He tsked quietly, shaking his head as his hands worked.

"You want to know about Jean du Bones?" he said. "Don't ask, pitit. Don't ask about ole Jean du Bones."

"Who is Jean du Bones?" she said.

"Don't ask, pitit," he repeated. "Ole Jean, he twist the laws of Magic. He's a crooked ferryman who paddles up and down the dark river."

"What are you talking about? What does any of that mean?" she demanded, feeling agitated.

Why did everyone here insist on talking in circles.

"All men die, petit. No men come back. No men but them who go to ole Jean du Bones."

"What is he?" Leolin asked. "What kind of magic is it that he practices?"

"li se yon nekromanyen," the man said, still weaving, rocking slightly as he did so. "Nekromanyen."

"A necromancer?" she asked, her blood running cold again.

"Shh, shh, shh, pitit," the man said, blank eyes watching her. "Don't ask. Only dead men ask."

"Is that even possible?" she said. "Can he really bring people back from the dead?"

"Charon ferried the souls in Old Rome," the man said. "But he only ferried one way. Ole Jean, he change the river's flow."

"So, it's true? There's a necromancer in New Orleans?"

"Shh, pitit, don't ask; only dead men ask."

Leolin thought about the old man again. No, surely it wasn't possible…Necromancy was a sinister myth. No one could come back from the dead.

"Don't ask, pitit. Only dead men ask."

She nodded, unnerved to feel like the blind man was watching her.

"Merci," she said, slinking out of the alley.

Holy Hell. She needed to talk to Harry. Hopefully he'd be at the tournament tomorrow. It wasn't something she wanted to discuss over the floo. She didn't know who Jean du Bones was, but whatever Adrian and Augustus were up to was bad; she needed to begin amassing the troops at once. She looked at her watch as she crossed the plaza, swearing.

She'd been gone for over twenty minutes; they were probably wondering where she was. Bollocks, what was she supposed to tell them? She didn't want to explain what she'd seen to Ginny in front of the others. She would wait until they got home. In the meantime, she needed an excuse…

"Leolin?"

She looked up, groaning as she did so.

"Max," she said, folding her arms casually across her chest so he couldn't hug her. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same," he pointed out, drinking her in again.

"Gen's shopping for a wedding dress. What about you?"

He shrugged.

"I love New Orleans. I come here whenever I have free time. It's so—mysterious." He smiled. "Don't you think?"

"Very," she said, thinking about what the old man had said about a Necromancer.

"New Orleans is like the Bahston of the South. I feel a weird kinship with the people here, I don't know why."

"Is Boston where you're from?"

"Yeah," he said. "Have you even been?"

She shook her head.

"This is my first trip to the United States."

"Bahston is wicked ahsome. You should go there sometime."

"Maybe," she said, watching as his eyes skimmed around the curve of the lock at her throat.

She touched it self-consciously.

"I would take you any time you wahnted, if you'd let me be your tour guide."

Merlin, American men were forward.

"I'm not sure I'll be back anytime soon. I don't think America agrees with me."

"That's just the South," he said. "You would love New England."

"That's a bold statement," she pointed out, distracted. "Seeing as you don't really know me."

"I could know you better," he pointed out confidently. "If you'd let me."

"Why are you so interested?" she said snapped at last.

This question caught him off guard, and he laughed.

"What man wouldn't be interested in you? He'd have to be crazy."

_Draco, for one_, she wanted to say.

"So you want to take me out because you think I'm beautiful?"

"Yes."

"Okay. What else?"

He fumbled.

"What else is there?" He asked at last.

She turned her head away to indicate this was the wrong answer.

"Fuck, no, I didn't mean that."

She turned back.

"What did you mean, then?" she asked.

"I—" he choked, and she raised her eyebrows.

This was tedious. She wanted to go home. She needed to talk to Blaise and Ginny and Draco, if he was willing.

"I just meant that I can't stop thinking about you since last night."

"I think you're over-romanticizing me, Max. I'm really not that great. If you don't believe me, ask Draco. He'd be happy to tell you."

"Look," Max said, fumbling. He was clearly unaccustomed to rejection. "I'm not trying to marry you, I just—"

"What?" she demanded. "Want to have sex with me?"

"Merlin, you have a quick tongue," he said, and she gave him a withering look.

"That wasn't an innuendo!" he defended, laughing hopelessly. "You're just making me really nervous!"

"I don't know why," she said frankly. "All I asked is what you find so alluring about me besides my legs and my neckline. It's the kind of question you either have an answer for or you don't."

"I do have an answer!" he said.

"Great. I'm all ears."

"Well, you're wicked smaht, for one. And you're not afraid to give it back, which is really refreshing. I get the sense you're funny, when you want to be, and I think it's hot you speak French."

She groaned, laughing a little in spite of herself as she headed back towards the salon.

"Wait!" he cried, jogging after her. "What did I say wrong? At least tell me that."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just have to go."

She was thinking about what the old man had said about the Necromancer again, and it set her on edge. Maybe one of the others would have heard about him. However, just as she made to open the door to the salon, it swung outward.

"Merlin," Gen said concernedly, seeing Leolin. "I was getting ready to call the Aurors. Where were you?"

"Sorry Genny," Max cut in, kissing her cheek. "That's my fault."

"Maximus," she said delightedly, eyes flicking between him and Leolin. "What are you doing here?"

"I just got back from Beau's," he said vaguely, and though Gen seemed to understand the nature of their visit, Ginny gave an audible groan.

"Now I'm trying to convince Leolin to at least have one beer with me," he said.

"I'm not much of a beer drinker," Leolin lied, and Ginny gave her a look.

Leolin shook her head to indicate they would talk about it later. Her eyes slid across Gen again, and heart clenched. Leolin hadn't forgotten her little trick from earlier, and despite the Necromancer and Max and everything else, she still sorely longed to punish Gen. She narrowed her eyes. Someday soon she would.

"A cocktail, then," he said, shooting a wink at Gen as she smiled warmly at Leolin.

"Oh go on, Leolin," she said, giving her an encouraging smile. "Go have some fun. You deserve it after sitting through today. I know it was long."

"I can't," Leolin said, fighting to remain cordial. She didn't want to tip her hand to Gen. "I have to get back."

"You're on vacation," Gen said, smiling. "What hurt could one tiny drink do?"

"Exactly," Max chimed. "Thank you, Genny."

"If she doesn't want to go she doesn't have to," Ginny snapped.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Leolin," Gen said apologetically, looking contrite. "I didn't mean to push. I just thought it might be fun."

"She makes a good point," Max said, and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Lai. Let's go home."

"Please, Lefevre, one drink," Max said. "One drink, and I never ever in my life bother you again. Ever."

Leolin considered. She doubted he'd keep that promise, but hopefully if she was mean enough to him he'd tuck tail and back off.

"Fine," Leolin said. "One drink. But if your eyes fall below my nose even one time, I'm leaving."

He looked her straight in the eye unflinchingly.

"Done."

Perhaps there was more than one upside to this. It would make Draco fretful and distracted when he heard where she'd gone. Let him fret. Let him fret and spit and hiss all night and make Gen miserable. Besides, Max said he loved New Orleans; maybe_ he_ knew something about some of its darker secrets.

"Gin, I'll see you in a bit."

Ginny frowned, but Leolin nodded her off.

"Don't worry," Leolin said, squeezing her arm reassuringly. "I think I'm in good hands."

"You are," Gen said. "Quite good, I hear."

"Gen!" Max laughed, and Ginny glared at him.

"If I suspect you've been anything less than a gentleman," she warned. "I will set Blaise on you. I know he seems mild, but I assure you he can be very scary."

Leolin sighed, trying to set aside her frustration and uneasiness as she looked up at Max. If she was going to do this, she might as well do it right.

"Should we go?"

* * *

Leolin trudged up the beach what felt like a lifetime later. She was a little drunk and she'd accidentally apparated too far from the house. Now she was trekking back miserably, wanting nothing more than to brush her teeth and go to bed. All things considered, it hadn't been a terrible evening, though Max had never heard of any Necromancer in New Orleans and she hadn't wanted to push the issue.

The minute she stepped foot on the deck, she heart Radames's sharp, staccato barks. There must have been a magical barrier around the patio he couldn't cross, because he prowled along the edge, watching the darkness.

"Shh!" she whispered desperately as she approached. "Shh, it's just me! Ne fas! It's me! It's Leolin!"

When he was close enough that he could smell her he stopped barking.

"Radames," a voice called. "Allons, tais-toi."

Draco had been sitting on one of the chairs, and at Rodames's barking he'd risen to his feet, eyes somewhat unkind. Leolin groaned.

"You're just getting home?" he demanded as the dog came to sit at his feet. "It's late."

"Thank you, Mum," Leolin said pointedly. "I will try to be home by curfew next time."

Draco folded his arms across his bare chest.

"You upset my dog."

Leolin looked at Radames, who was sitting obediently next to his master, panting contentedly.

"He looks fine to me," she said, noticing a full glass on one of the side tables.

She traipsed over to it, taking a sip. It was a gin and tonic. She took another.

"Where you waiting up for me?" she asked.

He came over, taking the glass from her and wiping her lipstick from the rim before taking a sip himself.

"Why would I do that?" he asked, looking down at her with an expression that was either teasing or threatening,

"I don't know," she asked, reaching for the glass again. "That's why I asked."

He held it out of her reach.

"Get your own," he said.

"Fine," she snapped, whistling to the dog as she padded over to the wet bar.

Draco watched in bemusement as Radames got up and followed her.

"I thought Gen said you and Brankovitch were just going for drinks," he said. "Why were you out so late?"

"Well," she said. "Not that it's any of _your_ business, but he ended up taking me to dinner as well."

"Where at?" he asked, chewing on an ice cube.

"An Oyster Bar in the French Quarter."

"What?" he demanded. "You like oysters now? You told me you hated oysters!"

"I told you that ten years ago. It's not my fault you never asked me again."

"How were they?"

She shrugged, sitting down next to him and petting Radames.

"Fine, I suppose. Nothing mind-blowing."

He nodded, watching as she took a sip of her drink, absently touching the lock around her neck.

"How was dress shopping?" he asked.

"Tedious," she admitted.

"What does it look like?"

Her heart seized, as if the muscle itself were cramping.

"I honestly don't know. My mum called towards the end and I had to go outside."

He nodded, and they both drank.

"I never did find out what yours looked like," he said in a soft voice, not looking at her.

Her pulse fluttered and she turned to study his straight nose and full lips in profile.

"You didn't see it in the Prophet?"

He shook his head.

"I didn't want to know."

She glanced over at him. He still wasn't looking at her, but when he felt his eyes on him he looked up. His gaze swept over her face in appreciative arcs before finding her own. They shared a look so intense Leolin eventually had to look away.

"And now you do?" she asked, her voice just a fraction softer.

He studied her for a second before shrugging.

"I'm just curious."

She took another sip of her drink.

"Well it was white, obviously—"

"Obviously."

"Form-fitting. A lot of Spanish lace. Low back—"

"Of course."

"Long-sleeved. I don't know, we all agreed you would like it, even your mum."

There was silence.

"Yeah, I reckon I probably would have."

Leolin closed her eyes, imagining herself in the dress as she walked towards Draco on her father's arm. She'd forgotten quite what it looked like, but the memory of seeing Gen wear it today had re-branded it in her mind. She wondered if Gen knew Leolin and Draco were down here together, drinking. Part of Leolin hoped she did, though Leolin had to admit it wouldn't really serve her goals if Gen found out. It would only inflame Gen's petty but effective jealousy.

"How did you like New Orleans? "Draco asked, getting up to fill his drink. He noticed hers was empty as well, and wordlessly he made her another, too. His hands brushed hers again as she accepted the glass from him. However, this time he pretended not to notice.

"Thank you," she said, considering his question "I don't know how I feel about it. There's something about the city that make me—"

"—uneasy," Draco finished, eyes sparkling. "Me too."

Leolin bit her lip, trying to decide if she should tell him about Adrian and what the old man had told her.

"What is it?" he asked, scrutinizing her. "It looks like you've got something on your mind."

She shook her head, feeling silly.

"It's nothing," she said. "It's just—have you ever heard of Jean du Bones?"

"The necromancer?" he laughed. "Of course. He's an urban legend that Creole mothers tell their children to scare them."

"What do they say about him?" she asked.

"He was a bokor, you know, a witch doctor, and he used to poison witches and wizards and turn him into his zombie slaves. Then one day he accidentally poisoned himself, and he died and somehow found his way through the earth to the river Styx. That's where he met Charon. Charon's the one that ferries the souls across the river to the other side. Somehow Jean convinced Charon to teach him how to ferry the boat, and once he'd learned, he figured out how to ferry souls back."

"Bring people _back_ from the dead, you mean."

"Yeah. Necromancy, essentially. Anyways, when Jean du Bones got back to this world, he supposedly started peddling his trade to souls he deemed worthy for one dark reason or another. According to the legend, those desperate enough can still find him in New Orleans, and if you know his price, he can ferry the dead back for you."

Leolin considered, trying to digest what she'd just heard. Should she tell Draco what she'd seen? Did it even prove anything?

"Do you believe any of it?" she asked.

"Do I believe in Necromancy?" he replied, smiling a little. "No. No one can truly come back from the dead."

She looked down, nodding.

"I know."

"Relax, Lefevre," he said, touching her bare knee. She hadn't been expecting it, and she tensed. She looked down at his hand then fearfully up into his eyes again. How she yearned to confide in him like she used to. "It's just a kid's story. It's not real."

"That's what people said about the Hallows," she whispered.

"Did something happen today?" he asked. "If it did, I need to know." he demanded.

"I—" Leolin began.

"Drake?" Gen's sleepy voice called from the top of the stairs. "Are you coming to bed anytime soon?"

He ignored Gen, his eyes hard as gems as he studied Leolin's seeming distress.

"Leolin," he said seriously, touching her chin now so she was forced to meet his eye. "Is there something you want to tell me? You have my full attention if there is."

"I—" she choked again. She should tell him everything. However, her fear of his rejection stopped her. She couldn't bear to see that hateful look on his face ever again. "No. You should go. Gen's waiting for you."

He let his hand drop, and he grit is teeth in irritation as she looked away from him. Why did she do that? She should have told him everything. She should have told him everything then kissed him senseless.

"Fine," he bit out at last. "Sleep tight, Lefevre. Don't let Jean du Bones bite."

**A/N: Thoughts? Predictions? Comments? Concerns? I want 'em alllll…Also, I think everyone's favourite good boy might be coming back next chapter…. :) **


	9. Chapter 8: Confusion to our Enemies

**Chapter Eight: Confusion to Our Enemies**

"_No, más."_

"_I don't want it any shorter! Merlin, do you want me to be bald?"_

"_No le escuches, Jorge. Corte más."_

_Leolin sat sullenly in front of a mirror in Severina's luxurious flat in Florence as a hairdresser prepared to cut over a foot of Leolin's curls off._

"_I've never had short hair in my life," Leolin said fretfully. "I hate short hair."_

"_We don't have a choice," Severina said dryly. "Your hair is…un pasticcio. It's unhealthy and brittle, and it won't look good unless I let Jorge take off most of the length. Besides, you talk as if I intend to cut it like a man's. It will brush your shoulders, cara mia. Don't you trust me?"_

_Leolin scowled at her reflection. Her hair had been waist-length since she was a child._

"_Not really."_

_Severina ignored her._

"_Sigue, Jorge, cortelo."_

_It had been two weeks since Leolin had come to Severina in Valencia, and Severina had spent that time making the preparations to introduce Leolin into the art world. Leolin had already recruited a pair of Scottish twins, Effie and Sweeney MacAngus, to help her lift the art, and to get Cristian off her back, she'd made him her fence. Now all she needed was a target, which she would have after she talked to some of the people at the party._

_Leolin winced as the first chunk of hair fell to the floor. She had been extremely resistant to the idea of letting Severina make her over, but the latter had insisted._

"_Right now," Severina'd said. "You look like an empty shell. If you're going to make me money, you will have to be that beautiful girl I once knew."_

_Severina had begun her transformation by insisting Cristian was never to lay a hand on Leolin as long as they all worked together, and that alone had done wonders. Leolin began sleeping soundly for the first time in years, and already it was returning some of her old vitality. Severina was also feeding her protein potions and lathering product after product on her skin, her hair, her nails, all of which began to rejuvenate under her expert machinations._

_Pretty soon, her eyes began to sparkle again and her skin to glow, and Severina began declaring they were almost ready to debut Leolin to the public. Leolin was still too skinny, but Severina was working diligently to put meat back on her bones, and for the first time in a year, Leolin actually felt hungry on a regular basis. Leolin could see Cristian's eye watching her hungrily again as she came back to life, but Severina had threatened to cut him out of the bargain entirely if he didn't behave, and in the end the promise of galleons was too strong to resist._

_Leolin and Severina had decided Leolin would still go by Naomi Thenard, but now she was a sleek Parisian art dealer with an excellent knowledge of the Old Masters and an innate nose for blood. That she was Severina's contact would only solidify that she was cunning and that she meant business. Severina had been working on Leolin's Italian as well, which was coming along nicely. All together she was nearly ready, and Leolin finally felt ready to live again. Of course, the ache for Draco had not dulled, but every day she worked to accept his absence and move on. He probably had._

"_Well, what do you think?" Severina asked as Jorge continued to work._

_Leolin considered herself in the mirror again. Severina had already insisted they dye her hair much darker, and though Leolin had been afraid it would be too severe, Severina assured her that it would make her eyes pop, and that it would complement her new cut. The cut was asymmetrical, and while the left side brushed her collarbone, the right side was a little longer. It suited who they wanted Naomi to be, and Leolin actually welcomed the change. It was less painful to look in the mirror and see this version of herself. This version wasn't a constant reminder of who she'd been or what she'd lost._

_Absently, she wondered what Draco would think of her like this. Would he still think she looked beautiful, or was she too different than the girl he'd fallen in love with? Would he even recognize her? She hardly recognized herself. She touched the patch of bare skin where her key had once hung. She may have looked different, but inside she was the same girl. Inside, she was still Draco's Leolin._

"_Vale," Severina said, waving Jorge off. "What do you think now?"_

_Leolin gingerly reached a hand up to touch the sleek locks. Jorge had cut all the dry and brittle parts out, and her hair was now pin straight and soft to the touch. Leolin ran an exploratory hand through it. It smelled lovely._

"_I—" Leolin began, running her fingers through. "I love it."_

"_Bene," Severina said, rubbing her belly as she watched Leolin greedily in the mirror. "Then it's time we found you something suitable to wear."_

That night, Leolin dreamed of Jean du Bones. She was wondering through the streets of New Orleans looking for him, but she only even caught of a glimpse of his cloak as it disappeared around the corner. Still, she knew it was Bones she was chasing. She could hear him rattling as she pursued him, and she could smell the faint stench of death which trailed after him. Suddenly, she wasn't alone, though. Adrian was chasing her as she chased Bones, and Adrian was gaining fast. She knew she had to get to Bones before Adrian. If she didn't, Adrian was going to kill her. The words of the old man pulsed in her ears as she ran._ Don't ask. Only dead men ask_. Finally, Bones disappeared through an old wooden door and slammed it shut, and Leolin pounded on it was Adrian bore down on her, his eyes hungry. _Jean du Bones! _She screamed. _Open up. Open up, Bones!_

Leolin woke with a start, her heart hammering in her chest. She felt relief rushing over her; it had just been a dream. However, she realized as she sat up, the pounding wasn't in her dream at all. She looked at the door adjoining her room to Draco's, the blood immediately draining from her face. She could now hear Gen's moans as Draco drove into her, slamming the antique headboard into the wall with every thrust.

"Draco! Don't stop! Don't stop! You're so deep, please don't stop!"

"Tell me you love me," he demanded.

Leolin's heart felt brittle and dead in her chest, as it had been overexposed.

"You know I do," came Gen's breathy reply.

"Then say it," Draco demanded, hitting a particularly deep spot on making Gen gasp.

"I love you!" she cried, and Leolin, who was disgusted for being made part of this, knew Gen was probably close.

She had to do something. She _wanted_ to do something. She didn't want Draco to push Gen off the edge. She didn't want him to finish inside of her. She picked up her wand, pointing it at the door.

"Sorry Roddy," she murmured, casting a sonic charm in the direction of Gen's voice.

She couldn't hear a thing, but she knew it worked, because Radames woke up immediately and began to bark. Knowing he wouldn't stop barking at Gen until Leolin's charm wore off of her, Leolin got up, grabbing her books and headed for the pool. It was six anyway. She could get in a few good hours of work before everyone else got up. She could hear the commotion in the next room as Gen demanded Draco make Radames stop.

Smiling grimly to herself, she descended the stairs and went outside, when the first ribbons of light where snaking across the sky. She set up her books and began to read, but she was only alone for about fifteen minutes before she heard Radames padding through the living room, panting happily. He immediately came to her side, laying his soft head in her lap. Draco was behind him.

"I bet you think you're terribly clever," Draco said to her dryly as Leolin continued to pet Radames.

"What are you talking about?" Leolin said, not looking at him.

"I see you're up early," he said pointedly in reply. "What a coincidence."

"Radames's barking woke me up," she said in a flippant tone.

She could tell by the way he was sitting that he was naked under his khaki trousers, and it made her throat ache a bit.

"How ironic," Draco said, standing and going to the bar. "Considering your charm woke him up."

She gave him a quizzical look.

"Oh come on, Lefevre," he said, eyes sparkling. "I know the nasty little effects of your charms better than anyone. Do me a favour, hmm?" Next time you're jealous, leave my dog out of it."

"I wasn't jealous," Leolin lied savagely, kissing Radames on the snout. "I just don't want to have to listen to you plough into her all night."

"Then buy earplugs," he said nonchalantly.

She threw a quill at him in hurt and frustration, but he only smirked in response.

"I'm going to bring someone home tonight and see how you like it," she bit out, grimly pleased when his smirk faded.

"Who, Max Brankovitch?" he spit.

"Maybe," she shot back.

"You wouldn't dare," he said in a low voice, eyes possessive.

"Why not?" Leolin said irritably, looking down at her books again. "Everyone in this house is having sex, why shouldn't I?"

He gave her a smouldering look.

"Fine, then," he snapped. "Spread your legs for whoever you want. Just don't do it here. I don't want to have to hear you moaning and crying all night. I know how loud you can be."

"That's exactly my point," Leolin snapped back. "No one wants to listen to their ex knocking boots."

Draco smirked again.

"So you are jealous."

"No," she bit out. "I just don't want to have to think about you in a—sexual context anymore."

"And yet you're thinking about it right now," he said evenly.

"Get over yourself; no, I'm not."

"I can still read you like a book, Lefevre. You're blushing, and you're avoiding looking at me directly." He came to sit at the end of her lounger she was on, leaning forward. "What's wrong, princess? Does it embarrass you that I'm practically naked? That twenty minutes ago I was hard as a rock and riding Gen like a mare?"

Leolin mustered all of her courage and looked up at Draco, giving him a nasty smile. She wasn't going to let him win this fight, no matter how deeply his words cut her.

"Would it insult you if I said the idea disgusts me?" she asked calmly, staring directly into his eyes.

"It might," he admitted mirthfully, eyes skating across her face in appreciative arcs. "If I thought it were true. Luckily for me, it isn't."

Leolin smiled again.

"I'm flattered that you still need my approval to feel sexually adequate," she said tartly.

He raised his eyebrows in challenge.

"I don't."

She leaned forward until she was sure he could see down her tank top and smell her Italian perfume.

"Don't you?"

He considered her.

"Very clever," he said at last, leaning in as well. "Trying to force me on the defensive so I'll forget that I had you on the ropes. You've been well-taught, Lefevre."

Leolin looked down at her books as if he was boring her. In reality, he was right. Thinking about him naked made her skin tingle.

"Get off my chair before a throw you in the pool," Leolin said flippantly, and Draco laughed and did as he was told.

"Not that I care," Leolin said after a minute. "But where did Gen run off to after your little spat?"

"Ashley's. She'll be back, though, don't worry."

"Oh, I'm not," Leolin assured him. "But shouldn't you be?"

"Shouldn't I be what?"

"It doesn't bother you how close they are?"

He laughed.

"What? You think I should be worried that they're sleeping together? They're first cousins, Lefevre."

"You say that as if it's an insurmountable obstacle."

He laughed again.

"You've really given this some thought, haven't you?"

"I just think it's strange how close they are," Leolin replied

"No closer than you and Blair," Draco pointed out. "And to answer your question: no, I don't worry. If she were fucking anyone besides me, I would know it."

"You put a fidelity charm on her?" Leolin demanded. "That's a little archaic, don't you think?"

"I didn't have to," Draco said. "Like you, she's a terrible liar, and _unlike_ you, she would never betray me like that."

"That's not fair," Leolin said quietly. "I never would have cheated on you."

"Correction," Draco said seriously. "You did betray me. Twice."

"That's not—"

"Save it, Lefevre. I'm over it. You don't have to apologize again. I know you're sorry."

She bowed her head, feeling cowed. Bloody gag order.

"So," she said, changing the subject. "What should I expect from today?"

"Just expect to hate it, " Draco said. "You should also probably expect to be treated as inferior because you're a woman. I would stick close to Brankovitch if you don't want to be bombarded by chauvinistic comments all day."

"I will take that under advisement," she seethed. "Though you should know that I don't promise I won't snap any finger that is laid on me, including Brankovitch's. Especially his, actually. "

He laughed quietly.

"I would expect nothing less."

There was a quiet pop, and Gen appeared at the edge of the deck dressed in a flowing maxi dress and no shoes. Her bright blonde hair was piled elegantly atop her head, and it annoyed Leolin to know she looked this beautiful this early in the morning.

Radames began to growl at Leolin's feet, but both Gen and Draco ignored him.

"Welcome back," Draco said evenly. "How's Ashley?"

Gen looked a little sheepish.

"He spent the night at Savannah's. I just went for a walk."

Leolin recalled that Savannah was the Adrian Pucey look-alike, and she fought not to scowl.

"Do you feel better now that you've had time to pout?" Draco asked patronizingly, acting as if she were a child.

Gen smiled and slid into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his strong shoulders.

"I'm sorry for being fussy," she said, smiling at him. "I was—caught up in the moment."

"Completely understandable," Draco said. "And why don't I make it up to you later?"

Satisfied, Gen looked up at Leolin.

"Good morning! Did you have fun last night?"

"It was fine," Leolin said flippantly. "Thanks for asking."

Gen smiled, sitting down next to Leolin on the lounger.

"Look," she said. "I know Max seems like a total cad, but I swear he isn't. Once you get to know him, he really is a doll."

"Good to know, I guess," Leolin replied.

Gen touched her knee, and she fought the urge to jerk away.

"He could be really good for you, if you let him," Gen continued.

"I appreciate your concern," Leolin said finally. "But I'm not interested in dating anyone right now. I have enough on my plate as it is."

Gen gave an apologetic shrug.

"I'm sorry," she said in mock reproachment. "I'll stop pushing. You're just so beautiful, Leolin. You deserve someone wonderful to sweep you off your feet."

"Why?" Leolin snapped, getting annoyed. "Just because I'm good-looking?"

Gen laughed, clearly a little less at ease now that Leolin was pushing back.

"Of course not. Because you're great!"

"Genevieve, enough," Draco said. "Stop pushing. You've made your pitch, now let it go."

"I'm sorry, Leolin," Gen repeated. "I'll stop, I promise. So what is it you're working on?"

Radames had begun to growl again, seemingly protective of Leolin, but Draco called him over and huffily he obeyed.

"Just…work," Leolin said simply.

The last thing she needed was Gen getting even a whiff of her troubles. The result would be understandably disastrous.

"May I see?"

Before Leolin could stop her, Gen picked up one of her pages of notes. However, it was windy on the deck, and when Gen removed the weight that held the papers down, several of them fluttered into the pool. Gen gave a look of genuine surprise, and Leolin felt that for once she hadn't done it on purpose. Still, her actions came with unintended benefits.

"Fuck!" Leolin cried at once, leaping up.

That was _days'_ worth of research. She would basically have to start over if she couldn't salvage the pages.

"Oh my stars!" Gen said at once, and she sounded embarrassed. "I am so sorry! Here, I'll get those. I'm so sorry," Gen repeated. "That was so stupid of me! Can I help you dry these off?"

"No!" Leolin said hastily. "It's fine. It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was," Gen said, frowning. "I really am so, so sorry."

"It's fine," Leolin repeated coldly. "It's not your fault."

"I still feel bad," Gen said in a genuine tone, retreating back to Draco sheepishly.

Leolin bit her tongue. She hadn't realized it, but her hands were shaking. That little mistake could have cost her Draco.

"Play nice, Lefevre," Draco said a thin voice, not looking away from the morning's Daily Prophet.

Leolin glared at him before her eyes bled to the headline.

**LA GENIE DU MAL MAKES OUT WITH HUNDREDS OF WORKS FROM THE NATIONAL MUSEUM IN ATHENS**

Her heart _stopped._

"Have you read that article about the art theft yet?" she demanded, making Draco frown quizzically.

"It's the usual," he said flippantly. "They stole a bunch of stuff. Mosaics, coins, vases, I don't know."

Leolin's thoughts were racing. She thought about what Lucius had said about seeking out La Genie. This was why. She had no earthly idea what Lucius could be looking for in a Muggle museum, both something twisted and acidic in her gut told her it was related to Adrian being in New Orleans. She felt like vomiting. She needed to speak to Severina immediately.

Aware that Draco was watching her keenly now, she shook her head in disgust.

"When are they going to catch that creep?" she said in frustration, vanishing her books again and standing.

"Why are you so upset?" Gen asked mildly. "He hasn't stolen anything for you, has he?"

"I _am _upset," Leolin snapped, happy to vent her frustrations on Gen. "And you should be, too. It's a disgrace."

Feeling that she now had ample enough reason to storm out, Leolin glared at Gen one last time before sharing a look with Draco and heading back inside.

"Lefevre—" Draco began, annoyed that she was leaving.

"I have to get ready," Leolin snapped.

The minute she was up the stairs, Leolin flew into the room and slammed the door, lighting the floo at once. Severina's face appeared moments later. She had given birth a week prior, and she was still glowing.

"Cara mia, did you see The Prophet? I was just getting ready to call you."

Leolin tossed her head in agitation, trying to impede the blood pounding in her skull.

"It's Lucius," she burst at once. "I know it."

Severina shook her head in incomprehension.

"How can you be so sure?"

Leolin gave a fretful sigh.

"It's-I-that's how he found me. He sent someone down to Rome to find out about hiring La Genie and whoever it was recognized me and went running back to Lucius. He wanted to send La Genie after whatever he was targeting in Athens."

Severina clenched her jaw. Leolin knew that she was seldom beaten at her own game, and it irritated her pride that Lucius had managed to sent someone so far into their operation that they were able to recognize Leolin.

"Well my next question is obvious," Severina said gravely. "What is he looking for?"

Leolin bit her lip so hard she thought it might bleed. She felt silly mentioning Bones, even to Severina. Still, she had yet to shake the feeling they were somehow connected. She explained what she'd seen in New Orleans and what the old man and Draco had told her about Jean Du Bones.

"I have heard of him," Severina said gravely. "We call him Gianno di Ossa. They save Cristobal Colón made a deal with him to save his sick crew when he landed in America. I think it is just a story, cara mia."

"That may be so, but Lucius still thinks it's true, and that's dangerous even if it turns out he's wrong. It means he's planning something."

"But what?"

"Why does anyone seek a Necromancer? He wants to bring someone back from the dead. It's not hard to guess who."

"No," Severina said. "Gianno di Ossa has other powers as well. It could be that Lucius is after one of those."

"What?" Leolin said. "Immortality? Invincibility? None of those bode well, Ri."

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" Severina asked. "We need to make a plan."

"I know," Leolin said. "I'm working on it. I just—ugh! I can't think! I feel like my head's going to explode!"

"Di cosa si tratta, cara? You seem distressed. Is it just Lucius?"

Leolin shook her head. She realized her hands were shaking again.

"It's Genevieve. She—it's worse than I thought. She's—"

"She's what?" Severina pressed.

"Lovely!" Leolin finished. "Not always, not to me, but she has this calm, delicate temperament that makes her seem so kind and non-threatening. And she'd really good at finding ways to hurt me that still seem like genuine attempts to be my friend. Yesterday she tried on a wedding dress just like mine because she said my style inspired her, then she let her friends go on about how slutty it was."

"She had your dress?" Severina demanded. "Where the hell did she get that?"

"It wasn't mine exactly," Leolin explained. "It was designed to look a lot like it."

"How does she even know what yours looked like?"

"One of the gossip rags printed a picture a few years back."

"That's sickening," Severina spit.

"It makes it impossible to stand up to her. She's so warm and friendly, it's hard to convince anyone she is trying to ruin me. Still, she has Draco's ear, and she isn't afraid to tell him what she thinks about me. She asked him to send me away."

"And what did he say?"

"He told her he couldn't."

"See?" Severina said. "He loves you still."

"I'm not sure anymore," Leolin sighed. "You should see the way he looks at her. It makes me sick to my stomach."

"What about you and Draco?" Severina asked. "Any progress?"

Leolin shook her head.

"I—I don't know. Sometimes I catch him looking at me when he thinks I can't see him, and there is…something in his eyes. Something I recognize. It's like he—I don't know. Other times, he looks at me like he wants to spit in my face. I can tell part of him still does love me. The problem is that I can't tell how dominant that part is. I'm afraid it's not enough."

"No," Severina said fiercely. "It is. I know it is."

Leolin laughed sadly.

"Thank you, but you have no basis for saying that," she said. "You're thousands of miles away, and you haven't seen Draco in years."

"I still know. Keep working on him, cara mia, and on breaking the charm. He will be yours again someday soon, I promise. In the meantime, don't worry about this little bitch. "

"If only it were that easy. We are all going to this charity thing today. I was hoping I'd be able to talk to Harry and see if he's heard anything about the Dark Lord through the Order, but I have a feeling I'm going to have to spend the whole day keeping an eye on Genevieve."

"Why don't you just kill her and make it look like an accident?" Severina suggested jokingly.

"Would that I could," Leolin said. "I never imagined it would be this hard. I haven't felt this threatened since—"

Severina laughed.

"Since me, you mean."

"Well, yes," Leolin said, smiling.

"I guarantee this little putain is nowhere near as beautiful or as cunning as I was," Severina said, her onyx eyes sparkling. "And even I was no match for you, cara mia. No te preocupes. She will find herself wanting in the end. Today, focus on finding out anything you can about il Negromante."

"Oh gods, I hope you're right," Leolin said, burying her face in her hands and trying to forget the sound of Draco's body as it pushed loudly against Gen's. "It's just—the way he looks at her scares me. I do think some part of him actually loves her, and I—I'm running out of time. They are getting married at the end of the summer."

"I know, cara mia, but be patient. All is not lost yet."

"I'm sorry to keep going on about me," Leolin said. "How are you? How is the baby?"

Severina gave a lovely laugh.

"You know me. I was ready to eat a steak and go dancing twenty minutes after she was born. And the baby è un angelo. Beautiful, just like her sisters."

"Have you found a name yet?"

"Sonia."

"I love it!"

"It was Xavy's pick. I admit at first I wanted Maddalena, but once I saw her I knew she was a Sonia."

"What do Isi and Angie think of her?"

"They love her, though Isi is a little annoyed Sonia never wants to play."

"I wish I'd had sisters," Leolin said wistfully.

"Then you will just have to have daughters," Severina said pointedly. "Little blonde ones. Listen, Leolin, I'm so sorry, but I have to go. I will see you soon, I promise."

"Let me know if you hear anything through the usual channels about the pieces they took in Athens."

"Of course. I will ask around and floo you. Te amo."

"I love you, too."

"And cara mia? Don't worry about Genevieve today. She will get what's coming to her, and soon."

"I hope you're right."

Severina winked.

"I always am. Ciao, cara."

Leolin waved and hung up, feeling weary again. It seemed as if she was being tugged in two different directions by two disparate problems. She was afraid to take an eye off either problem lest it rise up and swallow her, but at the same time, she didn't feel like she could defeat either one without diverting her whole attention to solving it. If only there were two of her: one to keep Gen in check and remind Draco she still loved him and one to solve the mystery of the necromancer and stop Lucius from doing whatever he was planning.

She looked at the clock. It scarcely seemed possible, but it was already nine thirty, and they were meant to leave at eleven. Merlin, she must have been on the floo a long time. She got in the shower at once, continuing to brood as she washed her hair. She knew she ought to tell Blaise and Ginny about the Necromancer, at the very least. It just didn't feel like the right time. She was aware it sounded insane, and she didn't want people to think that she was naïve or superstitious. That's why she wanted to talk to Harry first. Everyone had told him he was mad for going after the Hallows, but in the end his instinct about them had been spot on.

She got out of the shower and quickly dried her hair, wrestling it into an up-do before slipping into her undergarments and a skintight cocktail dress in snow white. It had been embellished with two mesh panels, which revealed more skin than she was sure was generally appropriate. Like most of Leolin's wardrobe, it was low cut in the back. She wore spindly nude heels on her feet. She knew Gen would find some clever way to call her a slut, but Leolin didn't care. She should have to shy away from it or be ridiculed for it. After all, wasn't that the point of feminism? Doing what one wanted without social restriction?

"Leolin!" Ginny called. "C'mon! Everyone's waiting!"

"Coming!" Leolin called, grabbing her netted hat and purse before rushing down the stairs.

Everyone was assembled in the kitchen, waiting to go. They all looked up as she descended the stairs, and no one failed to react. Blaise's eyes swept up then immediately down to the floor, knowing that even looking at Leolin's dress would get him into trouble with Ginny. Ginny, for her part, rolled her eyes, grumbling "Oh my Merlin."

Gen gave a look of veiled disapproval, and her look darkened as she caught Draco openly appraising Leolin. Leolin looked him boldly in the eye, trying not to shy away from the somewhat sharp edge in his gaze. She could tell part of him was agitated by her choice, but it seemed like there was perhaps a more dominant part that simply thought she looked beautiful. No one said a word, and after glancing at both Draco and Blaise, Ieuan piped up.

"Well, if no one else is going to say it, I am more than happy to: Lefevre, you have _truly_ amazing breasts."

"Stow it, Birdie," Draco growled, looking away and pushing Ieuan.

"Just stating facts," Ieuan said evenly. "Those are grade A. They almost make me wish I fancied girls again. Not quite, but close."

Leolin smiled

"Thanks, Bird."

"He's right," Gen agreed at once. "Leolin, you're an absolute vision. Still, are you sure you want to wear that? I mean it's lovely, but this is a charity event. People usually dress a little more—conservatively."

"It's the one white dress I brought," Leolin said innocently. She looked down, her eyes doleful as she ran her hands down the smooth fabric, emphasizing her flat stomach. "Do you really think it's too much?"

"No," Gen said, evidentially satisfied with simply pointing out that Leolin was dressed like a slag. "It's great."

Gen gave a false smile then turned back to Draco, wrapping her arms around him and tipping her head back.

"Should we go?" she asked, grabbing the white color of Draco's quidditch kit. "I don't want to be late."

He was still gazing at Leolin, but eventually Gen was able to drag his gaze back. She looked painfully beautiful as well.

"Certainly," Draco said, his eyes burning into Leolin again before he wrapped a hand gently around Gen's neck and kissed her softly.

Her eyes sparkled as she smiled up at him. She ran both hands up his chest, her engagement ring glinting dully in the light as she did so.

"I love you," she murmured quietly, and Leolin looked away.

"You too," he replied, kissing her again.

"Are you mad?" Ginny hissed in Leolin's ear, breaking her reverie. "Stop provoking Gen! Do you _want_ a repeat of yesterday?"

"I'm not provoking her," Leolin said defensively, trying to ignore Draco as he continued to heap attention on Gen. "This is how I always dress. If Gen doesn't like it, she doesn't have to look."

"There is no 'not looking'. Ieuan is right. You literally have the world's most perfect knockers."

"I know you didn't mean that as a compliment," Leolin said. "But can I still be flattered?"

Ginny whacked her with her ornate hand fan.

"No, you most certainly may not! How am I supposed to keep Blaise from staring? Merlin, how am _I _supposed to keep from staring?"

"Oh, it's okay," Leolin said smugly. "You can stare. I don't mind."

Ginny whacked her with the fan again, and Leolin laughed.

"You are bloody impossible," Ginny said, laughing a little as well. "And if Max Brankovitch goes into cardiac arrest upon seeing you, I'm not going to let you borrow my lawyer. You're going to have to hire your own."

"We should go," Draco said, hand slipping to the swell of Gen's arse as he ushered her forward. "The portkey leaves in two minutes."

They all nodded, and Ieuan offered Leolin his arm as they headed to the beach.

"I am not ready for this," Leolin muttered to herself, gripping the sleeve of Ieuan's kit nervously.

"What? The portkey, or this charity rot? Honestly, Lai, this is shit. You and Weasley are just as good as half the blokes who are playing in this thing. It's sexist and dumb you two can't play, too."

"I know," Leolin sighed as they all gathered around a worn sabre. "But what can I do?" Her eyes flicked to Draco as the countdown began, and not surprisingly, he was looking at her, too. "I just have to play the hand I was dealt," she finished quietly.

Ieuan nodded, putting a reassuring had to her back as they were all jerked away.

They arrived several minutes later at the sprawling tourney grounds, where three quidditch pitches and hundreds of tents had been set up. Everywhere Leolin looked she saw absurd hats and seas of black and white, and she irritably put hers on as well. It sat stylishly on the right part of her head, the netting cutting a dramatic arc from left to right.

"Merlin," Ginny said. "I already have a headache. Let's go get a drink."

"Do you think it's socially acceptable if we each get two?" Leolin replied, looking around.

"I wish," Ginny muttered, glancing up at Blaise and kissing him. "How long until the three of you play?"

"Draco and I don't play for an hour yet. Birdie, what about you lot?"

"Our match starts in an hour as well. I have to head over in about thirty minutes."

"Excellent!" Gen said. "Then y'all still have plenty of time to stay and be social first."

Just then a photographer arrived wanting to take press photos. They ended up being in pairs, and Leolin tried not to watch as Gen wound her arms possessively around Draco. After couples it was the boys, and after the boys it was the girls. Leolin carefully locked arms with Gen as they all smiled. After it was done the man thanked them, and Leolin fought not to jerk away.

"Come on," Ginny said softly, taking Leolin arm. "Gracie just flooed and said they are near the main tent. Let's go find her and Harry."

This raised Leolin's spirits a little. Maybe she could get Ginny to babysit Gen for a bit while she talked to Harry about the Necromancer. They walked around arm in arm to where the majority of the people seemed to be congregated. They both accepted a glass of champagne as they both looked for Harry. However, before they could find him, someone else found them first.

"Leolin!"

Leolin turned at hearing her name, fighting not to roll her eyes. This was the last thing she bloody needed right now.

"Max," she said as she watched him striding towards them. "Nice to see you again so soon."

"I hope you mean that," he said, hugging Gen and acknowledging Draco before purposefully striding towards Leolin and kissing her cheek before she could protest.

She flushed, and Draco's jaw tensed an almost imperceptible amount. She pushed him off and wiped her cheek.

"I was right about you and white," Max said appreciatively. "You look absolutely sinful." His eyes had no trouble finding her neckline, and his smile widened. "It's really not fair to the other women here. You're shining like the frigging sun right now; everyone else pretty much in your shadow."

Leolin wanted to point out that the sun didn't have a shadow, only created them, but Gen spoke before she had the chance.

"All of them, Brank?" Gen said, eyes sparkling with laughter. Leolin was relieved when Max's eyes dragged away to look at Gen.

"I'm afraid to tell you how beautiful you are, Genny. I don't want Malfoy to pummel me to dust."

"Very prudent," Draco snapped, making Max laugh.

"See what I mean?" Max laughed again.

"That's alright," Gen said warmly. "Draco will say it for you. Won't you, darling?"

Draco looked at Leolin for a moment then down at Gen.

"In my eyes," he said evenly. "You're always the most beautiful."

Gen smiled brightly, and Leolin looked away, her throat tight. She knew it was superficial, but even the idea that Draco found someone else more beautiful than her was painful to imagine. Max drew her out of her reverie by touching her bare back, and she wanted to push him off of her. She simply tensed her jaw instead.

"Did you have a good time last night?" he asked. "Sorry I couldn't be more help with the bogeyman stuff."

"What bogeyman?" Draco asked keenly.

"You know; the bogeyman in New Orleans. Jean du Bones."

"He's a necromancer," Gen said to Max.

"I did have a good time," Leolin cut in, not wanting to take this conversation any further. "Thank you for dinner."

Max smiled.

"Does this mean you'll let me take you out again?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

He laughed.

"That's definitely not the answer I was looking for. What's wrong? Were the oysters too forward?"

"Excuse me?"

Leolin tried and failed to avoid Draco's gaze. She knew what Max was implying, but she hoped he'd have the propriety to drop it; he didn't.

"Didn't you know?" Max said. "They're a huge aphrodisiac. Not that I took you out for oysters to get you to sleep with me, but—"

"No," Leolin said at once, flushing furiously. "I didn't even—it wasn't the food at all."

"Knock it off, Brankovitch," Blaise said in a dry voice. "You're making Leolin uncomfortable."

"I just want to make sure my position on the matter is clear," Max replied, winking at Leolin.

"You've been inescapably clear, I assure you," Blaise replied dryly. "Now try and avoid being obtuse."

Max ignored him.

"So it wasn't the food," he pressed Leolin. "Was it the company?"

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"No, I—" Leolin began, but she trailed off, seeing a familiar face over his shoulder and smiling beautifully. "I'm so sorry, will you excuse me one second?"

Max turned at once to see what was distracting her, and the arrogant smile slipped off his face as a tall, sandy-haired bloke approached.

"Kelly," Leolin breathed happily, coming towards him at once. "Kelly Troy! Merlin, I was hoping to see you today."

"Hello, love," Kelly said as he approached her, his eyes glittering as he smiled at her. "Long time, no see."

She laughed delightedly as he swept he off her feet, holding her hat on her head with one hand as he swung her around. She leaned back to smile at him. Seeing him ignited a warmth in her stomach she'd almost forgotten existed. Kelly was the only bloke in the world besides Draco she could actually love.

Kelly looked largely the same as he had when they'd been together seven years ago, with the same mussed hair and the same dimples. He seemed taller than she remembered, but that might have just been her imagination.

"Merlin, Leolin," he breathed. "You look absolutely gorgeous. And you haven't aged a day."

She laughed.

"Neither have you. Gods, it's good to see you."

His eyes glittered.

"You too."

By this time the other had approached, and Kelly set Leolin down as she adjusted her hat.

"Kelly, you know Max, right?" she said, ignoring Max's near pout.

"Of course," Kelly said, smiling and extending his hand. "You alright, Brank?"

Max smiled, trying to ignore how close Leolin was still standing to Kelly.

"Good to see you, Troy. Hope you're ready to lose."

Kelly smiled down at Leolin before winking.

"Oh please. I never lose." He turned to Ginny. "Ginny Weasley! How are you? It's been an age!"

"I'm good!" Ginny said. "You look well!"

"I am," Kelly affirmed, looking at Blaise.

"Kelly, I don't think you've ever met my fiancée, Blaise," Ginny said.

Kelly smiled.

"Oh no, I have. How are you, Zabini?"

Blaise nodded tersely. "Fine, thanks. You?"

Kelly nodded, his eyes finally sliding to Draco, whereupon all the warmth that had been shining in them went out. Kelly may have forgiven Leolin for what had happened, but he'd never forgiven Draco, nor would he. They stared at each other hatefully for a second before Kelly looked at Gen.

"I don't believe we've met," he said in a neutral tone, extending a hand. "I'm Kelly Troy."

"We haven't," Gen said warmly, slipping her palm into his. "I'm Genevieve, Draco's fiancée. It's so lovely to meet you; I've heard so many lovely things about you."

"I don't know if I should be nervous about that or not," Kelly admitted, and Gen gave a musical laugh.

"Everyone adores you, Kelly. Leolin thinks you walk on water."

Leolin knew she was trying to exploit the palpable tension between Draco and Kelly, but Leolin wasn't going to rise to the bait.

"He does," Leolin said, and he smiled at her again.

Kelly looked at Draco again before glancing back to Leolin.

"I admit I'm a little surprised to see the two of you here together," Kelly said, his tone protective as he regarded her again.

"I don't see what business it is of yours," Draco shot back. "You're married now, aren't you, Troy?"

Kelly smiled coldly even as Blaise shot Draco a warning look.

"You don't have to be shagging someone to care about them, Malfoy," Kelly bit out.

Draco laughed, and Leolin was growing fretful. She couldn't bear the thought of having to watch Kelly and Draco finally duke it out.

"You would know. You never _did _manage to seal the deal with Leolin, did you?"

"Draco!" Ginny admonished, and Leolin scowled at him, tempted to tell him that she and Kelly had actually slept together. She decided against it for all their sakes, and in any case Draco wasn't finished.

"What's wrong, Troy? Did you suddenly remember what happened the last time you tried to go head to head with me?"

Kelly shook his head, smiling in spite of how mad he clearly was. "That's what I've always hated about you, Malfoy. You're a chauvinistic little prick."

"Kelly," Leolin begged. "Just ignore him."

Draco only laughed again in response.

"Don't blame me for the fact you were always second fiddle, mate. You should have known better than to go after someone who had always been mine."

"Draco!" Gen seethed as Leolin blushed furiously.

She thought she might throw up.

Kelly gave Draco another nasty smile.

"You're right, _mate_. Bully for you." Draco looked smug, but Kelly wasn't done. "Then again, you couldn't quite seal the deal either, now could you?"

"Kelly!" Leolin snapped indignantly, and Draco looked ready to say something truly regrettable when a new voice interrupted.

"It's been almost ten years, and you two are still right where I left you: fighting over Leolin."

Leolin's head snapped up as Blaise's jaw fell open.

"No. Way," he murmured, stunned.

Everyone looked up as well. There, striding through the sea of black and white, was Severina Borgia in a dress of peacock blue, Xavier on her arm.

"Ri!" Leolin called in disbelief, forgetting the boys as she crossed the short distance and threw her arms around her friend.

Though Severina had just given birth a week prior, she still looked exquisite. She wore a flowing floo-length chiffon dress to disguise her still-rounded form, but she still had trim hips and pert breasts, and her face was as lovely as ever.

"No way," Blaise repeated in awe as she and Xavier both hugged Leolin, holding her between them as if she was their own child. "No _fucking_ way."

"Leolin and _Severina Borgia_?" Ginny demanded. "Am I dreaming this?"

"No," Kelly said in awe. "I think this is real."

"I can honestly say that don't think I could _be_ any more surprised," Ginny admitted.

Draco said nothing, but his eyes glittered as the he took the pair in. This confirmed what he'd already suspected: Leolin was working for the Borgia. He seemed displeased.

"What are you doing here?" Leolin whispered frantically as she hugged Severina.

"After this morning, I had to come," Severina said, still holding Leolin. "It seems like it's a good thing I did."

"Yes," Leolin breathed. "Thank you. Thirty seconds later and there probably would have been blood."

"Don't worry, cara mia. I'm here now."

Finally, they pulled away, and Severina's beautiful dark eyes found Draco first.

She shared a look with Leolin before advancing on him, kissing him firmly on the surprised lips. Genevieve gave an uncomfortable laugh, but Draco smirked in spite of himself.

"Sev," he said appreciatively. "I should have known."

She raised her eyebrows but said nothing in response, simply letting Genevieve fret over her beauty instead.

"Indeed. Have you met my husband, Xavier Borgia?"

"Keeping it in the family, I see," Blaise sniped, and Severina only smiled.

"Nice to see you, too, Zabini," Severina said, still smiling. "And you know how it is. Once a Borgia, always a Borgia."

"I'm sorry," Gen said, laughing again. "I don't think we've been introduced."

Severina turned her glittering eyes on Genevieve, eying her disdainfully.

"We haven't," Severina assured her. "Severina Borgia," she said, extending a hand. "You must be Genevieve. Leolin m'a dit tant de choses sur vous."

Gen gave an embarrassed laugh.

"I'm afraid you'll have to repeat yourself. I don't speak French."

"Non?" Severina said, smiling triumphantly as well. "Quel dommage. I only said that Leolin has already told me so many nice things about you."

"Isn't she lovely?" Gen said warmly, reaching over and squeezing Leolin's hand.

Uncomfortable, Leolin glanced at Ginny, who was giving her a look as if to say, _"what the fuck? Explain yourself!" _Leolin simply shook her head, indicating they would talk about it when they were alone.

"I agree," Severina said evenly. "We adore Leolin. Don't we, Xavy?"

"She's family," Xavier replied.

"And how is it that y'all know each other again?" Gen asking, smiling at Severina then Draco. "I feel so silly and out of the loop!"

"Me too," Max muttered, trying to decipher everyone's expressions.

Leolin had forgotten Max was even there. Merlin, if he still wanted to take her out after that circus, maybe she should just give up on Draco and marry him instead. She and Severina shared a look.

"Leolin is the godmother to my children, among other things," Severina said evenly.

"And you two?" Gen said in a warm voice seemingly devoid of jealousy. She was indicating Draco and Severina. She didn't show it, but Leolin knew she must have been sweating bullets. Severina was an earth-bound goddess.

"Draco?" Severina countered easily, smiling.

Draco clenched his jaw, and Gen looked expectantly up at him.

"Sev and I—dated for several months."

Gen laughed as if this _didn't_ annoy her.

"Before you dated Leolin?"

"During," Severina purred. "It was all rather _complicato_, wasn't it, Kelly?"

She turned her sparkling gaze on Kelly, who frowned outright.

"No thanks to you," he said tersely.

Severina laughed again.

"What can I say?" she purred, putting a hand on her husband's chest and smirking up at him. He smirked back. "I was a hopeless sinner before I met Xavy. But in my defense, I believe it was Zabini kissing Leolin that officially broke them up. I just saw an opportunity and took it."

Blaise gave her a nasty look

"Vaffanculo," he snapped.n

_"Fuck you," _he'd told her in Italian.

"I don't think I will, thank you," Severina practically sang.

"What does any of it matter?" Draco said tersely. "It's all ancient history."

"Indeed," Severina said. "Felicitazioni, by the way," she continued, eying Gen with piteous distain. "I hope you too are very happy together."

"Not to be blunt, Borgia" Kelly cut in. "But what are you doing here?"

"I came to see Leolin," Severina said. "I missed her."

"How in Merlin's name did you two become friends?" Ginny blurted, and Severina laughed.

"A long story," Severina said. "Too long a story for right now, I'm afraid."

Leolin opened her mouth to smooth some of the tension over before she caught sight of Adrian Pucey in the distance. He was striding purposefully across the lawn. She needed to go after him.

"Well I'm thrilled you're here," Leolin said. "But I'm afraid I have to step out for a moment. Why don't you all catch up and become friends?"

"Good idea," Severina said, dark eyes sparkling wickedly. "Genevieve, you and I can start."

"Lovely," Gen replied, smiling. "I'm sure Draco and I would both love to hear what Leolin got up to after she left London."

Leolin and Severina shared a look.

"I should be going, too," Max said. "My first match is it a few minutes. Give me a kiss for good luck?"

"You haven't done anything worthy of a kiss," Leolin pointed out, a bit distracted.

She didn't want to lose Adrian. The fact that he was still in The South was significant.

"What if I win?" Max pressed eagerly. "Will you give me a kiss then?"

"He's like a puppy," Severina murmured in Italian, and Blaise gave her a look to indicate he agreed.

Leolin was agitated by this distraction. "I don't know, ask me later."

"Good enough," he said, smiling before jogging off.

"Kelly," Leolin said, smiling. "It was so lovely to see you. I hope I'll see you again before the tournament is over."

"You will," he agreed, still eying Severina dubiously. "If not, then in London."

"Excellent," she said. "Gin, Ri, I will see you later. Save me a seat in the box." She looked up at Blaise and Bird before glancing a Draco. "Good luck today, boys."

They all nodded, and after giving Ginny and Severina one last acknowledgment, Leolin took off in the direction that she'd seen Adrian disappear into. Her mind was still reeling from Kelly and Draco and Severina, but she tried to relax. Gen had Severina to worry about now, which meant Leolin could focus on Adrian for the time being. If she was lucky, she'd be able to figure out what he knew about Jean Du Bones.

Unfortunately, the crowd was thickening as the matches drew closer, and Leolin lost sight of him for several minutes as she waded through the throng. However, just when she was afraid she'd lost him for good, she saw him disappear into a large white tent that was being used for food prep. Two seconds later, she saw Marcus Flint go inside as well. She never had liked him, despite what Madison Livingston thought.

Carefully as she could she followed, popping her head in cautiously before deciding it was safe and sneaking behind a tall rack of champagne flutes. Flint and Pucey had moved farther into the space and were now conversing in tense whispers. Remaining crouched, she slunk behind various pieces of furniture in an effort to get closer. Finally, when she was as close as she dared, she pulled and extendable ear out of her purse, fitting the earpiece in her ear so the pair wouldn't be able to hear that their voices were being magnified.

"—and did you find it?" Adrian was saying tersely.

"I don't know what I'm looking for!" Flint snapped. "You haven't given me anything to go on, Pucey!"

"Look, the specs are a bit scarce, but Malfoy is convinced we just haven't found the right one yet!"

"Malfoy doesn't know what he's on about. This is a story for children! There is no necromancer!"

"Malfoy says there is."

"Then maybe he's not as bloody clever as you seem to think."

"Look, Malfoy may be a lot of things, but he's not a fool. If he thinks it's out there somewhere, then it is, and you damn well better find it."

"Well while I'm running all over the globe looking for one needle in a stack of needles, what are you doing? Did you get the other witch doctor?"

"Baudry Des Lozières? Yeah, Rookwood and I tortured him and he ended up giving us an address. We brought him, but it turned out there was nothing there. He's dead now, stupid blighter."

"Maybe you didn't find anything because there was nothing to find!"

"You're not being paid to be cynical," Adrian demanded. "Just do as you're told and stop asking stupid questions."

"I don't even know what I'm looking for!"

"Just keep doing what you're doing. Someone else will handle interpretation."

"Who?"

"The less you know, the better."

"Who put you in charge of me?" Flint spit. "I don't take orders from you, Pucey."

"I'm in change because you're a fucking idiot who took eight years to graduate school, and because Malfoy trusts me. You _do_ take orders from me."

"Well you better hope that Draco doesn't get wind of what you're up to," Flint warned. "Lucius or no, he will tear you limb from fucking limb. I know you're still scared of him, Pucey; don't deny it."

"Screw Draco," Adrian said nastily. "When this is all over, I'm going to make him watch while I get my hands on Lefevre and fuck her little cunt until she _begs_ me for more. Then maybe I'll do the same to that stupid American whore of his, though I doubt he'll care as much."

Leolin's heart was beating in her ears. She reminded herself what could happen to her if she got caught.

"Fine," Flint snapped. "I'll go, but if I get caught—"

"Do us a favour, then: don't get caught."

"That's rich, coming from you," Flint said moodily. "You have the easy job."

"Fine, you want to torture people? Be my guest. I'll be scrubbing Lozières's blood out of these boots for a month! These are Spanish leather!"

Marcus frowned, disgusted.

"What don't you just crucio him like a normal person?"

Adrian shrugged irritably.

"Crucio's no good for getting information from someone. It addles the victim's mind too much. If you want the truth, you have to peel it off their flesh. Flayed men can't keep secrets."

Leolin shuddered, and it made one of the carts near her move an inch.

"Shh," Adrian said at once. "Did you hear that?"

He drew his wand, and so did Marcus. Leolin's thoughts were racing, but she tried to remain calm. In about twenty seconds, Adrian was probably going to cast a homo revelio to see if they really were alone. That meant she had two options: she could apparate, which would betray she'd been there but remove her from danger. She only had to hope they didn't connect the dots back to her. Adrian was right; he wasn't the same little boy she'd known in school, and she after what had happened at Draco's engagement ball and what he'd just said about her, she had to admit she was terrified of him. Her other option was to cast a wordless cloaking spell and hope that it was strong enough to fool Adrian's countercharm. Of course, if it wasn't, she wouldn't have time to get away; she'd be caught. She didn't even want to imagine what that entailed.

Adrian raised his wand. Fight or flee? Fight or flee?

"Ho—"

_Protego_!

Leolin squeezed her eyes shut as Adrian finished his incantation. She felt the charm sweep over her, but after a minute, nothing happened.

"See?" Flint demanded. "You're bloody paranoid, Pucey."

"I swore I heard something," Adrian said sullenly.

"Well, you didn't."

Adrian looked around.

"You should go. You have work to do."

Flint nodded.

"I'll owl you when it's done."

"Good," Adrian said. "And no mistakes, Flint; I mean it."

Marcus muttered something foul before disapparating. Adrian was only alone a minute or so before someone else appeared in a whirling pop. Cautiously, Leolin peered around the tower so she could see the newcomer.

It was a young girl no older than twenty with dark hair, a dainty button nose, and enormous blue eyes. She was dressed in a black cocktail dress that only served to emphasize how skinny she was, though Leolin could see a thin knife strapped to her thigh through the absurdly high slit in her skirt. Clearly she wasn't as innocent as she looked.

"Torrii," Adrian said, smirking now. "You're late. I had began to worry you weren't going to show."

She considered this as she approached, fingering the black tie around his neck before looking up at him.

"When have you even known me not to come through?"

Her right palm slithered meaningfully down his chest to the front of his khaki trousers, eliciting a throaty laugh from Adrian. Leolin for her part, wanted to vomit. If they started shagging, she was leaving, consequences be damned.

"Maybe later," Adrian said, gently pushing her hand away even as he studied her appreciatively."Right now we need to talk business."

"Langdon never makes me wait," she reminded him huffily.

Leolin could tell by her intonation that at least one of her parents was Welsh. And she must have been talking about Langdon Mcnair. He'd been about five years ahead of Leolin in Slytherin; it didn't particularly surprise her that he was working for Adrian.

Adrian grabbed Torrii by the wrist.

"Then run along back to him," he sneered nastily. "But we both know I'm ten times the shag he is. He doesn't know how to fuck you like I do."

Torrii gave a small huff.

"Fine," she said. "What is it I can do for you?"

"Where are we?" Adrian said cryptically.

However, Torrii seemed to know exactly what he was talking about.

"It's all but done."

"I don't want any mistakes,"Adrian warned. "It will be on your head if this goes sideways."

"It won't," Torrii assured him. "All the pieces are already in place. By the time they realise what's happened, we'll be long gone."

Adrian nodded.

"Good. Floo me when it's done. We need to get to the safe house before they get a chance to come after him."

Him? Leolin wondered. Who him? Who or what were they talking about?

"Is that all, then?" Torrii queried, reaching out to touch Adrian again.

He stopped her before she could.

"Don't be so hasty. What about the bokors?"

"Guillarme Audige is the man you're looking for. They call him 'The King of the Quarter'. Everyone swears he's the one to answer all your questions."

"Where can I find him?"

"He's not really one to hide. Though I might wait for the festival. It will make him easier to get to."

"Good work."

"Anything else?"

"As a matter of fact," Adrian said, tucking some hair behind her ear.

She batted his hand away, annoyed at the condescending gesture.

"What?" she demanded.

"I want you to keep an eye on Leolin Lefevre. I would do it myself, but I don't really have the time right now."

"Why?" Torrii demanded. "What does she matter?"

Adrian laughed.

"Are you jealous, Victoria?"

"Of what?" she sneered caustically. "I could get fake tits too, if I wanted."

Adrian laughed again.

"Oh believe me, those aren't fake."

Leolin felt sick to her stomach.

"How do you know?" she snapped.

"So you are jealous," Adrian mused. "I can't imagine why. You know what we sometimes have doesn't mean anything to me, and I let you run around with McNair when I'm not in London."

"I'm not jealous," Torrii said in a bored voice. "I just don't see why it's my job to babysit that cow."

"She works for La Genie du Mal," Adrian said, clearly growing annoyed with her push back. "She's going to know the Athens job wasn't him, and she's going to start asking questions. I need to know which ones so I can deal with her."

"Why don't you just let me handle it?" Torrii said. "She won't be able to ask any questions if she's dead."

"Because," Adrian said. "I still need her to play her part. Besides," he sneered. "I promised that little bitch I was going to teach her a lesson in respect, and I have no intention of going back on that promise."

"What are you going to do to her?" Torrii said eagerly.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he replied, annoyed at her prying.

"You're going to fuck her, aren't you? Honestly, I don't understand what you lot find so alluring about her."

Leolin bit her lip. She knew she wasn't ready for Adrian's response, no matter what it was.

"If you were a bloke, you'd understand," Adrian said. "Besides, it doesn't concern you. Just do as you're told and stop being so insolent."

"Fine," Torrii huffed. "I'll keep tabs on her for now."

"Good girl," Adrian said. "Now run along; I'm busy."

She didn't immediately move, and Adrian and Leolin both seemed to sense why.

"I'm not going to fuck you when you're being a little brat, Torrii," he sneered. "Get out and find Lefevre. If you bring me something I can use by the end of the day,I will give you a treat. If not, you can go fuck yourself, for all I care."

"You're a prick," she snapped, clearly embarrassed he'd repeatedly rebuffed her advances.

He grabbed her skinny arm again, and this time it was so hard she cried out in pain.

"_Don't_," he snarled. "Speak to me like that. Is that clear?"

She did say anything, just stared sullenly up at him.

"Are you fucking deaf?" he demanded. "Answer me!"

He must have been squeezing harder, because despite her best efforts to remain impassive, she cried out again.

"Victoria, so help me Merlin, do as I say or I will make your life a living Hell."

"Yes, okay, fine!" she said a little breathlessly, though she still managed a steely edge in her tone.

Adrian let go and smoothed his hair off his brow, eye sparkling as Torrii ruefully rubbed her arm.

"Get out of my sight," he said coolly. "_Now._"

Seeming to realize that she'd gotten in over her head, Torrii nodded.

"Yes, sir."

With a crack she vanished. When she was gone Adrian gave an annoyed growl before he disappeared as well.

When she was satisfied she was alone, Leolin let out an audible breath of relief. She didn't even what to think about what would have happened if Adrian had caught her snooping. And who was that girl? She made a mental note to ask Draco about her; he would know.

She considered what she'd , that hadn't been Voldemort she'd seen Adrian carrying in the Quarter; it had been another witch doctor. She didn't know whether to be relieved it wasn't the Dark Lord or sickened that Adrian had flayed the poor man. And what was it that Adrian had Marcus Flint looking for in Athens? She supposed she wouldn't know until she went to see for herself. Or rather, when she sent Naomi.

She stood. She needed to find the others. As soon as they got home, she needed to tell Ginny and Blaise what she'd found out. Blaise could fill Draco in later.

As inconspicuously as she could, she slipped out of the tent, fixing her absurd hat and striding back to their box in the second of the three miniature stadiums. She arrived to find that Draco and Blaise's match was already finished, as was Ieuan's, and the last match of the day, which was Max's, was just about to begin.

Everyone look up as she entered, and she found Severina's gaze immediately. Ginny, she noted, was out of the room.

"Where did you run off to?" Draco asked, taking a sip of his whiskey and watching her keenly.

In his fitted quidditch trousers and tight kit, he looked good enough to eat. Still, Leolin turned her head away from him.

"Don't talk to me," Leolin said curtly. "I can't fucking _believe_ how rude you were to Kelly."

Draco laughed.

"What does it matter? He's not your boyfriend anymore."

"It _does_ matter," Leolin countered. "He's my friend, and you had no right to be so unkind to him."

"She's right, Drake," Gen said disapprovingly. "That was uncalled for. Here," she said to Leolin. "Have a drink."

She extended a fresh gin martini to Leolin, who took a heady sip before setting it down.

"Where's Ginny?" Leolin asked.

She decided on the walk over from the tent that she would tell Ginny and Severina what had happened immediately.

"She ran into her boss and got roped into hand-holding in his box," Blaise explained. "She said she'd be back in a few minutes."

"Oh," Leolin said. "Well, I'm going to go freshen up," she announced pointedly, catching Severina's eye again.

"For Brankovitch?" Blaise asked dryly.

"Maybe," Leolin said tartly.

"He asked if you'd give him a kiss if he catches the snitch," Gen laughed. "Will you?"

"In his dreams," Leolin snapped.

"I'll go with you," Severina said at once, kissing Xavier before standing.

Gen smiled at them as the girls linked arms and retreated.

"Hurry back, Leolin. We've barely seen you all day."

When they were in the hall, Severina rolled her eyes.

"I see what you mean about Genevieve. She unnervingly—"

"Charming?" Leolin supplied. "I know. It almost makes her hard to dislike, at least at first."

"I know," Severina said. "Which just makes me what to claw her eyes out even more. What did you find out?"

"Lucius has one of my old schoolmates Marcus Flint stealing the art, but I still have no idea why. It definitely has to do with the necromancer, though."

"Have they found him yet?" Severina asked.

Leolin shook her head.

"They don't even have proof he's real, though apparently Lucius is convinced he is."

"But I thought you said you saw Adrian carrying the Dark Lord to meet Bones."

"I was wrong. That was another bokor named Lozières. They'd been torturing the poor bloke for information on Bones's whereabouts."

Severina winced.

"Che barbaro. So this Lozières didn't know where to find Bones?"

"If he did, the secret died with him. When Bones wasn't where Lozières said he'd be, Adrian killed him. Now he's after someone else. Guillarme Audige. He's a high-rankng bokor. They're going to bleed him next unless we get there first."

Severina pursed her lips.

"That is terrible, but at least we can still hope that Malfoy is chasing a myth and not a demigod."

"Yeah," Leolin said. "But how many more innocent people have to die befo—"

Severina frowned quizzically as Leolin doubled over as if she was going to be sick.

"Leolin?" she said, rubbing her friend's back. "You alright, cara mia?"

"I—" Leolin began. "Have you seen Max Brankovitch?"

"What?" Severina demanded. "What are you talking about?"

"I love him," Leolin blurted. "I—I think I love him."

Severina watched her critically for a second before swearing.

"That little _bitch_!"

Leolin shook her head.

"Why do I love Max?" Leolin asked, panicked. "I don't love Max! I love Draco. No, I don't. I definitely love Max. Why did I ever love Draco?"

Severina gripped her shoulders gently but firmly.

"Leolin, listen to me. Gen dosed you with a love potion. Take a deep breath and try to accept that what you're feeling isn't real."

"It feels real," Leolin said fretfully. "I think it might be real. I think I'm just going to let it be real."

"I know," Severina said calmly. "But it isn't. I'm going to get you an antidote, but you have to keep it together, capisce?"

Leolin was only growing more fretful.

"I don't want a antidote, Ri," she said, her movements a little manic. "I don't want you to take this feeling away. It's warm! I like it!"

Just then, Ginny appeared around the corner. Upon seeing Leolin's agitated state, she frowned.

"Oy, Lai, are you alright? Merlin, Borgia, let go of her. You're only making her more upset."

"Ginny!" Leolin cried, her voice a half-whine of desperation. "Have you seen Max Brankovitch?"

"No, why?"

"Because I want to kiss him really badly."

Ginny looked at Severina quizzically, who frowned.

"Genevieve slipped her a love potion."

"No, she didn't," Ginny said in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"Look at Leolin!" Severina demanded. "She's a wreck."

Ginny clenched her jaw. "We should show her to Draco. This is crossing the line."

Severina shook her head.

"It won't do any good. See how fretful she is? That means the potion was laced with a perception modifier. I bet to the boys she would seem normal. But when she sees Brankovitch, she's going to be all over him. Draco's going to go through the roof."

"It doesn't take long to brew the antidote," Ginny said, snapping at a server who'd just appeared from one of the other VIP boxes. "You, get over here. Do you have quill and parchment?"

He produced both, and she began scrawling the ingredients and instructions.

"Go brew this immediately. Bring it to box five when you're done."

She practically threw the quill back at him and he scuttled away.

"Let's just hope it's a long match," Ginny said grimly.

"Or that Brankovitch doesn't win," Severina replied.

Ginny shook her head.

"That's not likely. But we could keep her out here just in case he catches the snitch before the antidote is ready.

Severina shook her head, petting Leolin's hair softly as the latter continued to shake.

"We should bring her to the boys. When the modifier kicks in, she won't be so manic."

Ginny clenched her jaw.

"I honestly didn't expect Gen to do something this nasty."

Severina's eyes flashed.

"Now you know what kind of a person she really is."

"Yeah," Ginny said, almost dazed. "I guess I do."

They helped Leolin to her feet.

Ginny smiled grimly at Severina.

"I always assumed I'd loathe you if I met you in person," Ginny said.

Severina smiled as well.

"Hatred makes strange bedfellows, doesn't it?" Severina replied.

"Indeed," Ginny said. "Though if Leolin cares about you, you can't be all evil."

"I'm a wicked enemy," Severina said seriously. "But I assure you I'm a hell of a friend."

With that, they re-emerged into the box, and Leolin's demeanor relaxed entirely. It was clear she had no memory of her affliction. Gen watched her keenly as she sat down near the front of the box, eagerly watching Max fly.

"What were you three up to?" Blaise said as Ginny sank into his lap.

She and Severina shared a dangerous look.

"We were plotting the downfall of our enemies," Severina said pointedly, looking at Gen.

Draco gave a bemused laugh.

"Sounds sinister."

Severina smiled dazzlingly in reply.

"Oh it was, believe me."

The next fifteen minutes passed in what was tense semi-silence, though Severina and Ginny were the only two who knew why. Max had had some near-catches, and Leolin's heart stopped every time he missed.

She just wanted to kiss him. Kiss him and never stop. Finally, her opportunity arose.

"And here comes Brankovitch! He and Anderson Jack are nearly neck and neck now, but we all know who the better flier is. Brankovitch is pulling forward. Merlin, he is graceful for such a brawny guy. Oh he's so close! Just six more inches!"

Ginny jumped up, running to the hall. The potion should be ready. She just had to find the bloke. Severina's knuckles were white as she balled her hands into fists.

"Brankovitch almost has it and—HE DOES! No surprise here, folks, but American superstar Max Brankovitch has caught the snitch!"

Severina looked fretfully to the door as Leolin stood. Max was already on his way to the box. Ginny was running down the hall with the bottle in her hand. She appeared in the doorway just as Max approached the box's entrance, and she knew she was probably going to be a second too late. She and Sev shared a panicked look before Ginny tossed her the bottle. Severina caught it, but Leolin was already stepping forward, smiling blithely at Max.

Ginny came forward as Severina tossed her the bottle back. No one seemed to notice their antics, because suddenly it felt like the whole stadium was waiting to see what Leolin and Max where going to do. Ginny was on Leolin now, but there was no way to stop her without causing a scene. Finally, Severina caught Ginny's eye a last time, and understanding what she intended, Ginny tugged Leolin away just as Severina took her place, twining her fingers in Max's dark hair and kissing him passionately.

"Severina!" Xavier cried, but the crowd erupted in wild cheers as she continued her assault.

Despite knowing she was married, Max met her touch fervently, reveling in what was his one and only chance to kiss the most beautiful woman in the world. Meanwhile, Ginny shoved the antidote down Leolin's throat just as Leolin began to panic. She relaxed as the tonic touched her tongue, and she looked up at Ginny, relieved.

"Thank you," she breathed.

Ginny touched her shoulder.

"Anytime, my love."

By now, Severina had finally released Max, and she raised a flute in toast to Leolin and Ginny.

"Cheers!"

"And confusion to our enemies," Ginny chimed.

* * *

Later than night, they were all trudging up the beach towards the house, smiling and laughing. Severina had taken an understandably sullen Xavier home, though the rest of them were still discussing the kiss ad nauseam.

"I can't _believe _Borgia did that!" Ieuan laughed. "And in front of her husband, no less."

"You just said it," Ginny said with fake derision, squeezing Leolin's hand and winking at her. "She's a Borgia. She can't stand when the attention is on anyone other than herself."

Leolin smiled back. It warmed her heart to know she had friends as loyal as Ginny and Severina, and that the two of them would likely be friends now, too. It made Genevieve and Lucius and Jean du Bones so much easier to bear.

"Where you going to kiss him, Lefevre?" Blaise said.

"Of course she wasn't," Ginny answered.

"Don't be coy, Lai!" Gen said like they were friends. "You were so going to do it!"

"I was just fucking with him," Leolin laughed. "He had to know I wasn't actually going to give him the satisfaction. He's lucky Severina stepped in; that was certainly a better deal."

"I'll say," Blaise said.

"I don't believe you!" Gen said in a sing-song voice. "I think Max is growing on you!"

"I wouldn't do something that public even if he was," Leolin said. "After all, this was a charity event," Leolin said, and Draco regarded her with bright eyes.

"She's got you there, darling," Draco said.

"What's that up ahead?' Blaise interrupted. "That glowing thing?"

Draco's arm slipped from around Gen as he frowned.

"That's my mother's patronus," Draco said.

As the approached, they could see the glittering vixen sitting calmly in the sand, its silvery tail swishing back and forth. When they were close enough, the creature began to speak with Narcissa's voice.

_Draco,_

_Someone's sacked the house. They stole several works of art and kidnapped your stepfather_ the form said in an echoey imitation of Narcissa's clipped tone. _I need you to come home at once._

Draco looked up, all jokes forgotten. He glanced at Gen for a moment before his eyes flicked to Leolin.

"Pack a bag, Lefevre. You and I leave for London within the hour."


	10. Chapter 9: Mum's The Word

A/N:. Keep sending me y'all's suggestions and predictions! I think there will be some VERY strong opinions about this chapter…

**Chapter Nine: Mum's The Word**

"_You look beautiful," Draco said, smiling at his mother in the mirror._

_She smiled back._

"_Thank you, darling."_

_She turned back to the mirror, smoothing her simple silk gown. Narcissa Black-Malfoy was as beautiful a bride at 37 as she had been at 17. Her luminous blonde hair had been curled and arranged to perfection, and the dress Amelie Bellenger had designed for her fit her slender frame like a glove._

"_Father sends his regards," he said, and she gave a dry smile. "And his regets. He and the mrs. are still on holiday in the Alps."_

"_Yes, I'm simply devastated he couldn't be here. And I was hoping to finally get a chance to meet Verena. How is she, by the way?"_

_Draco smiled wryly._

"_I have to keep reminding myself she's my stepmother and not my little sister."_

_Narcissa pursed her lips._

"_I still can't believe Lucius married a girl your age."_

_Draco raised his eyebrows, smiling._

"_Jealous, Mum?"_

"_Terribly," she dryly. "I suppose I will just have to settle for marrying Sebasten instead."_

"_Indeed," Draco replied._

_They were quiet for a few minutes as Draco watched his mother place a glittering diamond circlet on her brow. She looked like legitimate royalty._

"_Are you happy?" Draco asked at last, taking a seat on the couch behind her._

_She nodded._

"_I thought I was happy the day I married your father, but I realize now that I had no idea what happiness really meant back then."_

_Draco gave a small smile, trying to mask the dull ache her words caused. His mother noticed._

"_Thank Merlin for you," she said seriously. "If I hadn't had you, I would have killed myself years ago."_

"_Mum—" Draco began, but Narcissa turned to face him._

"_It's true."_

"_You hate him that much?"_

"_You know I do."_

"_In that case, I don't think you're going to love what I say next."_

_Narcissa frowned._

"_Don't tell me you're going to work for your father again."_

_Draco stood, pacing. "Okay, I won't tell you, then."_

_Narcissa's frown deepened._

"Draco, tell me y_ou didn't! Why? After everything Lucius's put you through, why would you go back to him?"_

"_I don't work for him; I work for myself. He's minister now, I'm the one running the show over there, and the company needs me. This is my legacy, Mum. I'm not going to throw it away because of him."_

"_Draco, he's dangerous."_

_Draco rolled his eyes._

"_No one knows that better than me, I assure you. But it's been a year since—and I need to get back to my real life. I need to start moving on. That includes resuming my role as CEO at Enterprises."_

_Narcissa swept over to him, touching a hand to his cheek._

"_I worry about you, is all. Ever since—I worry about you all the time, and I don't want to see you—struggle again."_

_He gently pulled her hand away._

"_I'm done struggling, I swear."_

_She gave him a hard look._

"_Honestly, I'm fine."_

"_But are you happy?" Narcissa pressed._

_Draco sighed._

"_I—I'm fine."_

"_When are you going to venture beyond 'fine'? Dahlia Greengrass told me that Daphne broke up with that Graham Montague again. You should take her out for dinner."_

_Draco gave a defeated laugh._

"_I'm not taking Daphne on a date."_

"_Why not? She's a beautiful girl."_

"_Because!" Draco said, still laughing._

"_Because why?" Narcissa pressed._

"_Mum, stop prying."_

"_I'm your mother; it's my job to pry. Give me one good reason not to pry and maybe I will stop."_

"_I'm just—I'm not—"_

"_Not—?"_

"_Ready. I'm not ready to start seeing someone yet. I know Leolin's been gone a year but I—I'm not ready to replace her."_

"_Do you still love her?" Narcissa asked._

_Draco sighed, running two hands through his hair before sinking onto the couch and rubbing his tired eyes._

"_Of course I do," he groaned. "Part of me will always love her."_

"_Then go after her!" Narcissa demanded._

_Draco looked up, somewhat surprised._

"_What?"_

"_Draco, if you still love her then __**go after her**__. I know she and I were never the closest of friends, but I do know that she loved you, too. That kind of thing is worth fighting for."_

"_I wouldn't even know where to look. No one knows where she is."_

"_Not even her family? Her mother?"_

_Draco shook his head._

"_It's like she's vanished."_

"_If anyone could find her, it's you."_

"_Maybe I don't want to find her," Draco said sullenly._

"_Then let her go and be happy," Narcissa replied._

"_You say that like it's easy," Draco said. "It's been a __**year**__, and I still can't stop thinking about her. She's still everywhere I go. I swear to Merlin, I must see her face fifty times a day. It's fucking madness."_

_Narcissa carefully swept over, easing down to sit next to her son before touching his knee gently. As she did, the sickle-sized diamond on her finger winked up at him._

"_That's why you need to start trying to move on. It won't feel right at first, but you have to keep trying until it does."_

_Draco glanced sidelong at her._

"_What if it never does?"_

_She patted his knee reassuringly again before standing to affix her veil._

"_It will. I promise."_

"_How do you know that?"_

"_Draco, I know it's not in your nature to trust me and, unfortunately, I can't exactly blame you, but trust me on this: some day you will wake up and it won't hurt anymore because you won't love her anymore."_

"_I hope you're right."_

"_I am. Believe me, someday sooner than you think we'll be going to your wedding."_

"_Why don't we just focus on yours today?" he said, extending his arm to her._

_She smiled, taking his arm._

"_I'm happy you're here with me."_

_He smiled back at her, brushing a soft kiss on her cheek._

"_So am I."_

* * *

Leolin was throwing clothes into her open suitcase, trying not to listen to the fight ensuing in the next room.

"Genevieve, that's _enough_. I have to go! I can't debate this you anymore. I should be gone already."

"I know you have to go," Gen sobbed. "Just _please, _take me with you! I'm your fiancée; I want to be there for you."

"I know, darling," Draco said more gently. "And I appreciate it. But this situation is stressful enough on its own; I don't want to make it worse."

"Are you saying I'll make it worse?" Gen sobbed miserably. "Is that really what you think of me?"

"G, of course not."

"Then let me come with you!"

"Sweetheart, please. Things between you and my mum are—complicated, and right now we don't have time for complicated."

"That's not—"

"No—," he said tiredly. "Please don't deny it. You being there will only make it worse. She's been through enough tonight. I don't need you two torturing each other. I will be gone two days. Three, tops. Just stay here and relax. I'll be back before you know it."

The door adjoining Draco and Gen's room to Leolin's burst open, and Draco strode in, Gen on his heels. She looked uncharacteristically unkempt, and her cheeks were stained with tears. Despite everything, Leolin felt bad. Gen looked agonized.

"Please, Draco, _please_," Gen begged. "You're breaking my heart. Let me come with you."

Draco gave her a pained look but ignored her pleading, choosing to look at Leolin instead.

"Are you ready?"

"Almost," Leolin said meekly, ignoring Gen as well.

"Hurry up."

"How can you take her and not me?" Gen whispered, distressed.

"I'm sorry," Draco bit out. "But whoever kidnapped my stepdad also ransacked his art collection. Leolin's an expert; I want her to analyze what's missing and see what the thieves were after."

"You could hire someone to do that," Gen pointed out. "Please, Draco, _please_: at least don't take her with you! I'm _begging_ you."

Draco ran two hands through his pomaded hair, ruining its carefully crafted style.

"I don't want to," he snapped. "Believe me!"

This stung, and Leolin bit her lip and looked away. She knew they were traveling together under somewhat dire circumstances, but part of her hoped that he was bringing her because she was the one he wanted by his side in times of distress.

"Then why are you?" Gen demanded.

"Genevieve, _please_," Draco grit out in pain and agitation. "Stop asking questions I've already answered. I don't want this to get outside the family, and Lefevre is damn good at what she does. I probably couldn't hire anyone better on this short of notice."

"Drake," Gen sobbed. "Am I really supposed to believe that this is just about stolen art? That this isn't just some excuse to be alone with her?"

"Yes!"

"How can you_ possibly _expect me to believe that?" she cried, looking Leolin up and down hatefully. Leolin was still in her ridiculously revealing dress from earlier.

"Because I'm telling you to," he retorted. "And because it's the truth."

"This is exactly what she wants!" Gen said as if Leolin wasn't there. "Can't you see that?"

"What are you suggesting?" Draco said. "That Leolin orchestrated a kidnapping in the hopes that I would take her to London with me for the weekend? C'mon, Gen, listen to yourself!"

"Look me in the eye right now and tell me it's not because you want to sleep with her!"

"Damnit, woman, knock it off!" Draco cried in agitation.

"That wasn't a no!" Gen pointed out fiercely, stamping her foot.

Draco finally looked back at her, grabbing her by the wrists and hauling her up before slamming her against the wall and kissing her fiercely.

Leolin couldn't fight the small but sharp intake of breath that escaped her lips, before she quickly looked away again, stuffing the last of her things in her travel bag.

Gen struggled against Draco's touch before melting into it, moaning as his lips dragged from her mouth to her jaw. She knotted a hand desperately in his hair as he pushed her backwards into their own bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

Leolin flushed, a nasty pit forming in her stomach as she heard them tearing each other's clothes off. Hurriedly, she changed into a comfortable sweater and black skinny trousers and grabbed her bag before heading down to the kitchen the wait. Blaise and Ginny were already there, sitting on the counter and drinking whiskey.

"Where's Draco?" Blaise asked as Leolin approached, setting down her bag and pouring herself a finger's worth as well.

"Upstairs still. He and Gen are—"

Ginny wrinkled her nose.

"Gross."

Leolin shrugged, trying to smile.

"I—it doesn't bother me."

"Are you ready to face Narcissa?" Ginny asked.

"After Gen," Leolin admitted. "She will be a welcome change. At least she and I speak the same language, even if it is just cold British bitch."

Blaise raised his eyebrows.

"Fair enough, I suppose," Ginny replied.

Blaise pursed his lips. Perhaps Ginny hadn't told him what Gen had done yet or perhaps he was more forgiving, but he didn't seem to approve of them bashing Gen.

"Listen," Leolin said, looking up to the second story. "There is something I need to tell you before I go."

"What's up?" Ginny said.

"I can't get into specifics right now," Leolin said. "But you should know that Adrian Pucey and Marcus Flint are behind this."

"What?" Ginny demanded. "What the hell makes you say that?"

"Okay," Leolin sighed. "I know that this going to sound crazy, but I think Lucius is looking for a necromancer."

"That does sound crazy," Blaise affirmed.

"Does the name Torrii mean anything to you? Victoria?"

At the name, both Ginny and Blaise's eyes both snapped up, their expressions startled.

"She's down here, too?" Blaise asked keenly, trading a look with Ginny.

"Who is she?" Leolin demanded.

She'd thought about what Adrian had told Torrii about her and she felt dizzy again. Ginny and Blaise's expression were only making the anxiety she'd begun to harbour worse.

"Her name is Victoria Thivierge," Ginny explained. "She was Tommy Pucey's friend in school. She—she's a nasty piece of work."

"What makes you say that?" Leolin said, feeling almost fretful now.

Ginny and Blaise exchanged another glance.

"About eighteen months ago, Victoria's father was murdered. The Aurors' Office never opened a formal investigation, but your stepdad James said she'd done it. There was nothing he could do by then because he wasn't an auror anymore, but he told Draco there was no doubt in his mind it was her. I mean—it was bad, brutal. It wasn't just an Avada Kadavra. Whoever killed him tortured him first," Blaise said quietly.

Leolin put a hand to her mouth.

"She killed her own dad?" Leolin asked in a half-whisper.

"James said he was a drinker with a nasty temper, so she maybe she was looking to settle some scores. Or maybe she just did it for fun or because Adrian told her to. Honestly, I don't think I want to know."

"She's beastly," Ginny said. "If she's down here too, things are about to get one hundred times worse."

"She's down her hunting bokors for Adrian," Leolin explained. "Do you know anything about a man called Guillarme Audige?"

Blaise shook his head.

"Drake might, though. He's down her much more often than I am."

"Adrian's sent Victoria after him. They think he's the key to Bones."

"Well it might not matter, if Bones ends up really being a myth," Ginny pointed out.

"Are you willing to let Adrian bleed this bloke dry to find out? We need to do something."

"What, though?" Blaise said."If we go in unprepared Adrian's going to rip us to pieces."

Leolin thought of his threat again and swallowed the swelling lump in her throat.

"I don't know," Leolin said softly. "But what choice do we have?"

"You're right," Ginny said, heaving a sigh. "We will ask around about Audige and find out what Adrian's up to. When you and Drake get back, we'll be really to strike. Hard."

Leolin nodded, trying to keep her nerves from fraying too much.

"You alright, Lai?" Blaise said. "You are white as a sheet."

"It's Adrian," she admitted. "I think he—"

She was saved from her own swelling anxiety by Draco, who was striding down the stairs, smoothing his hair off his forehead and back into his usual style.

Leolin blushed when she took in his new clothes. He'd shed his quidditch kit for a crisp white button down and cashmere v-neck sweater with fitted khaki slacks that hugged his lean legs. slacks. His coat was slung over his arm, and he'd taken off his magical lenses and put on his glasses instead. His cheeks were still a little flushed from his romp with Gen. Before she could stop, Leolin imagined herself lying naked under Draco as he—

"Are you ready?" Draco said, interrupting her reverie.

She nodded mutely, her blush deepening.

"Let's get going, then," he said, clearly agitated.

Draco turned to Blaise.

"Take care of Gen while I'm gone," he said sternly, and Blaise nodded, shaking his friend's hand.

"Of course, mate. Floo us when you know something."

Draco nodded now.

"I will. Be good, Gin," he said, brushing a kiss on her cheek.

"I always am," she said, meeting Leolin's eye over Draco's shoulder meaningfully.

Leolin gave her a look that said: _I will explain everything when I get back_. Ginny merely nodded her understanding in response.

"Tell your mum that we're here if she needs anything," Ginny said.

"I will. Alright, we're off, then." he looked at Leolin again, eyes slipping from her dark hair to her blue eyes, down the delicate column of her throat and finally settling on the lock at her neck, which she was fingering nervously. "C'mon, Lefevre, let's go."

He turned brusquely towards the fireplace, but he didn't make it more than a step before—

"Wait!"

Gen appeared at the top of the stairs in nothing more than jumper that clearly belonged to Draco and cotton knickers. It was hard to tell by the modest dresses she usually wore, but she had beautifully lean legs and a shapely arse. Her eyes red-rimmed from crying. Draco set his bag down at the sight of her, and Leolin, sensing something painful, turned her head away.

Gen tore down the stairs into Draco's outstretched arms and began sobbing quietly again.

"I'm sorry I have to do this," he said quietly. "And I'm sorry I can't take you with me."

"I just hate that I can't be by your side tonight," Gen said in genuine anguish. "I don't want you to think I don't support you."

"I don't think that," he said earnestly.

"I don't hate your mother," she said. "I really don't."

"I know, darling, but tonight is not the time to mend fences."

"Just tell her I'm so sorry about Sebasten."

Draco smoothed her soft hair from her face, holding her cheeks.

"I will, I promise."

Gen bit her lip, fighting now not to cry again. Leolin's throat ached. She just wanted to leave.

"I love you," Gen said fiercely, and Draco bent to kiss her, his touch soft.

He dropped his forehead to hers.

"I—you, too. See you soon, angel."

She nodded as he kissed her passionately a last time.

"Take care of him, Leolin," Gen said diplomatically, though her eyes were flashing. "I mean it."

"I will," Leolin said.

Draco surveyed her for another second before jerking his head to Leolin.

"Let's go."

* * *

Despite the late hour, the antique Magic train station in Charleston was bustling when they arrived twenty minutes later.

Draco started walking the minute he saw Leolin appear in the floo grate after him, and she had to jog to catch up.

"Drake, wait!" she cried, finally reaching him and grabbing his wrist. "Are you alright?"

He looked down at her hand.

"Let go."

"I just want to make sure you're alright."

"I'm fine."

She gave him a earnest look, and she could see something complex sparkling in his eyes. He was at war with himself, she could tell, and she wasn't sure if had to do with the kidnapping or her and Gen.

"You don't have to lie to me, you know," she said, sensing his need for the comfort only she could give him. "I wouldn't be fine, either."

His eyes arced gracefully across the planes of her face, almost as if he was trying to re-memorize her beauty. Finally he eased his wrist from her grasp.

"I'm fine," he repeated gently. "Really."

She nodded, heart fluttering again. She'd forgotten how warm his voice could be.

"Okay, let's go then."

He simply turned away from her in response, heading towards the ticket counter and away from what had just transpired between them.

The perky young girl working the counter looked up at his approach, and she smiled as she surveyed him.

"Good evening, sir," she said, the gleam in her eye dulling as she watched Leolin approach to stand next to him. "What can I do for you?"

"I need two first class tickets for the next train to London."

"Alright. Just you and your—wife, sir?"

"She's not my wife," Draco said at once. "But yes, it's just the two of us."

"Excellent," the girl replied, her smile widening again. "If I could just please see both of y'all's passports—"

Leolin handed hers to Draco, who eyed the Italian shield on the front disdainfully before passing it along to the attendant.

"You gave up your British citizenship?" He asked quietly. "Why?"

She looked down. The quiet but distinct hurt in her voice made her throat ache.

"I had to."

It seemed like he wanted to say more, but the girl interrupted by handing the documents back.

"Here you are Mr. Malfoy, Miss Lefevre. And that's going to be 357 galleons and fifteen sickles. How would you like to pay for that?"

He pulled a galleon note from his pocket and signed it, whereupon the note began to glitter. He handed it to her and she smiled.

"Perfect. You're all set, Mr. Malfoy," she said, handing Draco two faded tickets. Your train will be leaving from platform 8 in about ten minutes. Just give your tickets to the conductor.

"Thank you," Draco said impatiently, clearly agitated by her chipper disposition.

"Have a nice journey," the girl said brightly in reply, undaunted by his increasing sullenness. "We hope to see y'all in Charleston again soon."

Draco rolled his eyes and jerked his head to Leolin, indicating they head for their platform.

"Quick question before we go," Leolin said as she handled her bag to Draco so he could carry it onto the train for her.

"Shoot," he replied, ascending the steps and leading the way to a small but luxurious car.

"Is your mum going to hex my face off the minute she sees me?"

Draco looked over his shoulder and gave her a dry smile.

"I shouldn't think so, no."

He slid the door open, placed the bags on the overhead racks and settling down before stretching out his long legs.

"Shouldn't _think_ so?" she repeated, slipping off her shoes and tucking her legs up and sitting cross-legged.

He looked at her, seemingly unable to keep his eyes from skating up from her full breasts to the lock around her throat before looking away. She touched the pendant self-consciously.

"She was glad when you came back," he admitted, seemingly fighting not to look at her now.

He was very good at feigning disinterest, but he wasn't so good that he could fool her.

"What?" Leolin said, nearly laughing as she remembered the distain Narcissa had always showered on her. "She was _glad_?"

"She'd never admit it," Draco said quietly. "But I think my mum was sort of fond of you."

"Good to know," Leolin said, feeling almost in a daze, as she continued fingering the lock.

They were silent as the train lurching gently off. She looked out as the Charleston station faded away. Finally, Draco spoke.

"That pendant," he said, gesturing to it with his eyes. "Did Severina Borgia give you that?"

Leolin look up to finding him studying her intently.

"Yes," she said simply.

"How in Merlin's black cauldron did the two of you become such good friends?" he asked, scrunity growing.

She bit her lip.

"She was there for me in a time of serious need," she admitted, stilling holding the lock. "She didn't have to help me, but she did and we've been like family ever since."

"It must have been one hell of a sob story," Draco said dryly. "When she met you I'm pretty sure she hated you more than anyone else on Earth."

"I don't know why," Leolin admitted somewhat defensively. "She got what she wanted. She got to have you."

Draco gave a soft laugh.

"I don't think she honestly cared about that at the time. It wasn't so much that she liked me as that she expected all men to simply worship at her altar, and for good reason, I suppose. Men were trophies to her, and it infuriated her that she'd collected me but I was still in love with someone else."

Leolin fought not to bite her lip. Draco hadn't been this candid with her in a long time, and despite the somewhat painful subject matter, it felt good not to snipe at one another.

"What did she do when she found of about the Gala?"

Draco laughed again, readjusting his frames and looking almost sheepish.

"I can honestly say that I don't often find myself afraid of women, but she was scaring the _shit_ out of me. She's like a tempest when she gets riled up."

"Yeah," Leolin said, smiling. "She is. You're honestly lucky she didn't put cantarella in her drink. Poison is a pretty grisly way to go. Xavier's favourite pastime is threatening to use it on anyone who looks at him crossways."

"What's he like? Her husband?"

Leolin smiled fondly.

"She met her match in him. He can be as scary as she can and scarier, honestly, though he's never like that with her. He worships at her altar too, of course, but you can see how much she respects him, and they really love each other."

It admittedly hurt a little to think about Severina and Xavier. Like Leolin and Draco, they shared an epic, earth-shaking love, and as much as she cared from them, it was stung a little to watch. However, before Leolin could truly explore the pain, Draco drew her from her reverie.

"I still can't believe she married a cousin," he mused.

"Severina says that only a Borgia can love a Borgia," Leolin said, smiling.

"Indeed," he said.

They lapsed into silence, and Leolin could tell by the drawn expression on Draco face that he was thinking about what was waiting for them in London.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

He looked up.

"For what?"

"About your stepfather," she said. "This can't be easy."

"It's not," he admitted, eyes falling into his lap again as he sighed. "He loves my Mum; he makes her happy. If something happens to him—"

"It won't," she said in reassurance, despite the fact that wasn't her promise to make.

"Thank you," he finally managed to say about a minute of silence. "For agreeing to come with me. I—we really need you."

She nodded, licking her lips and looking down.

"London will be a nice reprieve anyway."

"Reprieve from what?" he said tersely. "We're on holiday."

"Not one of the more relaxing holidays I've had," she admitted softly.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he sneered, getting annoyed now.

Leolin shook her head. She shouldn't have said that. Now a fight was practically inevitable.

"Go on Lefevre," he goaded unkindly. "Don't be shy."

"Do you think this is easy for me?" she said finally, her frustration at losing Draco bubbling up."I told you I was happy for you and I—I am, but it hasn't exactly been a pleasant trip."

"And whose fault is that?" Draco said somewhat coldly.

She thought of the look in Gen's eye as she twirled around in Leolin's wedding dress, and her resolved hardened.

"I didn't ask to come with you! Considering that, I would appreciate it if you would stop letting Gen trying to manipulate me into being bloody miserable. I am doing well enough in that department on my own."

"Please," he said hotly. "You are honestly going to sit here and accuse _Gen_ of being manipulative?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded hotly.

"That little dress today? The way you were slavering over Kelly Troy just to hack me off? Honestly, Lefevre, you are so transparent."

"I have _always _dressed like that, as you well know. I am not going to stop now just because Gen's applying for Muggle sainthood. And as for Kelly," she grit her teeth. "How I've felt about him has never had _anything_ to do with you!"

His eyes flashed. She knew she shouldn't have taken that blow because it was low and unkind, but she was so agitated she couldn't bite it back. Once an escalator, always an escalator, it seemed.

"Did you love him?" Draco demanded.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," he said nastily. "Troy. Did you love him?"

"What does that matter?" she burst. "That was ten years ago and he's married and you will be, too."

The thought, the idea, the _possibility_ that Draco could actually marry Gen was causing a terrible burning in her throat.

"It matters to me," he said in a quiet but cold voice. "And for the record I know you did. I can't begin to describe to you how much that makes me hate you."

"Why?" Leolin demanded. "You got your cruel little shot at Kelly in at the Gala, and in the end it was always going to be you. I _told_ you that the night I went for drinks with Kelly before the wedding. He was never going to be enough so long as you walked the Earth. Happy?"

"No," he said more loudly. "I'm not. Don't you _dare_ pretend that fear wasn't justified on my part," he snapped. "And for the record, you're a vile liar. If you loved me as much as you said, you wouldn't have run out on me the day of our wedding."

She bit her lip and blinked furiously to dispel the tears welling in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "For everything I put you through. I," she cleared her throat to keep the emotion out of her voice. "It was never my intention to hurt you and I—I did and I'm sorry. I don't know you'll ever really understand how much."

Draco's eyes were storming with an emotion she was sure had no name.

"I know you're sorry," he said. "And it doesn't matter now, anyway. I'm...happy."

She had to look into her lap before looking back at him, because she knew if she didn't she'd burst into felt like she was working against her own goals at the moment, but she knew that for now comforting him had to be enough. There was be time enough for reconciliation when she told him the truth.

"Good," she said at last, and they lapsed into pain-riddled silence.

* * *

"Lefevre, we're here. Get up."

Draco was crouched down next to Leolin, gently shaking her shoulder.

She woke with a start, sitting up and looking around.

"How long was I out?"

She hadn't meant to fall asleep.

"About two hours," Draco said, straightening to his full height as he watched her run her long nails through her hair.

"Sorry," she murmured quietly, unsure what she was even sorry about. She needed to stop doing that. Her constant apologizing just made her seem guilty for things she hadn't even done wrong.

"Don't be," Draco said, purposefully looking away from her as she readjusted her clothes and stepped back into her heeled boots. She was suddenly wishing she'd worn something less casual. Narcissa was sure to disapprove of her slouchy sweater and the soft grey t-shirt underneath. Trying to do last-minute maintenance, she tucked part of the t-shirt's hem into her black trousers. The action momentarily revealed several inches of her taught stomach, and when she looked up Draco's eyes were glittering. It was as if some part of him wanted to swallow her whole.

"Are you ready," he said tersely. "Or would you like me to stand here as you continue to primp needlessly?"

She flushed as she shouldered her purse. He was already carrying her bag for her, and she tried not to read into the genteel gesture.

"I'm sorry," she said again before kicking herself. "Let's go."

They took a portkey from the train station, and as the spinning of the portkey slowed, Leolin was so nervous she felt light-headed. One thing her tangles with Lucius had taught her was never go to battle unprepared, and she felt _wholly_ unprepared to face Narcissa. She felt similarly unprepared to face whatever horrors awaited them at the flat.

Leolin stumbled a bit as they landed, and instinctually Draco reached out a hand to steady her.

"You alright?" he asked softly.

"Fine," she replied, and he retracted his hand at once, as if thinking better of it.

"Stop dawdling then," he snapped, seemed to remember himself.

He started off down a wide, stately boulevard, and finally, they reached a large town home at the end of the block. Draco took a deep breath and stepped forward, banging the siren-shaped knocker three times on the gleaming forest green door. It swung open almost immediately to reveal a young man in his thirties. Leolin could tell from his olivey complexion and dark, thick eyelashes that he was Greek, and she guessed he was on of Sebasten's sons.

"Draco," the man said, visibly relaxing at once. "Good, you're here."

Draco stepped forward to embrace him, and the man's eyes fell on Leolin, though he said nothing to her.

"I'm sorry about your dad," Draco said. "But I brought someone who can help. Myles, this is my ex-fianceé Leolin. Leolin, this is my stepbrother Myles."

"Hello," Myles said, kissing both of Leolin's cheeks. "Good to meet you."

"Leolin's an art dealer," Draco explained."She can help with sorting out what the thieves were looking for."

Myles visibly relaxed.

"Thank Merlin," Myles said. "Aleco and I were just talking about that. He was worried about having to pull in someone random. Please, come in. Drake, your mum's upstairs in the study. She's waiting for you. Can I get either of you something to drink?"

Draco was already ushering Leolin inside.

"Vodka on the rocks, if you have it," Draco was saying to Myles. "Thank you."

"Anything for you?" Myles asked Leolin as she eased out of her coat.

"She'll have a gin and tonic," Draco replied, already starting up the stairs.

Myles looked at Leolin to confirm that was what she wanted, and she blushed.

"Thank you," she affirmed, following Draco up the stairs.

The flat was an elaborate maze of winding staircases and open-plan spaces, but Draco navigated them with ease. They could hear voices floating down from some upper space, and Draco started up a final staircase, the door at the top of which was open. Narcissa, who was the standing inside the circular room beyond the door, looked up as Draco appeared, striding towards him.

"Oh Draco," she said, her voice quivering.

"Hi Mum," he said softly, folding her into his arms as she began to cry softly against his shoulder. "How are you?"

She pulled back a little.

"About how you'd imagine, I suppose. Is Gen here with you?"

"No," Draco said evenly. "I figured you'd been through enough tonight."

"Thank you," she murmured, wiping her eyes and trying to compose herself.

By this time, Leolin had emerged, and Narcissa stared at her in disbelief.

"Leolin," she said in awe. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought she could help with the missing art," Draco replied. "It might help us figure out why Sebasten was taken in the first place."

Narcissa slipped from Draco's side before slowly approaching Leolin. Leolin was vaguely afraid Narcissa would push her down the stairs, and she wondered if Draco would try to save her if she did. However, after several seconds she extended her arms, and hesitantly Leolin's went into her embrace.

"Thank you for coming," Narcissa said quietly. "It means a lot to me."

Leolin nodded. She could see that this new husband had come a long way towards thawing Narcissa' icy heart. She seemed less guarded then Leolin remembered, though right now she seemed no less sad.

"Of course," Leolin replied in a gentle tone. "I only hope I can be helpful."

By now two more figures had appeared, both male, whom Leolin assumed were two more of Sebasten's sons. The older, who looked to be in his early forties, spoke first, his obsidian eyes mistrustful as they regarded Leolin.

"Who's this, Drake?"

"She's my ex-fianceé," Draco replied. "And she's an art expert. She can help us."

"Can we trust her?" the younger one, who couldn't be older than twenty, asked.

It was clear that while Myles and the older brother had the same mother, this younger boy didn't.

"Of course," Draco said, sounding a little defensive. "Would I have brought her here if she wasn't trustworthy?"

Satisfied now that Draco had vouched for her, the older brother stepped forward.

"Aleco," he said in greeting, extending his hand.

"Leolin," she replied, shaking it.

"This is my brother Dimitri," he said, gesturing to the other boy. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course," Leolin said, trying to react as she took in the ransacked study behind."I only hope I can be helpful."

Aleco nodded.

"Tell me what happened," Draco said as Myles re-appeared, handing both Leolin and Draco a drink.

Draco took a large sip of his and set it down. Leolin took a regular-sized one of hers and did the same.

"They hit the villa first," Aleco explained, but no one was there.

"They hit the villa as well?" Draco demanded.

"Yes," Narcissa said. "I had it sealed off for the time being. We can go there tomorrow."

Draco nodded tersely.

"Did they take anything?"

"Some vaseware, it sounds like," Myles explained. "It's hard to say; my dad has so many antiquities."

"They headed here next," Aleco continued. "And my dad was home."

"Did they attack him in here?" Draco asked.

Myles shook his head.

"He'd just come in the door. They struggled in the kitchen, it seems like."

"So, what?" Draco said. "Are we looking at a burglary gone wrong?"

"I think they might have been here _waiting_ for him," Aleco said.

Draco's eyes snapped up.

"What makes you say that?"

Aleco shrugged.

"It's not like he came in here and caught them in the act. They were on him within two seconds of stepping foot in the door."

"They could have had a look-out," Draco pointed out.

"And there's the fact that they hit here and the villa, but not the apartment in Athens. It's like they were looking for him."

"Maybe they were headed to the Athens flat next."

"Why would they hit and the villa then leave Greece if they planned on coming back?"

"To catch us off guard?"

"Yeah, or they were hoping to draw my dad out."

"You think the robbery was a front?" Draco asked. "Just a way to accomplish the kidnapping?"

"I think we need to consider that possibility."

"Have you gotten any ransom demands?" Draco asked Narcissa, who shook her head.

"But that doesn't mean that he wasn't a target from the beginning," she pointed out. "It could be that his kidnapper doesn't need money."

Draco understood her meaning.

"You think it was Lucius."

"Who else?" she said bitterly.

"What reason would he have?" Draco said. "Besides the obvious one of making you suffer?"

Narcissa shook her head.

"I don't know," she admitted. "But I have a sick feeling he was involved."

Leolin, who had been silently taking in the room, came to a bare spot of the wall where a painting had once hung.

"What was this?" she asked. "What hung here?"

The boys all shrugged.

"We never really came in here," Myles said. "Narcissa?"

She shook her head, distressed.

"I don't know," she said. "There was a man on a raft, I think. I can't remember. Honestly, Sebasten had thousands of pieces in his collection. It was impossible to keep up."

"Was the piece Muggle or Magical?"

"Magical. But I don't ever remember the figure saying a word, now that you mention it. It was very unsettling."

"Why do you ask?" Draco said.

"This piece is important," Leolin surmised. "We passed about a dozen priceless paintings on the way up here, and none of them were taken. Also, this work was enormous and likely unwieldy. That makes it a bad item to burglarize."

"Maybe they shrunk it," Dimitri pointed out.

Leolin shook her head.

"You can't shrink a painting without compromising it. Normally thieves cut out the painting roll it up and leave the frame, but whoever stole this didn't. That means they took the trouble to take it with them even though they knew it would slow them down."

"So it's important," Draco said.

She nodded.

"It could be a guardian."

"What do you mean 'a guardian'?" Aleco demanded. "A guardian of what?"

"You can endow a painting with a secret or a hidden object you don't want found. The painting then guards that secret, revealing it to no one but those who know how to break the guardian's silence."

"That could explain why Sebasten was taken," Draco said, stunned.

"It's just a theory," Leolin pointed out. "I will need to go through the manifests of his work to be sure."

"They're in the flat in Athens," Aleco said. "We can get them tomorrow before we go to the villa."

Leolin nodded, examining the shattered cases lining the wall. There were hundreds on coins lying scattered underneath.

"Was this case all coins?" Leolin asked. "It doesn't look like they took many, if any."

"No," Narcissa said. "There were some red and black figures vases as well."

"Greek?" Leolin asked.

Narcissa nodded.

"Is most of his collection Ancient Greek?" Leolin asked.

Narcissa sighed.

"I suppose so. He had things from Rome and The Italian Renaissance as well, but most of them were still related to Greek stories."

"Okay," Leolin said, her mind already racing. "That's good to know. I know this isn't exactly what you want to hear, but if they _did_ take him to get information about the painting, he's safe for now."

Narcissa bowed her head.

"I'm sorry," Leolin said gently. "I know this isn't easy."

"No," Narcissa said. "It isn't. But thank you for being here. You don't know what this means to me."

"Always," Leolin said, picking her way back to her drink and taking a sip.

"We're going to go to my flat and get some sleep," Draco said. "Do you want to come stay with me, Mum?"

She shook her head.

"I'm going back to Greece tonight. I'll stay with Aleco."

"In that case, we'll see you in Athens in the morning. We'll floo when we get there."

Narcissa came to kiss Draco goodbye, and he rested his head lovingly on the top of hers.

"We'll be up for a while," Draco told her softly. "Floo me if you need anything or if you hear something from Sebasten."

Narcissa nodded, clearly soothed by him steady calm.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"It's going to be okay," he said, his tone resolute. "I swear."

She nodded again, meeting eyes with Leolin.

"Thank you," Narcissa repeated, this time to her.

"Of course," Leolin said softly. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Gentleman," Draco said as he released his mother at last. "Let me know if you need us."

"We will," Myles said, said shaking Draco's hand. "Good to meet you, Leolin. I wish it had been under happier circumstances."

"So do I," Leolin said.

"Come on, Lai," Draco said quietly, running a hand through his hair as he sighed. "Let's get home."

Leolin tried and failed not to flush, though Draco thankfully didn't notice. Draco was tired and stressed, and it was forcing him back into old familiarities. He'd let his guard down in the wake of this new disaster, and Leolin could feel an erstwhile trust flowing between them again. It was like a balm for her tattered soul. He mind was positively alight with questions and concerns about the robbery, the kidnapping, Lucius, but still, she couldn't deny the effect being here with Draco was having on her.

Draco threw a handful of powder into the floo, swearing when he fire only hissed in response.

"Damnit," he seethed. "The grate's closed."

They glanced up the near five stories they'd just traversed to get down to the main floor and he groaned.

"Come here," he said, hooking a hand around her waist and pulling her flush against him.

"What are you doing?" she shrieked, not expecting his touch.

He still wore the cologne he had when they were in school, and it washed over here, inundating her with memories. She could remember the way his silky lips felt against hers the first time they'd kissed in the Slytherin common room.

"Relax, Princess," he said, seemingly a little amused despite everything. "We're going to side-along."

"I know where your flat is," she defended.

It wasn't that she didn't want his hands on her, but side-along apparation made her extremely queasy.

"This is so much easier," Draco said sensibly. "Damnit, Lefevre. Stop _fidgeting_."

She did as she was told, and he readjusted his grip, his palm pressed to the curve of her low back. He was holding her tighter then he needed to, but it felt amazing to be in his arms again and she didn't complain.

"I hope you're not tired," he said, "I have a feeling you and I have a lot to discuss."

She nodded, and a second later they were spinning away. Leolin had always hated side-alongs, and she gripped his sweater and buried her face in his chest to fend off the nasty sensation. If apparating was like squeezing through metal tube that was just a little too small for your body, side-along was like fitting through the same small tube with a friend. It was agonizing.

Finally they landed.

"Let go," he prompted gently. "We're here."

"Oh," she said, embarrassed. "Sorry. I—uh—are you hungry? I could make us dinner."

"You cook now?" he asked, laughing a little.

"I lived in Italy for five years," she said sheepishly. "Of course I cook."

"Did Severina teach you?" he said pointedly.

She looked away.

"Ri can't cook," Leolin said simply.

"Why am I not surprised?" Draco said.

"Because she's too beautiful for something so pedestrian."

"Sad but true, I suppose," Draco conceded.

"Last chance," Leolin said. "Do you want dinner or not?"

Draco nodded.

"Thank you. I'm going to go jump in the shower. There is a wine cellar downstairs."

She nodded.

"Sounds good," she said. "Have fun—showering."

Draco gave her an odd look.

"I will?" he said. "Don't burn the flat down."

She gave him a wry look.

"Prepare yourself. I'm about to blow your mind."

"Doubtful," he said flippantly, heading up the stairs. "Gen's Merlin's gift to cooking."

Leolin clenched her jaw and padded to the luxurious kitchen and opening the refrigerator.

The contents, though somewhat sparse, were annoying pretentious. Vaguely, Leolin wondered why there was even food in there in the first place, seeing as they were planning on being gone for nearly a month, but she supposed this might be one of new magical-enhanced refrigerators that could store food to perfection for months using magic.

Draco was right; Gen had excellent taste and she was likely a magnificent cook. Leolin hated admitting that Gen had any admirable qualities. Petulantly, she decided to use as many difficult ingredients as she could find. Draco had essentially dared her to make something gourmet, and she would be damned if she didn't meet the challenge. She pulled out scallops and two ears of corn.

She needed a bottle of wine for the sauce, and she headed to the cellar, looking for a suitable white. It was primarily reds, which she didn't need. In fact, there was only one type of white. Leolin picked it up and her heart beat a little faster. It was an albariño, a dry Spanish white she always drank. It felt significant that it was the only white Draco had, but she forced herself not to read into it.

By the time Draco re-emerged with wet hair in a pair of fitted grey sweatpants and a thin white v-neck, Leolin was just plating the meals.

"Merlin," Draco said descending the stairs. "It smells amazing in here. What is it?"

"scallops in a white wine reduction over a bed of maque choux," Leolin said.

"What is maque choux," he said, eying his dish appreciatively.

"It's a Creole dish with corn, onion and an obscene amount of butter. I figured it was oddly appropriate. Also I just wanted to show off."

"Where did you learn a Creole dish?"

"In Italy," she said, smiling blithely.

He rolled his eyes. "I meant from whom."

She shrugged.

"I rubbed elbows with a lot of interesting people," she replied simply.

He rolled his eyes again.

"When did you get so fucking shady?" he asked his voice halfway between joking and suspicious.

"If you're going to be a pill, you don't have to eat it."

She reached for his plate and he held it out of her reaching, smirking down at her.

"Don't you dare," Draco said wryly.

She gave a triumphant smile.

"Do you want a glass of wine?"

"I'm not much of a white drinker," he admitted.

"Well you can't drink red with these scallops," she said imperiously, and he shrugged.

"Alright, what kind is it?"

"Albariño," she replied.

"Of course," he said, a little more seriously. "That's still your favourite, then?"

"I didn't really have a choice," Leolin said. "It's the only white you had. I was surprised when I saw it, but you're right; it's still my favourite. Why do you still buy it?"

He accepted a glass from her and took a sip.

"Old habits, I guess," he said, diligently feigning disinterest again, though the result was no less transparent in Leolin's mind. "I suppose I forget to tell my sommelier to take it off the buying list after you left."

"And yet you were able to stop buying all the other types of white I drank."

"What are you implying?" Draco asked, eying her critically.

"I'm not implying anything," Leolin said, his defensiveness telling the whole story. "Merely observing."

"Maybe I like it," he said, taking another sip. "It's quite good, for a white."

"I agree," she said, touching her glass to his and taking a sip as well. " "Where do you want to eat?"

She considered.

"The deck," she said. "God knows when I'll be allowed to go back up there after tonight."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Fair enough."

They sat on top of the large patio table and each took wordlessly took a bite.

He frowned.

"Damn!"

"What?" she said, alarmed.

He looked up at her.

"Lefevre, this is fucking _delicious_."

"You're surprised?" she said.

"Shocked, actually. You once burned a piece of toast so badly I swear the flat was smoky for three days."

She laughed, remembering the incident well.

"What can I say? I am full of surprises these days."

"Indeed," he said. "Speaking of which, we have a lot to talk about."

She considered this as she took a bite.

"Yeah, I suppose we do."

"I'm listening," he prompted, and she sighed, biting her lip.

"I think we need to go to the National Museum in Athens tomorrow and look around before we meet up with your family."

"And why is that?"

She bit her lip.

"Because your mum is right," she began, taking another sip of wine. "Lucius is behind this."

"Why didn't you bloody say anything before!" he burst. "And what does that have to do with the theft at the National Museum?"

"I know, I'm sorry; I didn't want to stress your Mum out anymore," she said ruefully.

"You didn't answer my second question," he pointed out. "What does this have to do with the Museum? The Aurors are already saying it was La Genie du Mal."

"I know."

"And you don't agree."

"I—no, I don't."

"And what makes you so sure?"

It's inconsistent with La Genie's M.O. This job was ostentatious and sloppy."

He was studying her critically and finally she couldnt take and looked away, blushing and biting her bottom lip.

"I knew it," he said in cold triumphant as he read her guilt. "I _knew_ you were mixed up in this mess. _You know La Genie du Mal_!"

"I—How did you know I was involved?" she demanded softly.

"I could tell by the way you reacted the news about the robbery in Athens this morning," he said. "You weren't disgusted; you were _scared_. I've had a feeling something was up since I found out with worked for the Borgia."

"I don't work for them!" Leolin defended fiercely. "Severina and I are partners in a… business venture outside the family. I don't deal with the rest of them."

"Business venture?" Draco repeated harshly "Try International Crime syndicate! How do you know La Genie?"

"I—" Leolin began, intent on telling Draco the truth.

However, she could feel the noose around her neck tightening. La genie was under the gag order. If she told Draco it was her, she'd be arrested.

"I'm—La Genie's dealer," she said, and Draco shook his head in disgust.

That wasn't a total lie. She did line up buyers for La Genie. She couldn't but breathe a sigh of relief when she realized she hadn't broken her gag.

"_Merlin_, Lefevre," he breathed, looking at her as if she was a stranger. "Are you fucking insane? Art theft? You could go to Azkaban if anyone finds out about this."

"I know," she said. "And I feel terrible about it. But—"

"But what? The Leolin I knew _never_ would have stolen art."

"I know, believe me, I—"

"Who are you?" Draco demanded. "What happened to the girl I felt in love with?"

"She's me," Leolin said meekly. "I'm still that girl."

He shook his head, looking away from her.

"No," he said curtly. "You aren't. That girl's dead."

Grief-stricken, Leolin looked down at the ground.

"I never wanted to steal art. You have to believe me."

"Then why did you do it?"

"I was desperate," Leolin whispered, remembering how low she'd gotten, how she'd thought about killing herself. "I was in a terrible situation, and I needed a way to make money."

"What did you get yourself into that you were desperate enough to steal art?" Draco demanded. "I want you to tell me right now."

She looked at him, desperate for him to know the truth at last. She bowed her head instead.

"I can't," she pleaded. "Please, I know this is a lot to ask, but please, just trust me. I swear that someday soon I'll tell you everything."

Draco studied her coldly.

"Please," she said softly. "I know I must seem like such a villain to you, but I swear I had good reasons for doing the things I did."

"Fine," he said. "Go on, then. So you knew that La Genie didn't rob the museum in Athens because you're his dealer. Wait—it is a he, right?"

Leolin bit her lip, not wanting to lie to Draco anymore.

"I don't think I should say," she said carefully. "I'm sorry."

"Fine," he said, rolling his eyes. "But you're sure that he/she didn't rob the museum?"

"Yes. If…_they_ had been planning a job, I would have known it."

"So it wasn't La Genie. What makes you think my father's behind it?"

Leolin bit her lip.

"I heard Adrian Pucey and Marcus Flint talking about it today at the tournament."

"Pucey? He's in Charleston?"

"He was in New Orleans before that," Leolin explained. "Remember when I asked you about Bones, the Necromancer?"

"That had something to do with Adrian Pucey?"

"Your father has Adrian looking for Bones in New Orleans."

"Lefevre, That's mental. You can't expect me to believe that _my father_, the most powerful man in Wizarding Europe, has been chasing a myth through the city of New Orleans."

"I know it seems crazy, but it's true. Yesterday I stepped out of the bridal shop to talk to my mum, and I _saw _Adrian disappear into this alley, so I tried to follow him, and that's when this old man told me about Jean du Bones—"

"Old man? What old man? Just because some nutty stranger tells you something doesn't mean it's true! Seriously, will you listen to yourself, Lefevre? Jean du Bones is a _myth_!"

"That may be so," Leolin said pointedly. "But I _know_ that your father's looking for him none the less. Have you ever heard of a man named Baudry des Lozières?"

"He's a bokor down in the French quarter," Draco said. "He's very well-respected."

"He's dead," Leolin said seriously. "Adrian flayed him for information on Jean du Bones then killed him when his intel wasn't good."

"That's because there is no 'good intel'. You can't find a man who never really existed."

"It's not just Lozières! He's going after a man named Guillarme Audige next."

"They call him the King of the Quarter," Draco said dryly. "My father's arm has grown long indeed if he thinks he can pluck Audige out of New Orleans. Audige really is nasty piece of work.

"Adrian doesn't seem too worried about that. He sent Victoria Thivierge to find Audige. They are going to bleed him dry."

"Thivierge?" Draco repeated. "She's in on this, too?"

"She's working for Adrian." She paused. "And sleeping with him."

Draco made a disgusted face.

"They two of them teaming up makes me sick," he admitted. "And if they're Audige, he could be dead or missing already. Adrian's clever, and Thivierge is an animal."

"If that's true then we to do something about it. What if Audige tells Adrian something about Bones?"

"There's nothing to tell him!" Draco said. "Bones isn't real!"

"Don't you see what this means, though? Leolin demanded. "Your father is looking for a _necromancer_. Who do you suppose he's trying to raise from the dead?"

"No," Draco said at once. "No way. Voldemort is dead. _My father_ killed him."

"Says who?"

"There were _dozens _of witnesses."

"And what happened to the body?"

"It was burned."

"By whom?"

Draco frowned.

"What you're suggesting is—"

"—absurd, I know. But what if I'm right? I'm not the only one who thinks it's a possibility. Harry does, too."

"Potter's always been a little Dark Lord crazy," Draco said.

"He was right about the Hallows," Leolin pointed out. "Which were also a children's story."

Draco shook his head, struggling to wrap his brain around what she was telling him.

"What does any of this have to do with art or my stepdad?" Draco demanded.

She frowned in thought.

"I'm not sure yet," she admitted. "But I know they're related. Adrian told Marcus to keep stealing pieces, and that he was going to bring in someone from the outside to help interpret what they've taken thus far. It could be that's why they abducted Sebasten. I also think it might have something to do with the painting they stole from his study."

"The one you think is a guardian?"

"What could it possibly be hiding?" Draco said, shaking his head. "None of this makes any goddamn sense."

"I know," Leolin said.

"It doesn't make any sense," Draco repeated. "And yet—"

"Something doesn't feel right," Leolin affirmed. "I know. I feel it, too. Something's…out of balance."

"Yeah," Draco said. "I've been feeling it for awhile, but I guess I—I didn't want to believe it was real."

"That's understandable," Leolin said, nodding.

"Is this what you wanted to tell me last night?" Draco said. "Is this why you were asking me about Bones?"

Leolin looked down, nodding sheepishly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She looked back to find his light eyes keen and sharp.

"It was all so circumstantial yesterday and I—I didn't want you to think I was crazy."

"I think you're crazy now," Draco pointed out, and Leolin laughed quietly.

"I know. Maybe I am. But you didn't hear the way Adrian was talking."

She shook her head, standing and pacing to the railing.

"What did he say?" Draco pressed, trailing after her and leaning on the partition.

She didn't say anything.

"Lefevre," Draco said sternly, touching her chin so she was forced to look up at him. "What did Adrian say that has you so nervous?"

She sighed, trying not to get worked up again.

"I—he—this is serious, Draco. Your father's got him working on something big."

She looked down again, trying to forget what Adrian had threatened to do to her were they to succeed.

"Leolin," Draco murmured quietly after a minute, hunting for her gaze. "What is it? You can tell me anything."

"He scares me," she admitted.

"Who? My father?"

She shook her head.

"Lucius has always scared me," she said. "I meant Adrian. He hates me for the way I treated him at school, and I—I think he wants to punish me for it. He's started to really scare me."

Draco face was deadly serious now.

"Why? Has he threatened you?"

She looked at him, desperate for his comfort.

"Would you care if he had?"

"I'll kill him if he ever lays a finger on you."

"Do you mean that?" she breathed, looking up at him through her dark lashes.

"I—" he began, tempted to brush some hair that had fallen in her face.

However, he quickly thought better of it and let his hand drop before looking out and clenching his jaw.

"It's not personal," Draco warned. "I've just always loathed that little creep."

Leolin bit her lip.

"Good to know," she said, pained by his callousness.

"But you're right," he admitted, eyes glittering as he studied her. "He has always hated you. It makes sense that might he try to—settle the score."

"I know," Leolin said, shaking her head. "But still, it's a waste of time to be afraid of him. I should be making him afraid of me. After all, I'm not the same little girl I was, either."

"Decidedly not," Draco said dryly. "The grand larceny bit is certainly new."

"Do you think I'm a terrible person?" she asked finally.

He considered this.

"No."

She sighed.

"That's a relief, I suppose."

"I didn't say I thought you were a good person, either," Draco pointed out.

She took the last sip of her wine, whose alcoholic effects were making her more candid then she ought to have been. She vanished the glass with a flick of her wrist.

"What if I said I did it for you?" she asked quietly, leaning in ever so slightly.

His eyes flicked to her lips for a split second.

"Did what for me?"

"Sold that stolen art."

He was a little closer now.

"I never forgot about you," she said softly. "I know you think I did, but I didn't."

"That's the wine talking," he said, eyes flitting to her mouth again.

"Did you think of me?" she pressed, knowing she was treading in deep waters but not caring.

"You're drunk, Cal," he muttered.

"Maybe a drunk mouth speaks a sober heart."

He considered this without responding, and she looked over at him, trying to decipher what he was thinking. Finally, he reached a hand over to gently touch a lock of hair, and her heart essentially stopped beating.

"Why did you change your hair?" he asked quietly.

She blushed.

"I couldn't keep everything the same. Do you think it's ugly?"

His touch became more deliberate, and he gently stroked the silk strands before tucking them behind her ear. After he did, he couldn't seem to resist running a knuckle down her cheek.

"You could never be ugly," Draco murmured

"Do you mean that?" she asked.

"You know I think you're incredibly beautiful," Draco said softly. "That's not a secret."

His eyes flicked to her lips again, and she leaned it a touch closer.

"Draco—" she began, but just then his floo began to smoke, and he dropped his hand at once, frowning a little.

"It's Gen," he said, looking down at the lighter.

"You don't have to answer it," she pointed out.

"Of course I do," he snapped. "She's my fiancée and I love her. I don't want her to worry."

Leolin nodded, feeling a little wounded.

"Of course," she said, standing at once. "I'm going to go to bed."

Draco still hadn't answered the floo.

"You should get some sleep," he said authoritatively, flicking the lighter open at last. "We have a long day tomorrow."

A/N: REVIEW!


	11. Chapter 10: Do As I Say, Not as I Do

**A/N: **First of all, thank you to **Alice** for keeping me honest! There have been some mistakes and you always catch them for me. I think I've corrected them all! I am really excited to see what y'all think of this chapter. Please keep reviewing with your amazing predictions, desires, frustrations ETC. Also, I am not QUITE done editing Enemy of My Enemy, so if there are some details that don't quite gel, it's because it's in the planned re-write but I haven't gotten there yet. Sorry! I really need to just bang that mother out! Also, I changed Leolin's fake surname to Thénard, because I'm the goddess of this story and get to do whatever I want. Sorry for the sake of continuity. Also, I know y'all have been waiting so patiently, so I tried to write a long, juicy chapter as a thank you. Can' t WAIT to hear what y'all think! :)

**Chapter Ten: Do as I Say, Not as I Do**

"_Are you ready, cariña?" Severina asked, watching Leolin in the mirror as she put in her earrings._

"_I have to be," Leolin said, trying to steel her nerves._

"_Bene," Severina said as Leolin stood. "Let me see the dress."_

_Leolin spun for Severina once, and the grey silk of her skirt swirled around as she did so._

"_è perfetto," Severina affirmed._

"_You don't think this is too much cleavage for a business function?" Leolin asked nervously._

"_Lesson number one," Severina said. "There are no 'business functions' in this world. All business in Italy __**must**__ be mixed with pleasure. Tonight is just a party. Just think of it as a chance to drink good champagne and make new, rich friends."_

"_I'm not much for parties these days," Leolin admitted, and Severina smiled._

"_Parties are the best way to meet clients," she said knowingly. "Everyone who is anyone in the Italian art world will be there tonight. It will be a perfect chance to introduce you into the scene and get your feet wet. If everyone goes to plan, we will have a first target by the end of the night."_

_Leolin nodded._

"_I know," she said. "It's just, the last party I went to was—"_

_She broke off abruptly, and Severina raised her eyebrows._

"_Yes?"_

"_My own rehearsal dinner," Leolin finished._

_Severina's face grew sympathetic._

"_It's been a while, then," Severina said._

"_Yes," Leolin said, putting her hand to her throat as she often did when she was nervous or uncomfortable. "It has."_

"_Why did you leave him, tesoro?" Severina asked softly._

_Leolin's eyes snapped up._

"_What?"_

"_È ovvio, you know."_

"_What's obvious?"_

"_That you still love Draco. Why did you leave him if you feel this way for him?"_

"_I—" Leolin said, eyes wide and sad. She closed her mouth and looked away. "It's complicated."_

"_It could be less so," Severina pointed out. "If you confided in me."_

"_No," Leolin snapped. "It's none of your business."_

"_Fine," Severina shrugged. "Suffer in silence, then."_

_Leolin said nothing, only touched her bare throat again._

"_You should wear a necklace," Severina said. "Your little tick will be less obvious if you wear one."_

"_I don't have a tick," Leolin said defensively, dropping her hand at once. "And I—I don't wear necklaces."_

"_Well, you are going to wear one tonight," Severina said. "I have a pearl pendant you can wear that will match those earrings."_

"_I'm serious, Borgia," Leolin said, agitated. "I don't wear necklaces."_

_Severina put her hands on her hips._

"_My game, my rules," she said with authority, fetching the pendant and extending it to Leolin. "Put it on."_

_Leolin's hand went to her throat as Severina brandished the chain at her. When Leolin didn't move, Severina gave her a withering look._

"_This plan will only work if you can let go of the past, Lefevre. You don't have to tell me what happened with Malfoy, but if you can't put it behind you and do this right, you and I could end up in some very hot water with some __**not**__ so nice people."_

_Leolin bit her lip, remembering when Lucius had torn the key from her throat. It had been the last piece of Draco he'd stripped away from her, and sometimes she could still feel the sting of the chain on her skin._

"_Fine," Leolin bit out. "Put it on me and let's go."_

_Severina nodded her approval, fastening the necklace before handing Leolin her clutch._

"_Lista?" Severina asked._

_Severina often flitted between Spanish and Italian._

"_Ready," Leolin confirmed._

_They arrived at the bustling party a few minutes later, and all eyes were immediately on Severina, who glittered in her usual peacock blue._

"_Here we go," she muttered to Leolin. "Our first target is going to be that fat man in the corner. That's Nicodemo Pierno. He got outbid on a Muggle painting last month at auction and he was so mad he accidentally snapped his wand in half."_

_Leolin watched as the man four chins jiggled as he laughed. She imagined him going to prison for owning stolen art and it made her stomach ache a little. She tried to banish the thought as Severina handed her a glass of champagne._

"_Good," Leolin said, still scanning the crowed. "Anyone I should avoid?"_

"_That one," Severina said, inclining her head to a man in his early thirties._

_His cheap suit and the beer in his hand made him stand out._

"_Who is he?" Leolin asked, eying him._

"_His name is Crofton Teller," Severina said. "He's an American from New York, and he works for the Art Theft division for the International Aurors Office."_

_Leolin couldn't help but laugh._

"_That bloke's an Auror?"_

"_I know he doesn't seem like much," Severina said. "But don't underestimate him. If anyone is going to trip us up, it is going to be Teller."_

_Just then he looked up, and she raised her eyebrows and smirked._

"_He's coming over here," Leolin hissed, feeling a little panic swelling up._

"_Relax, tesoro."_

"_He looks angry."_

"_The first thing you need to know about Teller is that he treats everyone like they're guilty," Severina said. "All you have to do to frustrate him is act coy back. Watch."_

"_Well, well, well," Crofton said, stepping forward. "If it isn't the queen vipress herself. What are you doing here, Borgia?"_

_Severina merely smiled._

"_Bonjourno to you, too," she cooed, fingering his rayon tie. "And unlike you, I was actually __**invited**__ to this party. What silly little crime do are you hunting down today, amore mio?"_

"_Someone's been selling counterfeits of the Medici Merlin," he said, his muddy green eyes sharp. "Wouldn't know anything about that, would you Rina?"_

"_Only my husband calls me that," she said in answer. "Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Teller?"_

"_You wish," he shot back. "And you didn't answer my question."_

_She laughed._

"_You know my family has gone legitimate," Severina said. "We don't deal in Il Marco Nero anymore."_

"_I bet you don't," he said hotly, his eyes finding Leolin for the first time. Leolin noted that he hadn't failed to glance at her neckline. "Who's your oily friend?"_

"_This is Naomi Thénard," Severina said. "She's a dealer from Paris. And before you ask, she's legitimate, too."_

"_Hello," Leolin said, speaking in a clipped British accent with a soft French undertone. She and Sev had agreed her normal accent was too Welsh. "Lovely to meet you. And you are?"_

"_Crofton Teller," he said, looking at her as if trying to memorize her face. "International Auror Office."_

_Leolin smiled, getting ready to make an overly flirtateous comment, when she noticed that Nicodemo was preparing to leave. She caught Sev's eye, who gave an imperceptible nod. _

"_Forgive me," Leolin said. "I would love to stay and chat, but I'm afraid I have to step away. I hope I see you again soon, Mr. Teller."_

_Crofton gave her a hard look before smiling and raised his eyebrows. Leolin felt guilty even though she hadn't done anything yet._

"_Good to meet you, Naomi," he said, grabbing her hand and shaking it tightly. "And don't worry, I have a feeling we will be seeing __**a lot**__ of each other going forward. Right, Rina?"_

"_I don't know what you mean, Teller," Severina said, still smiling._

_Leolin smiled, too._

"_Oh, I __**certainly**__ hope so."_

* * *

Leolin couldn't stop thinking about Draco that night, and it made it hard to sleep. She tossed and turned for hours, and when it was finally clear she was going to be up for a while, she grabbed her books from her bag and went downstairs. If she couldn't sleep, she should work.

Yawning, she trudged to the main den, settling in. She had been at it for about twenty minutes when she heard movement on the stairs. She looked up to see Draco sauntering down the steps towards her, clad only in his sweats. He wore the medallion Leolin had given him for his eighteenth birthday, and the Spanish silver glinted in the low light. Leolin couldn't believe he was wearing it.

"Couldn't sleep?" he said, going to the kitchen across the open space to make a cup of tea.

"No," Leolin admitted.

"Me either," he said, padding over to sit next to her as he took a large sip.

"Still hard at work, I see. Are you planning La Genie's next heist?" he asked, surveying her work.

"No," she said defensively as she snapped the book she was reading shut.

"Relax, Cal," he said, touching her knee. "It was a joke."

Her breath caught at the contact, but he didn't pull away. In fact, his thumb began brushing against her skin in soft arcs.

"We should talk about tonight," he murmured, leaning in a little.

The pendant swung as he did.

"What about it?" she croaked, her throat completely dry.

He looked at her critically, and she could feel him staring directly into her soul.

"Come on, Callie," he breathed, sounding a little pained. "Tell me it wasn't just me. Tell me you felt it, too."

"Are you drunk?" she asked. "What about Gen?"

"Please" Draco pleaded, his hand running gently up her thigh. "Let's not talk about her right now."

She watched its ascent, almost fearful.

"Draco," she whispered. "What are you doing?"

"I—" he stammered. "I don't know. But I can't fight this anymore. Can you?"

Finally, her eyes flitted to his, and she leaned in as well.

"Callie," he said softly, his voice almost ragged with desire as he gently tangled a hand in her hair. "My beautiful Callie."

"Kiss me," she demanded quietly, her eyes fluttering closed.

He obeyed, and it was like coming home. His lips were exactly like she remembered, and she immediately melted into him. He took control at once, urging her backwards on the couch before crawling on top of her, their lips still connected. He had her out of her shirt at once, and the silver around his neck was cool against her bare chest. He palmed her breasts greedily before tugging off the legging she'd been wearing. He kissed her again before moving to her neck, licking and sucking expertly as his fingers found their way between her thighs. She bucked her hips against his touch, moaning.

"I've missed this," he breathed, catching one of her nipples between his teeth.

Slowly, he began easing his way downward and leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses along her chest on taut midsection. Leolin was quivering in anticipation by the time he settled between her legs, urging her creamy thighs over his bare shoulders as his fingers continued their work. She tangled a hand into his hair as tongue finally touched her.

"I love you," she breathed as he dragged her closer and closer to the edge of ecstasy. "Draco, I love you."

"Oh Leolin," he groaned salaciously, surging up to kiss her, the medallion nestled against her skin again. "Leolin. Leolin. _Leolin!_ Lefevre! Wake up!"

Leolin eyes fluttered open, and she sat bolt upright, her heart _hammering_ in her chest. She was in her own bed, and Draco was standing at the foot of it, staring at her expectantly. His chest was bare, but there was no medallion around his neck.

"Maleficent, woman," he said in mild irritation. "I've been trying to wake you up for the last two minutes. The _dead_ sleep lighter than you."

"Sorry," she said, her mouth going dry. It had been a dream. Just a dream. She closed her eyes. "I was having a nightmare."

"About Bones?" he asked.

"Something like that," she lied.

"Well, get up," he said. "We're leaving for Athens soon. Our train leaves in an hour and a half."

She just stared at him, still trying to digest her crushing disappointment. Of course it had been a dream. He frowned as she continued to look at him blankly.

"Why are you staring at me?" he demanded. "It's freaking me out."

"I'm not staring," she said, finally forcing herself to look away.

"Yes you are," he said. "Stop it."

"I was just—why is it that you're never wearing a shirt? It's weird and distracting," she said defensively.

At this a small smirk tugged at his lips.

"Look Lefevre, I know that I'm physical perfection," he said dryly. "But that doesn't mean you can stare all day."

"I wasn't staring!" she burst, feeling raw. "I just—never mind. I need to shower."

She got out of bed, and she skirted wide around him.

"Hurry up," he said, watching her retreat.

"Leave me alone," she said in a defeated voice. "I'll come down when I'm ready."

She went into the bathroom that adjoined her lavish guestroom and slammed the door, sliding down on the other side of it and burying her head in her arms. She had felt reborn believing that she hadn't imagined the connection between her and Draco the night before. However, in the cold light of reality she could see she _had_ imagined it. The Draco in her dream had simply been a projection of her own self conscious, feeding her what she wanted to hear.

She tried to take a deep breath, but it hurt too much. There was a soft knock on the door, and her head snapped up.

"Merlin, Draco," she said tiredly. "I will be down as soon as I can."

"Are you alright?" he replied, un-phased by the edge in her tone. "You seem a little out of sorts this morning."

She didn't say anything, just lay her head dolefully on the door, wishing she could tell him everything.

"Is this about last night?" he asked at last.

Her heart fluttered nervously.

"What?" she asked.

"I—" he began, and she could imagine him running a hand through his perfect hair. "I shouldn't have been so harsh about La Genie," he said at last. "I've done a lot of fucked up things for work, too. I—I shouldn't be so judgmental."

"Thank you," she said softly.

She could tell there was more he wanted to say, and he groaned in frustration.

"I just want you to know that I don't think you're a bad person, alright?"

"I know that," she said.

"I know you know," he said, clearly having trouble finding the words to express himself. "I just mean that—it's okay you're not an angel. That's what I like about you. Hell, that's part of the reason I fell in love with you in school."

She considered this, trying to force her giddy heart to calm down.

"Thank you," she said finally.

"Okay well I—" he broke off, groaning in annoyance. When he spoke again his tone was different, less warm. "Please just hurry up and shower. Come downstairs when you're done."

"Fine," she replied. "I'll be ready in twenty."

"Thank you," he said, sounding almost relieved.

There was silence for a few moments, and Leolin bit her lip.

"Draco?" she asked, not sure what she even intended to say. In truth, she just wanted to know he was still there.

He wasn't.

Resignedly, she stood and got in the shower, trying to shift her mind from thinking about Draco to strategizing about the museum. It would technically be considered a crime scene now, and she had a feeling she was going to have to skirt a few old friends to get in. However, she'd have the advantage of having Draco with her, and she knew he would be a huge boon. There were few places in the Occidental World where the name Malfoy didn't open doors.

She had a working plan by the time she stepped out of the shower, and she quickly got dressed. She shimmied into a curve-hugging leather pencil skirt and cream coloured crop top that left several inches of taut skin exposed. It was wildly inappropriate for work, but that was partly the point. Nothing frustrated Crofton quicker than Leolin's suggestive attire. He would be so flustered he'd forget to ask the most important questions.

Draco was standing in the kitchen with his back to her wearing a smart three-piece suit when she arrived downstairs.

"Good," he said, turning at her approach. "You're finally—seven _hells_, Lefevre! Is that seriously what you wear to work?"

"Is something wrong with what I'm wearing?" she asked pointedly.

He growled in frustration.

"Why do you always have to do this?" he demanded softly. "It's bloody infuriating."

"Do what?" she said.

"You know what," he said. "Don't make me take back what I said about you earlier."

"You said you _liked_ that I wasn't a saint."

"So, what? You decided to go full-on sinner?"

"Despite what you think," she said. "I didn't wear this for you," she said honestly. "This is—part of who I am in Florence. I'm sorry if it offends you."

"What does Florence have to do with anything?" he demanded.

"Listen," she said, flustered by his reaction to her outfit. She hadn't expected resistance this early, and that didn't bode well for the rest of the day. "You're going to hear and see a lot of things today I'm sure you're not going to like, but I need you to just trust me and play along."

Draco frowned.

"How reassuring," he sniped.

"Draco, I'm serious. Please. If you want my help then you're going to have to play by my rules."

He folded his arms across his chest, still not moving.

"What is it that I'm not going to like? Besides, presumably, you flirting with other men half-dressed."

"I'm not half-dressed," she said defensively. "And what do you care?"

He opened his mouth to argue this point then snapped it shut again.

"I don't," he bit out at last.

"Then it shouldn't bother you," she said prudently.

"It doesn't," he said, glaring at her.

"It certainly seems like it's bothering you," she pointed out.

He glanced at her and groaned, running his hands through his hair.

"Damnit, woman!" he seethed. "Stop toying with me!"

"I'm not!" she said, coming a little closer. "But I'm also not going to change. I picked this for a reason."

He groaned again.

"It wouldn't—it doesn't matter what you wear," he said tightly. "You're still—"

He broke off, groaning a third time.

"Damnit, Lefevre!" he started again. "Why do you have to dress so—"

"So what?" she demanded, agitated and genuinely confused. "I don't understand why you are so mad at me!"

"Why do you always to have look so—ugh!"

"So what?" she snapped again. "Just fucking spit out already."

He turned to look at her, diamond eyes alight.

"I don't know! Gorgeous!" he snapped back, resisting the urge to run a hand through his hair. "Is it really necessary you be on display all the time?"

The words should have made her happy, but the venom in his voice soured the sentiment.

"I'm not 'on display', you chauvinistic prick," she snarled, chest heaving as she sneered at him. "And what do you want me to do? Wear a bag over my head?"

Her voice was quieter now, more wounded than mad.

Seeing now that he'd hurt her, he grew frustrated again.

"I'm sorry," he bit out. "I shouldn't have—that wasn't fair of me to say. I don't know what my problem is today."

He ran a hand through his hair and making several pieces stand on end. He turned away from her, trying to pull himself together. He looked back at her, eyes penitent now. She knew he regretted what he'd said.

"I'm sorry," he repeated at last. "What you're wearing is—fine. I'm just stressed about my mum and stepdad and Lucius. I shouldn't be taking it out on you. Obviously you can wear whatever you want."

"Yes," she said solidly "I can."

"Right" he said, smoothing his hair back into place and taking a deep breath. "It's fine. You look—nice."

"Thank you," she said, nodding. She was now more nervous now than ever. If this was any indication, he was going to hit the roof when he found out about Naomi. "Shall we go, then?" she offered.

He nodded.

"I already put all the wards up, so we have to side-along. Come here."

She bit her lip, feeling so conflicted from everything that had happened that she thought she might burst.

"You know I hate side-alongs," she said resolutely. "Can't you open the floo grate?"

"Just come here," he said, extending a hand to her. "It's only a few seconds."

She looked up at him as he beckoned, and odd and unreadable expression in his eyes.

"Come on, Leolin. Let's get this over with."

Begrudgingly, she accepted his outstretched hand. She didn't know if it was the apparation that she was objecting to or Draco. This trip had been so terribly confusing thus far.

"Come here," he said again. "You can hold onto me if it helps."

She nodded silently, her mind reeling. One minute he was yelling at her for being too beautiful, and the next he was—

She could feel the warmth of his palm radiated though her back at the point it made contact with her bare skin. She laid her head on his chest, and she could smell his cologne. He brought a second hand to join the first on her back, and she melted farther into his touch, wishing this were real. They stood holding each other for a split second longer than necessary before they were spinning away.

Leolin clutched him tighter as they spun, and he brought a hand soothingly to the back of her head to shield her from the sensation as much as possible. Finally, they arrived in a crowded Muggle street, and he let go.

"C'mon," he said, not looking at her. "I don't want to miss our train."

They wove through King's Cross in silence, and Leolin longed to take Draco's hand, which hung so tantalizingly close to hers. However, she didn't, and before she knew it, they were sitting across from each other as a sleek silver train pulled out of the London station.

"Ready?" she said, readjusting her skirt so she could cross her legs.

He watched the movement intently.

"Are you?" he replied after a moment. "You seem—uneasy."

"I'm fine," she replied. "I just hope you don't hate me after today."

"I won't," he said quietly, and she looked him in the eye.

As they traveled the hour or so to Athens, Leolin mentally slapped herself. If she was going to help Sebasten and find out what Lucius was doing with La Genie, she had to get a grip. As important as Draco was, she had to put him on the back burner so she could focus on the task at hand. When the gag was broken, she could tell Draco everything.

They arrived outside the National Archeological Museum a short time later, and the though Leolin had never actually been there in person, the building was exactly what she expected from a mid-19th century design.

It was ironically yet unabashedly Neoclassical, with a wide, curving bank of ionic columns, accompanied by a restrained Neoclassical garden out front. Ignoring the irony of housing Ancient works in such a contrived space, and Leolin looked back at Draco and jerked her head towards the front entrance, which poorly resembled the cella of a Greek temple.

However, as they approached the voluted Ionic columns heralding the main doors, they noticed Aurors standing guard at everyone entryway. Draco frowned at Leolin for directions, and she simply shook her head to indicate it was nothing to worry about. In fact, this was about what she was expecting.

"Just follow me and look important," she said, striding confidently forward in spite of her spindly stilettos.

"I am important," he countered coolly, meeting her pace with ease.

When they were close enough, one of the Aurors, who couldn't have been older than twenty, held up a hand.

"Excuse me, Miss," he said. "This is an active investigation of an International crime. You can't be here."

Leolin only laughed.

"Cole," she said in Naomi's musical accent. "Is that only way to treat an old friend?"

The man's nervous rigidity loosened at once.

"Miss Thénard! I'm so sorry, I just I didn't recognize you."

Draco didn't outwardly react to this greeting, but she could feel the tension in his form as he stood beside her.

"Non, don't be sorry for doing your job! Now, is the boss here?"

Cole nodded.

"He's inside. If you don't mind me saying though, Miss Thénard, he's probably not going to be happy to see you. He's been a little on edge this morning."

"Oh that's alright," Leolin repeated, smiling. "I'm not afraid of him. May I?"

"Of course," Cole said, stepping aside.

Leolin could feel him eying Draco warily, and she smiled, putting a hand affectionately to Cole's chest and batching her eyelashes.

"Don't worry, darling," she cooed, overwhelming him with the sheer power of her sexual charm. "He's with me."

Cole swallowed hard.

"Of course," he said, and Draco slipped by wordlessly.

When they were far enough up the marble stairs, Draco looked at Leolin.

"Thénard? No wonder I couldn't find you."

Leolin flushed.

"I wasn't going to sell stolen art as myself," she said quietly, nodding and smiling as they passed more Aurors.

"If you were working with the thieves, how is it you know the Aurors?"

"The closer you are to danger," Leolin shrugged.

Finally they arrived in a large plaza on white marble, and Leolin immediately set her eyes on a man whose back was currently turned. She strode confidently towards him, and sensing her approach he rotated, a dark scowl appearing on his face as he took her in.

"Naomi, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Yes, hello, Crofton," Leolin said in a sultry voice, raising her eyebrows. "It's so good to see you, too."

"Get the hell out. This is a private investigation."

Leolin gave a feline smile.

"You catch La Genie yet?"

"Almost," he snapped, trying and failing not to look down her shirt.

"Liar," she replied. "You're _never_ going to catch him without my help."

"How would you know? Are you secretly working with him?"

She only laughed, which agitated him more.

"How many times are you going to try to go down that road, Teller?" she asked, smiling. "You know I'm not involved."

"What are you doing here, Thénard? You're no longer under contract with our office."

"More's the pity for you. And to answer your question, I'm here with a client."

Crofton sneered.

"Who?"

"That would be me," Draco said coolly, extending his hand and giving Crofton a haughty smile. "Draco Malfoy. Pleasure."

Crofton's eyes snapped to Leolin, who merely smiled.

"You know Draco's father Lucius, of course," Leolin said smugly. "The British Minister of Magic."

"And what? You're here representing the British Ministry?" Crofton demanded. "I wouldn't think the Minister would be bothered by a little stolen art."

"On the contrary," Leolin said. "I assure you Minister Malfoy has a _vested _interest in catching La Genie."

Crofton clenched his jaw. She knew he hated politicians, and men like Draco always brought out his own insecurities.

"He has no jurisdiction in this matter," Crofton said, eying Draco coolly. "You know that, Thénard."

"Sink me if you aren't right," Leolin purred, seemingly unperturbed. "Damn."

Leolin smiled again, looking at Draco conspiratorially. He played along by smirking back, and she could tell Crofton was growing agitated that he wasn't parlay to their silent conversation.

"Well if that's all," he said. "See yourself out."

"Oh," Leolin said in mock realization. "Did I forget to mention that Draco is also the stepson of Sebasten Athenos?"

Crofton clenched his jaw.

"What does that matter?"

"I _believe _the Athenos family are the largest donors to this museum. Merlin, it would be frightfully bad press for the IAO if they were to…inadvertently cause the financial ruin of a National Museum. Don't you think so, Mr. Malfoy?

Draco smirked down at Leolin before turning his diamond gaze on Crofton.

"Absolutely," he said with meaning, and Crofton grit his teeth, sneering at Leolin.

"You are such a vile little bitch, Thénard."

She put her hands on her hips.

"Teller, just because I make fifty times what you do in a year and it frustrates your little divorcée heart that I have a twenty four inch waist and a thirty two inch bust _doesn't _mean you have to be so rude."

"I don't give a damn about what you look like," he shot back.

"Tell that to my neckline. Now give me the case file and run along."

He flushed, embarrassed and annoyed.

"You get ten minutes," Crofton seethed.

Leolin smiled.

"I get as long as I like," she countered. "Give me the file."

"You can't just stay all day! This is an open investigation!"

"Tell that to Mr. Malfoy," she said, gesturing to Draco.

Crofton shook his head at last, knowing he was beat.

"If you touch a thing—"

"This isn't my first rodeo, Tex. I'm not going to mess up your precious investigation."

Much to his chagrin, Leolin had discovered Crofton's middle name was Texas, and she used it mercilessly.

"Don't call me that," he growled irritably, as he handed her the folio, and she smiled triumphantly.

"As you were then," she said, accepting the file and smirking at him.

"Shall we?" she said to Draco, and when she turned to look at him again there was such warmth in his eyes that she felt her façade momentarily slipping.

He hadn't looked at her like that since the rehearsal dinner. It was the look he always gave her that silently meant 'You're brilliant and I love you'.

However, she realized after a second that the look was for Teller's benefit, not hers, and she snapped out of her reverie.

"Lovely doing business with you, Crofton," Leolin said flippantly, not deigning to look at him. "You'll get the file back when I'm done."

With that Leolin started up the stairs towards the main gallery, already looking at the folio as she spindly stilettos clicked against the marble.

"That was inspired," Draco admitted as they walked.

She could feel him looking at her, but she was too afraid to look back.

"You think so?" she asked.

"Pure Slytherin brilliance," Draco agreed. "I'd almost forgotten just how it's done."

"I learned from the best," Leolin said, and Draco smiled. "I was once Slytherin royalty, after all, and I do happen to be the godmother to Severina Borgia's children."

"I can't believe you consulted for the Aurors," he said, clearly impressed.

"I know he looks thick," Leolin said in reference to Crofton. "But he has a sort of low cunning about him. I had to make sure he didn't know anything."

"And does he?"

"He's gotten closer than most," she admitted. "But he's still way off track."

They came into the first of the gallery spaces, and she shook her head in disgust. Dozen of priceless Greek statues had been senselessly pushed over, and they lay in shameful shards on the floor.

"Why would they do this?" Draco asked. "What purpose does this serve?"

Leolin sighed.

"None," she said. "It makes me sick. You can't repair works like these with magic."

"Did they steal any statuary?" Draco asked.

Leolin shook her head, indicating they go into the next gallery, which held smaller items.

All the coin displays had been smashed and they littered the floor. Leolin picked her way through the mess, indicating Draco follow.

"It's weird," Leolin said. "This room is all torn up and yet nothing is missing here, either."

"Do you think they were just trying to do more damage?" Draco suggested.

"Maybe," she said, chewing her lip. "I'm not sure."

The next room had been looted as well, and Leolin consulted the file before examining one of the busted cases.

"Here," she said. "Here's where they took stuff."

Draco looked around and the smattering of vases in the room.

"Vases?" Draco asked, confused. "What the hell are they going to do with those?"

"Look," Leolin said, drawing a sketch of a tall skinny vessel from the file. "This is a Loutrophoros. It's a ritualistic vessel used to carry water for washing corpses, among other things. See the mourners? And look at this Lekythos they took," she said, pulling another sketch of a smaller vessel. "These are used to pour oil on the dead to prepare them for the afterlife."

"How would that be useful to a necromancer?"

Leolin chewed her lip.

"There a legend—"

She trailed off, already knowing she sounded crazy.

"Go on," Draco urged.

"There's a legend that Herpo the Foul crafted a special vessel that could work in reverse. Instead of oil or water, you filled it with unicorn's blood, and that could bring the deceased back to life."

Draco ran a hand through his hair.

"Merlin," he growled. "That's not good."

"The vessel was supposedly lost a long time ago, if it ever even existed at all," Leolin explained. "Still, I can't believe I didn't think of it before."

"So this is what they're after? You're sure?"

"No," Leolin admitted. "I don't know for sure. But it could make sense. We'll know better when she see what they took from your stepfather's villa. But your mum did say there were some vases missing from the house in London, though."

"And the painting?" Draco said.

Leolin shrugged.

"I won't know for sure until I see what's in it," Leolin said, looking at the sketch for another stolen Loutrophoros. "But it could be that it can reveal the location of the actual object. It's even possible the object is actually hidden inside the painting itself. Or it could be useless. I just don't know yet."

Draco nodded, consulting his watch.

"Well, it's a start. Have we got everything we need from here?"

She nodded as well.

"Here," she said. "Hold this."

She handed him the folio before spreading the sketches of the fifteen or so stolen vases on the floor, quickly muttering a quick _geminio_ and making a copy of each.

Draco watched her work, a bemused expression on his face

"Are you allowed to do that?"

She quickly assembled the copies then put then in her bag before raising her eyebrows at him.

"What, are you going to tell on me?"

"Just asking the question," he asked, offering the folio back to her.

"Don't worry about Teller; yanks are _so _easy to manipulate."

He raised his eyebrows, and she raised hers back.

"I have no reason to manipulate Gen, though I think we can both agree that it would be painfully easy for me to do so. Despite what she clearly believes, she's not as clever as I am."

"You think so?" he said coolly. "I'm inclined to disagree."

"I bet you are," Leolin said flippantly.

"In fact, I've seen her out maneuver you on more than occasion."

She grit her teeth in annoyance because that was true. However, not wanting to give him the upper hand, she laughed.

"I'm sure she'd like to think so," she said saucily. "But the truth is I have better things to do than tussle with her all the live long day."

"Please. Gen's a virtuoso manipulator and we _both_ know it. She can take the clothes off a person's back and send them on their way thinking she did them a favour. Even yours, I'd say, though there is admittedly not much more to take off."

Leolin wrinkled her nose, trying to mask her hurt.

"Charming."

"Amusing, certainly," Draco said.

"Why do you love her?" Leolin blurted after a minute.

Draco shrugged, his eyes glittering.

"Maybe I like that she's a little conniving," Draco said in a sultry voice that made Leolin's knees a little weak.

Unwilling to betray her embarrassment, she turned her back and started out of the gallery. However, he was on her in a second, whispering in her ear.

"Maybe it gets me hard."

"Gross," she seethed, pushing him off of her even as her pulsed pounded.

"After all," he said authoritatively. "She's going to be Slytherin royalty soon."

"By marriage," Leolin scoffed.

"What is it about her that you hate so much?" Draco said in a bored voice, as if her reply was only mildly interesting to him.

Leolin turned to frowned at him.

"She's awful to me, for one," Leolin bit out, trying to decide where Draco was going with this.

Was he trying to get her to admit she still loved him, or was he just torturing her again?

"What else?"

"Not that I need anything else besides that," Leolin pointed out. "But I do think she's manipulative."

"Well we've just established that so are you. Is that all?"

"No," she admitted, stopping for a second to look at him.

She sighed, biting her lip. She didn't want to spar anything more. It was wearing away at her.

"What is it, then?"

"I hate that she's trying to replace me. It just feels like—Merlin, I don't know! Like she's trying to fill every hole I left. Not just in your life but…in _mine_. She wants to be Amelie's muse and Ginny's best friend and Slytherin's princess. It's like—she's trying to erase me."

"Wouldn't you, if you were in her place?" Draco said solemnly.

"She has you," Leolin said candidly. "That should be enough."

Draco's eyes burned into her and she looked away, holding the folio up to an annoyed Crofton Teller.

"Here you are, Tex," she said in her false accent.

"Have any revelations while you were in there?" he said, snatching the file from her.

"They're targeting funerary vases," she said, putting on her sunglasses. "Mostly Lekythi and Loutrophori."

"How profound," he snapped.

"See you soon," she responded flippantly, not deigning to look at him. "Ciao!"

With the she strutted out of the museum, Draco on her heels. When they were away from the eyes of the auror, Draco slung his arm around her waist again and pulled her casually towards him.

"Why can't we travel by floo like normal people?" she said sullenly, struggling a little against him.

"Because my stepfather was just abducted, and I want all of the floos closed until I know how the intruder got in."

"Tell just tell me where we're going and I'll follow," Leolin said.

"No," he said sternly. "The less people who can get in, the better."

Leolin continued struggling, inadvertently brushing against Draco in a way that made him inhale sharply.

"Maleficent, Lefevre," he breathed. "Easy on the goods."

"Then just let go!"

"Merlin," he groaned, half-laughing as he tried to keep her steady. "Are you _trying _to make me uncomfortable?"

"Of course not. I just don't want to side-along again."

"Leolin," he said in her ear. "Please stop moving."

"Or what?" she demanded, not heeding his request.

He gave a soft laugh.

"Or I'm going to rip that tight little skirt off of you and make you finish what you're starting," he said huskily, sending a pleasurable shudder down her spine.

If she were more cunning she would have kept moving to see if he meant it. But an odd trepidation paralyzed her, and she stopped at once.

"Thank you," he said, and in a second they were spinning away. She curled against him as he held her tightly, and that's how they arrived at the flat in Athens.

"Draco?" Narcissa said, happening upon their embrace in the spacious entryway.

"Mum!" he cried in surprise, detangling himself from Leolin at once.

Narcissa gave him a withering look that suggested that she didn't believe whatever fumbled excuse he was about to give, but he gave one anyway.

"I—" he began, looking at a blushing Leolin. "We—Leolin get sick during side-along apparations. I was just—trying to help."

Narcissa pursed her lips.

"How gentlemanly of you," Narcissa said dryly.

"There's nothing going on," Draco said too quickly, and Narcissa nodded.

"I believe you," she said, though he tone suggested somewhat the opposite.

She turned towards the grand staircase that transected the foyer and he followed, ushering Leolin up as well.

"How was the museum? Narcissa asked.

She was wearing a mint chiffon maxi dress and sandals, and she looked like a Greek goddess herself.

"Very illuminating," Leolin said. "I think I know what they're targeting."

"Good," Narcissa said, ushering them into what seemed like a meeting room on the second floor.

Aleco and Myles were already there, looking troubled. Next to Aleco was his wife Petra: a tall, sturdily built woman with a strong nose, a wide smile, and sparkling dark eyes. She smiled kindly at Draco as he approached, then Leolin in kind. Myles's wife Marina was next to Petra, and compared with her sister-in-law, Marina looked like a woodland sprite. She had large hooded eyes and full bow lips and an absurd amount of dark hair, and even bouncing on slightly on her heels, she looked barely five foot.

At the very end of the table sat a heavyset man in his late fifties who was introduced as Sebasten's best friend and business partner Elias.

"Do either of you want a drink before we go to the Villa?" Narcissa asked Draco and Leolin, sinking down in the captain's chair at the head of the table and gesturing to a stooped servant Leolin recognized from the Malfoy Manor.

"I told you to release all the servants and change the wards," Draco said in veiled irritation.

"Javier has been with me since I was a child," Narcissa said evenly. "He's family to me."

"Fine," Draco said. "But everyone else is gone?"

"Yes," Narcissa said sullenly. "Though I don't know how long you expect me to live this way."

"Not long," Draco affirmed, nodding at Javier to make him a vodka martini.

Before she could ask for one, Javier brought Leolin a gin one, and when she looked questioningly up at him, he giving her a look to indicate he hadn't forgotten her. He was the ultimate servant, always listening and observing. Perhaps that Leolin didn't like about him as a person; he never seemed very easy to trust.

"Does that mean you have a plan to get your stepfather back?" Narcissa asked, sounding almost hopeful.

Draco and Myles exchanged a look.

"It means we're sending you and Dimitri to Luxembourg until this is all resolved."

"You must certainly are not," Narcissa said haughtily. "I'm staying here."

"And I have University in London," Dimitri protested.

"It's for the best," Aleco interceded. "I don't want either of you in harm's way."

"This isn't fair!" Dimitri protested. "I hate Luxembourg."

"You've never been there, D," Myles said. "And we all agreed, so stop complaining."

"You two are the most lucrative targets for the kidnappers hit next, and it will only make this worse for Sebasten if either of you is taken," Elias pointed out gently. "Listen to your boy, Narcissa. He's looking out for you."

Narcissa pursed her lips.

"Fine," Narcissa agreed begrudgingly. "But you three aren't allowed to keep things from me. I want to remain in the loop."

"They won't," Petra, Aleco's wife, said. "I promise."

Narcissa nodded.

"Thank you."

"Now, what did you learn at the museum?" Myles asked.

Draco looked at Leolin.

"Lefevre?"

"They are targeting these two types of vessels," Leolin said, pulling the drawings she'd made at the museum out and spreading them across the table. "Loutrophori and Lekythi."

"Why these?" Aleco asked.

Leolin looked at Draco who gave her a look indicating she keep the Necromancer to herself.

"I don't know," she admitted.

"Are they valuable?" Myles asked.

"Can be," Leolin said, shrugging. "These ones obviously were."

"Sebasten definitely had vases that shape in the office," Narcissa said. "The thieves must have taken them."

Draco and Leolin exchanged another look.

"I will know better when I see the manifests," Leolin said. "Did you find them?"

"Here," Narcissa said, handing her three thick folios. "I've already marked what's been accounted for from the office. Still, it's a lot to get through."

"I work quickly," Leolin assured her. "Once I get through these I will have a better idea of what the pattern is."

"Good," Aleco nodded, taking a large bronze shield off the wall. "Then are we ready to go to the villa?" He asked

Leolin gave Draco a quizzical look.

"He works for the Wizarding Transportation Office," his wife Petra explained.

"I'm going to make us a portkey," Aleco explained.

"Good," Narcissa said, setting down her empty glass and slipping into sandals. "Because apparently apparating makes poor Leolin sick."

She gave her son a pointed look, and he clenched his jaw and turned away.

"Are we ready, then?" Aleco asked.

Draco nodded solemnly.

"Let's go."

* * *

The villa had been more beautiful than Leolin could possibly have imagined, and it overlooked the azure waters of the Aegean sea, which glittered dimly in the late afternoon sun. They gave Leolin a small tour before showing her the rooms that had been burglared. They all spent the next hour or so identifying missing items, and there was indeed a great number of loutrophori and lekythi missing, along with a number of amphorae.

The sun was setting by the time they arrived, but it was summer, and the air was warm and inviting.

"Should we have something to eat?" Elias asked. "And some wine, perhaps?"

"How?" Narcissa sniffed. "Draco's dismissed the help."

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Marina and I will make something," Petra, Aleco's wife, offered. "Open a bottle of red and let it breathe. We'll be done by the time it's ready."

"Take Lefevre with you," Draco said, eying Leolin with an unreadable expression. "She's a good cook."

Marina, who was the younger of the two and about Draco's age, slapped him soundly on the back of the head.

"She's not your servant, Drake," she scolded.

"If she was, she'd be a poor one," Draco said dryly. "She rarely does as she's told."

This earned him another sound slap.

"Merlin! Stop hitting me!" Draco laughed, standing and squaring off with Marina.

"_Stop hitting me_!" Marina mimicked, tossing her head of dark curls back and forth in mockery.

"I'm going to throw you in the pool," Draco warned. "Don't fucking think I won't."

"Draco, language, _please_," Narcissa admonished.

He and Marina ignored her.

"Pfft," Marina scoffed. "I'm not afraid of y—"

Draco snatched Marina by the waist and tossed her in with a solid heave. She emerged sputtering and heaving a minute later, and Draco and the boys were laughing.

"Honestly, Draco," Narcissa said through pursed lips. "Was that really necessary?"

Draco shrugged arrogantly, smirking as he slid back into his seat. Marina flicked pool water in his face as she passed by.

"You don't get any dinner," she said.

"Do you want to come help, Leolin?" Petra said hopefully. "You don't have to, if you don't want."

"No I will," Leolin said, eager to be helpful.

"Excellent," Marina said, smiling. "You can tell us all of Draco's most humiliating secrets."

Draco made a face at her and she stick out her tongue and crossed her eyes in response.

Marina and Petra lead the way to the kitchen, and when they got there Marina dried herself off using her wand and hopped up on one of the marble islands to sit while Petra began assembling ingredients.

"We can't tell you how excited you're here," Marina said, and she and Petra shared a conspiratorial look. "We've been dying to meet you."

Leolin must have looked skeptical, because Petra gave her a warm smile.

"No," she said. "Nothing sinister. You're just such a mystery!"

"Up until last night, the only thing we knew about you was your name," Petra explained. "Then Aleco and Dimitri came home and said you were gorgeous—"

"Which you are," Marina interrupted. "I love that skirt. I wish I had the body to pull that off!"

"Thank you," Leolin said, laughing self-consciously. "Draco was less than impressed."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe," Petra said, smiling.

"Anyways, Leolin," Marina continued. "Tell us everything. Where are you from?"

"Wales."

"Ooh," Marina said as Petra washed fresh spinach. "I love Wales!"

"And my dad's French," Leolin explained.

"So you speak French?" Petra asked. "That must have made Narcissa happy."

"Not particularly," Leolin said, trying to remember if they ever even discussed it.

"Really?" Petra pressed. "Herpo's beard, she constantly harping on about Gen not speaking French."

"It gets really old," Marina agreed, still eying Leolin appreciatively. "I'm sorry to stare, you just look _nothing_ like I imagined!"

"What did you imagine?" Leolin asked.

"I don't know exactly," Marina explained, popping an olive into her mouth. "I guess someone more like Gen."

"Someone more modest, you mean," Leolin laughed.

They laughed as well.

"I was going to say clean-cut," Marina amended, smiling at Leolin. "But you and she are like night and day."

"In more ways than one," Leolin admitted, and Marina nodded knowingly.

"I know she can be a lot. She's the type that doesn't play well with other women."

"Not that we don't like her," Petra said hastily. "We do. She's just not the easiest person to get to know."

"She's so hard to read, because she's pleasant even when she's being nasty," Marina offered. "It must be an American thing. Honestly, I don't know how Draco can stand it."

"Marina!" Petra scolded. "Stop, she's family."

"I'm not insulting her, but she must be impossible to fight with. She'd say one thing and tie you up in knots."

"Well Draco's not exactly easy to argue with, either," Leolin offered honestly. "Once he decides something, it's all but settled in his mind."

"What was it like being engaged to him?" Marina asked. "I can only _imagine_."

Leolin smiled, remembering.

"It definitely had it moments."

"He needs someone like you," Marina said. "Someone to tell him no. He didn't hear that word enough growing up."

"We're trying to civilize him," Petra said, smiling. "It's slow going. Besides, we have our own boys to worry about."

"Do me a favour and don't marry a Greek man, Leolin," Marina said. "They are so stubborn!"

"I'll do my best," Leolin said, biting her lip.

"Don't make those sorts of promises," Petra said. "Or you'll walk out of here and right into the arms of the next Greek man you see. That's how it goes; love just does the exact opposite of whatever you had planned for yourself."

"That's true," Leolin admitted. "It's rarely easy."

"I was dating Myles's roommate when I met him," Marina said. "But it only took me about fifteen seconds to realize I'd picked the wrong one."

"It was a disaster," Petra agreed, smiling. "The roommate threw all of Myles's things into the street."

"Do you have a boyfriend, Leolin?" Marina asked.

"Me?" Leolin asked, unprepared for the question. She forgot that in everyone's minds except her own, Draco was part of her past. "Oh no, I'm not really interested. I just moved back to London, and there's a lot going on."

"Moved from where?" Petra asked.

"Florence," Leolin said. "And Rome. I split my time."

"Ooh," Marina said. "You should marry an Italian. They make the best lovers!"

"Marina!" Petra said, blushing a little. "Merlin!"

"We can't all be virgins on our wedding night, Petra," Marina said in a sing-song voice.

"Stop," Petra said, throwing a grape tomato at Marina. "How does Myles put up with you?"

"I really good at suc—"

She was blissfully interrupted by Draco, who appeared in the doorway.

"I come in peace," he said, his eyes naturally finding Leolin and resting there. "But Aleco and Myles would like to inquire about the status of dinner."

"It's ready," Petra said, handing him a large dish of pasta. "Here, take this. We'll bring the rest."

When he'd gone, Marina bit her lip.

"What was _that_?"

"What was what?" Leolin asked, confused.

"He couldn't stop staring at you," Petra agreed.

"It's just the outfit," Leolin said.

"I don't think so," Marina said. "Is there something going on between you two?"

"What?" Leolin said, trying to sound casual. "Of course not! Draco can barely stand me most days."

"I wouldn't be so sure. If he hates you so much, why did he bring you here?"

"He needed me t—" Leolin broke off as Petra nodded knowingly.

"Exactly," Petra said in a sage voice. "He needed you. And he chose not to bring Genevieve," she continued.

"That was for Narcissa's sake, not mine," Leolin said, though Petra's observations kindled something akin to hope in her chest.

"I bet," she said, raising her eyebrows. "After all, why should Draco be tempted by you? You're only his first love."

Leolin opened her mouth to say something than snapped into shut. Petra gave her a conspiratorial eyebrow raise.

"Just some food for thought. Now, shall we eat?"

The meal had been delicious, and after it was over they drank, talked, and—despite the terrible circumstances that had brought them together—celebrated one another's company.

They more she got to know them, the more Leolin loved Marina and Petra, who were both so delightfully smart and sharp-tongued, just like she was. She felt immediately at home with them, and they make it clear they felt the same.

Elias told stories of he and Sebasten's childhood in Volo, and about both Aleco and Myles's mother Chara—who had died too young—and Dimitri's mother Ioanna, who was alive and well in Preveza, and whom Dimitri claimed was the most lovably crazy woman on Earth.

Narcissa told the story of how Sebasten pursued her after her divorce from Lucius, and how he had to propose sixteen times before she would say yes. Even though Leolin had never met Sebasten, she could tell from being surrounded by his family that he was a great man, and her heart ached that he had been swept up in this nightmare.

Of course, the most exhilarating part of the evening was Draco, and Leolin was drunk on his attention and his affection. Seated next to him at the dinner table amongst so many other couples, she felt like his wife at last. It was a bittersweet glimpse at the life she was meant to have, and it was intoxicating. After dinner Draco had casually slung an arm over the back of her chair, and they traded affectionate glances as they listened to the others. It was as if no time had passed, as if they'd never been apart, and several times Leolin had to stop herself from leaning over to kiss him lightly the way she used to. There were also times were it seemed like he was contemplating holding her hand, but he never quite did, though her left hand and his right remained dangerously close to touching all evening.

Leolin could feel Narcissa's keen gaze on them throughout the meal, though she wasn't sure if it was approving or reproachful. Still, every time Draco looked at her, eyes glittering, she thought about what Petra had said. Could it be that some part of Draco had brought Leolin because she was the one he wanted by his side when things went wrong? She wanted so badly for that to be the case.

Currently, Leolin was just finishing putting away the dishes. She looked out the kitchen window onto the sprawling veranda. Draco was standing looking out towards the water, Narcissa at his side. Putting away the last dish, Leolin went down to fetch Draco and go back to London.

Neither he nor Narcissa heard her slip through the fluttering drapes onto the patio, and though she hadn't intended to spy, their conversation piqued her curiousity, and she stayed were she was.

"It was good to see Leolin," Narcissa was saying. "I must say, she's as radiant as ever."

Draco was silent a moment before answering.

"Yeah, I suppose she is."

"What did Genevieve think of you bringing her here?"

He sighed.

"She was—displeased. She thinks I only did it so I could be alone with Leolin."

"And did you?" Narcissa said bluntly.

He turned to scowl at her.

"How can you ask me that?" he asked. "You know how I feel about Gen."

"Yes, I do, but I'm not blind either. I saw the way you were looking at Leolin tonight."

"What are you talking about? No, I wasn't."

"You don't have to lie to me, darling."

"I wasn't looking at her any way."

"Let me rephrase, then: how do you think Genevieve would have felt about tonight?"

"What, now your Gen's advocate? I thought you said you don't think she's right for me."

"And so I don't," Narcissa admitted. "But you are engaged to be _married_, Draco. That comes with responsibilities."

"I brought Leolin here to help," Draco said. "She's brilliant at what she does."

"I agree, and I've very grateful for her help, but that doesn't change the facts."

"And what are the facts, as you see them?"

"That you're still desperately in love with her."

"You're wrong," Draco snapped. "I'm not."

"Darling—"

"She betrayed me," Draco continued. "I haven't forgotten that. Besides, I love Gen. I _chose_ Gen. Leolin won't change that."

"Then let Leolin go, for both your sakes."

"I have!"

"No, you haven't. But you have to, if for no one else but yourself."

Leolin's heart felt full of lead, and she didn't know whose words had been more painful: Draco's or Narcissa's. She wanted to scream and tear her hair out. She hadn't committed any wrongdoing against Draco; why did she _always_ have to pay the price?

She slipped back inside silently, pretending to busy herself with her floo when Draco emerged.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked, his eyes less luminous than before.

Leolin bowed her head. She knew that the fantasy had been shattered.

"Yes, whenever you are."

He nodded, grabbing the same shield that Aleco had left them.

"Let's go, then."

* * *

They arrived back at the flat a hour or so later, and Leolin kicked off her heels, not knowing what to say to Draco. She had no idea where his head was, and she was afraid that if she tried to reach out to him tonight, he would only push her away. On the other hand, after the time they'd had in each other's company, the last thing she wanted was to say goodnight.

"Do you want a drink?" he said, pouring himself a vodka and putting it down cleanly in one go.

She turned back, studied him. It was the first thing he'd said to her since they'd left the villa.

"You know the answer to that question is always going to be yes," she said almost sheepishly, and he gave a small laugh as she padded back into the open kitchen.

"Here," he said, offering her a drink before hopping up to sit on the counter.

They sat in silence for a few moments, both sipping their drinks and trying to decide what to say.

"Thank you," he said finally, setting down his glass and looking at her keenly. "For today. Your help's been…invaluable."

She blushed, hoping he wouldn't notice.

"Of course," she said. "I'm happy I could be useful."

He laughed softly in spite of himself.

"You were more than useful," he said. "You were brilliant, Leolin."

She could feel the steady buzz she'd gotten at the villa coming back. Or was that just from the way Draco was looking at her?

"Or maybe I ought to call you Naomi."

His voice was an odd mixture of playful and resentful. However, he gave her a warm look, and Leolin smiled.

"I know," Leolin said sheepishly, looking down into her lap and tucking some dark hair behind her ear as she smiled almost shyly. "She's kind of a bitch."

"I actually sort of like her," Draco admitted, taking another sip of his drink and admiring her. "She's—resourceful."

"That's one word for it," Leolin said, suddenly bashful.

"Was she your invention, or Severina's?"

"A mix," Leolin admitted. "The name Naomi was my choice, but Severina liked Thénard. She said it sounded snobby. Obviously it made sense for her to be French, given my background and…I don't know. The rest just spiraled from there."

Draco nodded his understanding, eying her hair again.

"The cut was Rina's idea," she said, still self conscious about it. "She said that Naomi was more stylish and sophisticated than Leolin."

"Am I allowed to be offended?" Draco said, half-smiling. "Leolin was my fiancée, after all. I thought she was very stylish."

"She was," Leolin said. It was so strange to talk about herself in the third person. "But by the time I met Severina I wasn't Leolin anymore."

He looked at her seriously.

"What happened to you?" he demanded softly. "Was it that bloke you ran off with in Geneva?"

She bit her lip.

"Please don't ask me that," she said softly, watching him take another swig of his drink. "I can't tell you yet."

"Because you're not ready?"

"Because I just—can't. I promise that I will tell you everything soon."

He nodded tightly, not nearly as annoyed as she imagined he'd be.

"Fine," he said. "I won't push."

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Do you want another drink?"

She gave him a knowing look and he laughed again softly.

"Why do I even bother asking?" he said, topping her up.

"It's like you don't know me at all," she said, smiling at him.

However, at this his smile faltered.

"I suppose at this point I don't, really," he admitted, sounding distantly pained by that fact. "Five years is a long time."

"I'm still me," Leolin said softly. "I'm still Leolin."

"Tell that to Naomi," Draco said seriously.

"Creating a persona was necessary for what I was doing," Leolin said. "But I never lost sight of who I was. Someday when this is all over, I am going to hunt down and return every piece La Genie stole and give them back."

He gave her a quizzical look.

"You know that none of this makes any sense, don't you?" he said.

She nodded.

"I know. Someday it will, though."

Draco was scrutinizing her, his eyes flicking from hers to her mouth.

"When?" he asked earnestly. "Because all of the guesswork is driving me mad."

"Soon, I hope," she said, pushing some hair behind her ear.

She had to get away from Draco before she admitted something regrettable and ended up in Azkaban.

"I should go to bed," she said softly. "It's been a long day."

He nodded.

"Me too."

She waited as he put away the glasses before they ascended the stairs wordlessly. When they reached her door she stood, turning to face him and leaning on the door frame.

"Goodnight," she said, wishing she could invent a reason for him to stay.

"Goodnight," he repeated, his eyes hooded as he peered down at her. "Thank you again for today."

"Of course," Leolin said. "Anything I can do to help."

He was still looking down at her, and he nodded, though his eyes never left her face.

"I don't know where we'd be without you," he murmured.

"You'd manage," Leolin said, feeling almost breathless at this point.

"Maybe," he said, inadvertently licking his lips. "I'm just glad we don't have to find out."

"You don't," she affirmed. "I will stay as long as you need."

"Thank you," he repeated. "You're a loyal friend, Lefevre. We need more friends like you."

"You know I would do anything to help," she said.

"Yes," he admitted. "I do. We're in your debt."

"Let's just stop your father," she breathed. "That will be repayment enough."

"We will," he said, eyes glittering. "I promise. Goodnight."

"Yeah," she breathed, dazed as he looked down at her lips again. "Goodnight."

He bent to kiss her cheek, but she instinctually turned her head at the last minute. However, he didn't pull away as she half-expected him to. He instead placed a finger under her chin, tilting her head up. Leolin's eyes slipped closed as her heart thundered so loudly she was sure he would be able to hear it Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, his soft lips fell on hers.

A/N: *Cue Mania.


	12. Chapter 11: Lead Me Not From Temptation

**Chapter Eleven**: Lead Me Not From Temptation

"The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it."

-Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

* * *

"_This is dumb!" Ginny scolded Draco. "You obviously want to! Just swallow your stupid pride and go to Geneva!"_

_They were sitting at The Savage Vagabond having a beer. It was a balmy night in late summer, and despite the fact Ginny had practice the next day, they were both a little drunk._

"_Knock it off," Draco growle__d softly, taking a sip of his beer. "She betrayed me. I'm not going to reward that with some grand romantic gesture."_

"_Even though you want to?" Ginny pressed. "__**C'mon,**__ Drake! Who are you really punishing here? From where I'm sitting, you're the only one suffering."_

"_I'm fine," Draco bit back._

_Ginny touched his arm._

"_You don't have to lie to me, you know. It's okay to admit you miss her."_

"_You're one to talk," Draco said, changing the subject. "You're living just as big a lie as I am."_

"_What is that supposed to mean?" Ginny said, half-laughing. "I'm not lying about anything."_

"_Then why are you still dating Carmichael when you're obviously in love with Blaise?" Draco said, raising his eyebrows as he took another sip of his beer._

_Ginny flushed, laughing to hide her speechlessness._

"_What? I don't—Blaise and I are just—"_

"_Just—" Draco prompted._

_Ginny laughed again._

"_Friends. We're just friends, is all. He doesn't even think of me like that anymore."_

_Draco rolled his eyes._

"_Please. That is bollocks and we both know it. I see the googley eyes you give each other when you think I'm not looking."_

"_We don't—" she flustered. "There are no googley eyes!"_

_Draco shook his head, draining the last mouthful in his glass before indicating for another._

"_Whatever you say," he said at last, smiling a little._

"_You really think I fancy Blaise?" she said, blushing again._

"_No," he said arrogantly. "I don't __think_**. **_I know. **Everyone** __knows. Lauren brings it up whenever you're not around. I can't believe your thick-skulled boyfriend hasn't noticed."_

"_Blaise's mum said something about it? How does she know?"_

_Draco rolled his eyes._

"_Because, Weasley, she has eyes."_

_Ginny bit her lip, and Draco's eyes glittered as he watched her squirm. Finally he began to laugh._

"I bloody knew it,_" Draco said triumphantly._

_Ginny put her head down on the bar to hide her flaming cheeks._

"_Okay," she bit out. "Maybe I—a little."_

"_Then why are you with Carmichael?" Draco demanded._

She considered this, her face sobering up as she did so.

"_For the same reason you aren't on your way to Geneva right now. I'm scared."_

_His smirk faded, and Ginny touched his arm._

"_There's a reason you can't get her out of your head, you know."_

"_And what's that?" he said somewhat defensively._

"_She's meant to be there! Look, I know you're assuming the worst about her, but the truth is that you don't know why she left. Shouldn't you be sure before you spend a lifetime hating her?"_

_Draco said nothing, only clenched his jaw._

"_I'll make you a deal," Ginny said, drawing out her lighter. "Promise me you'll go to Geneva tonight and I will break up with Wes."_

"_Right now?"_

_Ginny nodded. Draco considered, bowing his head a second and groaning._

"_What if I can't find her? What if she's—"_

"_No, no excuses," Ginny said firmly. "You can worry about all that shite once you get there."_

_Draco said nothing again, only surveyed Ginny critically._

"_Come on, Drake," she urged. "Take a leap of faith."_

_Finally, he nodded and Ginny smiled grimly, clicking open her floo and taking a deep breath as she waited for Wes to pick up._

"_Hey darling," Wes answered. "I thought you were going out with the sod Malfoy tonight. You done already?"_

_Draco scowled, and Ginny laughed nervously._

"_No, I'm still with him. Are you at home? I want to pop by after."_

"_Yes. But don't you have practice early tomorrow?"_

"_Yes, but I—" Ginny paused, eyes flicking nervously to Draco, who raised his eyebrows. "I have something I want to talk to you about. Can I come over when I'm done here?"_

_Wes laughed._

"_Should I be worried? You're not trying to break up with me, are you?"_

_She laughed as well but said nothing. This must have assuaged Wes, because he spoke again._

"_Of course you can come over. How much longer are you planning on staying there?"_

_Ginny looked at Draco, who was waving for the check._

"_I'll be at yours in fifteen minutes."_

"_Okay," Wes said, and Ginny could hear the smile in his voice. "I can also come to you, if that's easier."_

"_No," Ginny bit out, watching Draco pay their tab. "It's fine. I'm in already in your neighbourhood."_

"_Alright darling, see you soon, then."_

"_See you," she said softly, hanging up and looking at Draco._

"_You don't have to do this," he said quietly. "I'm not going make you."_

_She looked at him seriously._

"_No, you're right. I have to do this. Just—don't tell Blaise yet. I should probably do it myself."_

_Draco grinned._

"_My lips are sealed."_

_Ginny smiled too, though it was clear she was growing nervous. She stood, brushing a soft kiss on Draco's cheek._

"_I'm off, then," she said. "What about you?"_

_Draco glanced down at his half-drunk beer._

"_I'm going to finish this, then I'll head to King's Cross."_

_She nodded._

"_Floo me when you get to Geneva so I know you're alright."_

_He nodded as well._

"_Good luck, darling," she said._

_He raised his eyebrows._

"_You too."_

_She gave him a reassuring smile and disappeared out the door. When she was gone Draco hung his head, considering the task before him. He took another long draught of his beer before carefully drawing his wand. He looked around to see if anyone was watching him, but no one was._

"_Prodio," he whispered quietly, and a small patch of air in front on him began to shudder._

_After a second, the nothingness began materializing into a solid form. When it was finished, the object hung suspended in mid-air for a second before falling. Draco caught it before it could hit the bar, running his thumb affectionately over the diamond-encrusted face of Leolin's key. He would never admit it to anyone, but he'd been carrying it with him since she'd left, unable to bear letting it go. It was the last of Leolin he had left._

_He considered the necklace for the millionth time, imagining it hanging around Leolin's neck. He still loved her, he admitted bitterly to himself. It had been over a year since the wedding, and he still loved her fiercely. He still wanted to marry her. He looked at the key again. Did she feel the same? He remembered what she'd written in her note: I love you more than I can say, and I always will. Did she mean that? Was she miserable, too? His heart told him she was._

_He had to go to her. He stood, the pendant still clutched in his grasp. It was time. He had to find her and bring her back where she belonged. Resolutely, he turned to the door, but as he made to walk through it, another thought struck him._

_The picture from the paper. Before he could stop himself, he imagined Leolin lying naked in someone else's arms, moaning in pleasure. He grit his teeth. If she really loved Draco, Leolin wouldn't have moved on so quickly. He closed his eyes. She was probably with that stupid bloke now. Draco was holding the pendant so tightly that he could feel it making an imprint in his skin._

_He sat back down, ordering a double of whiskey and throwing it back in several sickening gulps. He slammed the pendant down, driving his hands into his hair instead. He felt an anger that he thought he'd conquered boiling up again. Fuck Geneva, and fuck Leolin. He wasn't going after her. She wasn't worth it. He ordered another shot. He was done pining after her like some pathetic schoolboy. From this moment on, she was dead to him._

_Ginny opened the door to her flat fifteen minutes later, her eyes red-rimmed from crying._

"_Drake," she said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"_

"_Are you alright?" he said in response._

_She nodded._

"_It was the right thing to do," she said. "But I still feel terrible about it."_

_He nodded too, bowing his head._

"_What are you doing here?" Ginny repeated. "Shouldn't you be on your way to Switzerland?"_

_He said nothing, only extended the pendant, urged her to take it._

"_I'm not going," he said coldly. "I'm done."_

_Dumbstruck, Ginny opened her palm so Draco could deposit the necklace._

"_Draco—"_

"_No," he said, his tone almost menacing. "I never want to hear her name again. Promise me."_

_Ginny said nothing, bowing her head again as more tears welled up._

"_Promise me, Weasley," he demanded. "Promise me we'll never talk about her ever again."_

_Ginny bit her lip, warring between her love of Leolin and her loyalty to Draco. Finally, she acquiesced by nodding._

"_I promise."_

* * *

Draco's lips were soft and full against Leolin's, and kissing him was like traveling back in time. Suddenly she was sixteen again, admitting she loved him for the first time on the Hogwarts' quidditch pitch. The initial kiss was soft and chaste, and Leolin didn't move, didn't breathe, as his full lips pushed gently to hers.

Leolin heart was still thundering in her chest, and when she felt him beginning to pull away she panicked. She looked up at him fearfully, but his eyes weren't cold and angry like she'd imagined they would be. In fact, they were just the opposite. He was looking at her the way he used to, his eyes were so bright that Leolin once again felt like she was lying under the sun.

She bit her lip and leaned into him again, and he responded at once by wrapping an authoritative hand around the back of her neck and crushing her mouth against his. His tongue tasted like the lime in his drink. She gave a breathy exhale and he deepened the kiss, tangling his fingers in her hair and tugging her head back so he could feast on her neck. She groaned as his flashing teeth grazed her pulse point.

He was urging her backwards into the room now, and she let go as they moved, allowing him to tug his pullover sweater over his head. He cast it down, already eying the skintight crop top she wore. Needing no further prompting, she pulled it off, and his eyes glittered as he drank in her heaving breasts, which were barely contained by her lacy bra.

He advanced, cupping her arse as she worked the buttons of his crisp oxford. When it fluttered to the floor, he greedily unzipped her leather skirt, kneeling as he peeled into down her legs. Still on his knees, he raised her foot, kissing the sole before dragging his lips up her calf and inner thigh. She was already wet with anticipation, and she tugged his hair, urging him to stand and continue undressing.

He shred his trousers gracefully, crushing her against him in his fitted boxer briefs. She could feel the effect she as having on his body, and he rubbed against her to emphasize it. He wrapped a hand around either thigh and hoisted her easily into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her fingers scraping through the soft hair at his nape. He twirled her easily, pressing her back against the wall as he ravaged her neck. He spun them again so she was positioned over the bed before unclasping her bra. Supporting her back as she leaned to pull into down her arms, his breath quickened as she threw the garment down.

He eased her back to her feet know before authoritatively pushing her backwards. Her breasts bounced as she fell against the soft mattress, and he deftly crawled between her legs, kissing her again as he hitched on thigh around his hip so he could rub against her. He tangled a hand in her hair as he kissed her neck, his lips eventually descending to collarbone then breasts then down her taut and heaving stomach. She sighed and bucked up against his hot touch, ready for what was coming.

It felt like every cell in Leolin's body had begun to sing, and she could barely think for want of him. However, something far more potent than her desire began welling up at that moment, and she knew even as she tried to force it back down that it was about to completely overwhelm her. She knew it was the exactly what she ought _not _to do in that moment, but she conversely felt she'd die if she didn't.

"I love you," she breathed softly, and immediately he froze, his lips alighting for her skin at once.

He pulled back, a hideous look blooming in his eyes.

"What did you just say?"

She bit her lip, knowing at once she'd made a mistake. She sat up.

"I—"

He recoiled in horror, driving his hands into his hair as he groaned.

"What am I doing?" he said, more to himself than to her. "I'm _engaged_. I can't believe I was actually considering fucking you."

"Draco—" Leolin repeated, but Draco shook his head, his eyes cold now.

"Don't," he said fiercely. "Don't even start."

He got up at once, staring hatefully down at her before retreating, putting his broad back to her. She bit her lip and stood, breasts still exposed.

"You can't just walk away," Leolin demanded. "Not after that."

He wheeled on her.

"There is _nothing_ to talk about," Draco sneered. "I'm drunk, and that was a mistake. And put your top on. I can't fucking stand to look at you like that right now."

She flushed, she could tell from his briefs that his cock was still semi-hard for her.

"You don't really believe that," she said, trying not to sound desperate. "I know you don't."

"You don't know anything, you stupid little vipress," he spit back.

"You kissed me!" Leolin said. "I didn't ask you to do that!"

"And now I hate myself for it!" Draco roared. "You're fucking poison, Lefevre. I can't _believe_ I fell for your tawdy little act."

"Why is this entirely my fault?" she asked, crushed. "_You_ kissed _me_. I thought it was what you wanted."

"Don't play coy with me, princess; you know it isn't! I _love_ Gen! And—Merlin! I don't want anything to do with you!"

"Then why am I here?" Leolin asked quietly. "Why did you bring me here, if you hate me so much?"

He gave her a hideously cruel look.

"Why did you say 'I love you'?" He countered. "Stop toying with me, Lefevre. Why did you say that?"

"I—" she began, feeling a familiar guilt welling up. She knew she didn't have to feel this way, but it was still killing her. "You know why," she said softly.

"You're a vile liar," he bit out. "I don't believe you."

"It's true," she repeated meekly.

"You just want to manipulate me," Draco countered. "You don't want me, but you just can't stand to see me with anyone else."

"That's not true!"

She took a step towards him, which he countered by taking several back.

"Don't touch me," he spit, driving his hands into his hair again.

"Please don't do this," Leolin said softly, her eyes large and penitent. "Draco, I'm begging you."

"I don't owe you my pity," he bit out, though some small part of him seemed agonized by her distress . "You betrayed me once. I still haven't forgotten what that felt like."

She bowed her head, feeling sick to her stomach.

"Get dressed," he snapped. "We're going back to South Carolina tonight."

"Now? It's half two in the morning!"

"It's only nine there."

"What about your mum?"

He clenched his jaw.

"I will deal with her tomorrow. I can come back, if I have to. Now get dressed."

"You want me to come with you? Why?"

He gave her a hateful look.

"Because if you don't, Gen will think something happened."

"Something did happen!" Leolin pointed out. "We were _this close_ to having sex tonight. You can't just ignore that."

"Yes I can," Draco said. "In fact, that's _exactly_ what I'm going to do."

She grabbed his wrist, and he seemed momentarily paralyzed by her touch.

"Please don't do this," she said. "Please don't let your pride ruin tonight."

"You think this is about my pride?" Draco sneered, wrenching from her grasp. "Get over yourself. I had a moment of weakness, and now it's done. Even if I had fucked you, it wouldn't have meant anything. You're just a warm cunt."

She hauled off and slapped him as hard as she could across the face. His head snapped to the side, but he seemed to realize what he'd said, because he offered no defense.

"How dare you say that to me," she hissed, crushed. "You were the one with your hand in my knickers. Don't you _dare_ treat me like I'm some kind of cheap whore. You wanted this _just _as much as I did. Admit it."

He responded to this but storming away, and despite his nastiness, she followed.

"At least talk to me! I think you owe me that much."

Draco stopped, turning on her until they were nose to nose. Despite his demand, she'd yet to put on a shirt, and her rosy nipples brushed his bare skin. His expression was fearsome, and in the moonlight he looked just like Lucius.

"I don't owe you _anything_," he roared. "And you want to know the truth? I feel _nothing_ for you," he said in a deadly voice. "I loved you once in a different lifetime, and I wouldn't go back there even if I could."

"I don't believe that," she said, trying to keep her voice from quaking. "And I don't think you do, either."

Foolhardy though she knew it was, she ran both hands up his chest, feeling the muscles beneath her hands quiver. He looked down at her, and she could see someone else lingering behind the anger. However, in a flash it was gone. He grabbed her wrists roughly, peeling them away from his body even as his heart thundered in his chest from her touch.

"You have no idea what I want," he snapped. "But let me assure you it's nothing you can offer me."

"Draco—"

"Get dressed," he said coldly, turning away from her. "We're leaving in fifteen."

She shook her head.

"I'm not going," she said bitterly. "I'm not going to participate in your stupid charade. If you want to lie to Gen, that's your business. I'm not going to help you."

"Like hell you aren't," he said, eyes flashing. "If you not downstairs in fifteen minutes, I—"

"You what?" she demanded in a sad voice. "You have nothing to threaten me with, save physical violence."

"You know it only makes you look bad if you don't go," Draco said in an imperious voice. "Gen will forgive me, and you'll be branded the villain. You know you will. The press adores her; they're rooting for you to fail."

She knew he was right. The only person she would really be punishing was herself. She shook her head in disgust.

"You're a coward," she said, turning on her heel towards her room.

"Better a coward than a traitor," he called after her, and she shook her head again, feeling cheap.

When she was alone, she flopped on the bed and screamed into her pillow. She wished she hadn't kissed him. As perfect as it had been, it wasn't worth the guilt he was heaping on her. She currently loved and hated Draco in equal measure, and the effect of their polarity was maddening. She didn't know if she wanted to scream or cry.

She buried her head in her hands for several minutes before standing and dressing like she was told. She threw everything else in her suitcase as she fixed her hair. By the time she was done, her heart felt like it was made of lead.

Grabbing her bag, she headed down the stairs, where Draco was already waiting.

"Ready?" he said, his voice an odd mix of angry and regretful.

"No," she admitted softly, setting her things down.

"Leolin," he said, sounding tired and strained.

"Don't do this," she said in a defeated voice. "I'm begging you."

"You don't get a say," he replied more firmly, looking at her for only a second before turning his head.

"Do you really expect me to believe that meant nothing to you?" she asked of the kiss.

Immediately his keen gaze was on her again.

"I know you think I don't love Gen, but you're wrong. I do love her, and I'm not going to give her up for you."

"Then what about us?"

He clenched his jaw, grabbing her wrist as he prepared to disapparate.

"Get it through your head, Lefevre. There is no 'us'. There never will be."

With this, Leolin fell silent and squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to be sick as they spun away.

* * *

It was around ten thirty local time when they arrived back in South Carolina, and Leolin was the first to step through the fireplace into the now-familiar beach house.

Ginny and Blaise were in the kitchen kissing when she arrived, brushing soot off her soft sweater. Upon seeing her, they sprung apart like teenagers, both flushing a little. Radames, who had been lying on the floor, stood up at once and began to bark, though he stopped when he saw it was Leolin.

"Lai!" Ginny cried happily. "You're back! Where's Draco?"

Leolin forced a smile, kneeling down to pet a contented Radames.

"He's right behind me," she said. "Where's Gen?"

Her question was answered a second later, and Genevieve sauntered in from the deck, smiling at her.

"I thought you were at Ashley's," Ginny said tightly.

Gen smiled again, this time wider.

"I just had a floo from Draco saying he was coming home, so I rushed back. Hello, Leolin. I hope the trip was fruitful."

Gen's eyes glittered. Draco must have really laid it on thick in his note. It made Leolin's stomach ache. However, unwilling to give Gen the satisfaction of seeing her pout, she laughed.

"It was," Leolin affirmed. "Though honestly pretty boring at times. I wish he would have made you go instead."

Just then the floo flamed again and Draco emerged, his eyes finding Gen at once. Pained, Leolin casually turned her head away as Gen flew into his arms. Radames was on his feet as well, waiting impatiently for his master's attention.

"Hello, you," Draco murmured against Gen's lips before kissing her passionately. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," she said softly. "I can't wait to show you how much."

He gave a low laugh.

"How is your mother?"

He nodded.

"She'll be alright."

She kissed him again in response.

"Knock it off," Ginny said in disgust, rolling her eyes. "It's nauseating."

Draco finally let go of Gen to pet Radames and hug Ginny, though she resisted him.

"Don't be jealous, Weasley, I missed you, too," he said as she pried his hands off of her.

"Keep those lips away from me," she said, dodging under his arm and going to hide behind Blaise. "I don't know where they've been."

Here Draco's eyes flitted to Leolin for a second, though it was so quick that only she noticed. She fought not to bow her head at the chill in his gaze.

"What did you find out about your stepdad?" Blaise asked.

Draco looked at Leolin again before his eyes slid to Gen.

"We have a lot to talk about, but not tonight. It's been a long day. Lefevre can fill you in if she wants," Draco said flippantly, wolfishly appraising Gen now.

Blaise nodded, eyes flitting between the two of them. Leolin had a horrible feeling he knew something was up, but she tried to react casually.

"No, I'm shattered," Leolin said. "I'm probably just going to go to bed. I'll fill you two in the morning."

Ginny nodded, picking up on the tension as well.

"Do fancy a quick drink before you turn in?" she said to Leolin.

Her eyes were full of meaning.

Leolin gave a faux smile and shook her head.

"I'm seriously wrecked. Malfoy's right; it was a long day."

Leolin realized her mistake a minute too late. She rarely, if ever, called him Malfoy anymore. Ginny's eyes snapped to her, and Leolin tried and, she suspected, failed to hide the full extent of her grief at the night's goings on. Draco ignored her, his full attention back on Gen again.

"C'mon you," Draco said, lifting Gen easily into his arms again and making her squeal delightedly. "Let's go to bed. Night, you lot. Allons, Radames."

"Night," the trio echoed, and though Leolin tried to avoid his gaze as he turned towards the stairs, he gave her a meaningful look before turning his full attention back to Gen, the dog dutifully on his heels.

When he'd disappeared, Ginny wheeled on Leolin.

"What the hell was that about?" she demanded, and Leolin shrugged.

"What are you talking about? And where is Birdie?"

Leolin was vainly hoping he wouldn't be home so she could sleep in his room instead.

"He's already in bed," Blaise said. "And don't dodge the issue. What's up with you and Drake?"

Leolin frowned.

"Nothing," she lied. "We were just forced to spend far too much time together over the last two days. It was very stressful."

Ginny narrowed her eyes.

"Tell me you didn't sleep with him."

Leolin scowled, looking to Blaise for support.

"It's a valid question, Lai," he pointed out, winding his arm around Ginny.

"Of course I didn't," Leolin said, visibly strained. "He's engaged. Now if you two don't have any more questions, I'm going to bed."

"Sleep tight," Blaise said, exchanging a pointed look with Ginny.

Leolin said nothing, only trudged up the stairs, slamming her door shut and slumping against it. In the five years she'd been gone, she'd never felt as far from Draco as she did tonight. She thought about what he'd said: he had loved her in a different lifetime. For the first time in forever, she began contemplating a life without Draco. Perhaps it was time to give him up. Perhaps her race was truly run.

Just then Leolin could hear Gen's laughter flaring next door and she scowled, imagining Draco kissing Gen the way he'd been kissing her earlier. It made her sick to her stomach to imagine giving up now, especially after the hell she'd been through to get him back. Leolin could hear Draco's groans now, and she knew what Gen was probably on her knees doing.

Leolin bit her lip. What could she do? Slowly, mournfully, she drew her wand, pointing it slowly at herself.

"Surditas," she whispered, and immediately all the sounds around her faded to nothing.

She blinked, feel oddly naked without her sense of sound. Hopefully the house wouldn't catch fire in the middle of the night. In her deaf state, she would surely die if it did.

She numbly crawled onto the bed, lying flat on her back like a corpse and trying bitterly to forget her troubles.

* * *

Despite her temporary deafness, Leolin slept very little that night. She woke up exhausted and stiff. At first she thought to work on breaking the gag, but she realized that after yesterday, she didn't have the strength. She was too raw from Draco's venom, and she found she simply couldn't make herself focus.

Doleful, she rose and dressed in running clothes instead, intent on going for a jaunt up the beach. She slipped out of the house unseen, running as if she could outstrip her problems. If only it were that easy, she thought. If only the fight for Draco's affection was real and not metaphorical. At least then she'd be allowed to beat Gen to a bloody pulp.

She arrived back around eight, and thirsty, she went to the kitchen to fetch some water. However, she swung open the door to see Draco nestled between Gen's legs as they kissed heatedly. Gen, who sat on the counter, wore nothing but an unbuttoned oxford of Draco's, while Draco was wearing low-slung khakis and no shirt.

"Merlin!" Leolin squealed, looking away at once.

"Didn't you ever learn to knock?" Draco said mildly as Gen covered up her bare breasts. As she did, Leolin noticed something glittering at her throat.

There, lying just below of Gen's clavicle, was diamond pendant not unlike the key Draco had given Leolin. In fact, for a panicked moment Leolin was afraid it _was _her pendant, but she realized at last it wasn't a key, but some kind of lily. Still, it still stung.

"Do you like it?" Gen said as she realized what Leolin was staring at. "Draco gave it to me this morning. I said it was too much glitz, but eventually he convinced me. It really is so beautiful; I don't think I'll ever be able to bear taking it off again."

She bent and gave him a loving kiss.

"It's—" she fumbled, meeting Draco's eye and losing what little shred of courage she had. "—lovely. But I should—go."

Leolin turned and found the door, and she gratefully fell through it, letting out a shaky breath once she was safe in the hall again. She closed her eyes, feeling the absurd need to cry. She brushed this feeling off at once. She hadn't cried in five years, and she wasn't going to start now, even considering this new cruelty.

Trying to find her composure, she burst onto the patio, where Ginny and Blaise were already sitting.

"Hello," Ginny said pointedly, watching Leolin slink unhappily to the bar still dressed in her running clothes. "Having a good morning, are we?"

Leolin sank down on the nearest lounger, taking a heady sip of her gin and tonic before rubbing her eyes.

"I just walked in on Draco and Gen in the kitchen," Leolin said, trying to seem merely annoyed. "Have you seen the new pendant he gave her?"

"No," Ginny said. "She usually doesn't wear any jewelry, besides her engagement ring. I suppose she thinks she doesn't need it."

"Well it's lovely," Leolin explained. "This delicate little diamond pendant. It almost looks like a key, but it isn't. It's a lily. Still, you should see how it glitters."

Ginny understood what Leolin was implying and frowned, giving Blaise a stern look as if it was his fault.

"I'm sorry," he said to Leolin at last. "That's a low blow."

"I guess that isn't something Gen would usually have been interested in," Leolin continued. "She's not really one for diamonds. Luckily, Draco was able to convince her to wear it. She swears she's never going to take it off."

"That couldn't have been pleasant," Ginny agreed.

Leolin shook her head to indicate it wasn't, though she felt an odd lump in her throat that disallowed her from speaking.

"What's not pleasant?" Draco asked, traipsing onto the desk. Gen thankfully wasn't with him.

Ginny scowled in response.

"You're foul," she snapped.

"Ginevra," Blaise warned, though he was giving Draco a cool look as well. "Stay out of this."

"What's your problem?" Draco snapped back at her, getting in her face.

Ginny responded by getting up and pushing him in the pool, which set him off.

"Weasley you_ bitch_!" he sneered, and Blaise and Leolin exchanged a look.

"Just like old times," Ieuan said in greeting, watching the scene unfold as he padded over and sat down.

"What is wrong with you?" Ginny demanded. "Why do you _always_ have to be so fucking cruel?"

Draco got out, and Leolin looked away, unwilling to be dragged into this fight. She couldn't take any more venom from Draco this morning.

"You're such a loyal lapdog, Gin," he sneered, and she rolled her eyes. "Always willing to fight Lefevre's battles for her."

"Go to hell, you stupid nob," she said nastily.

"That's enough," Blaise said in a bored tone. "Both of you. We have bigger things to worry about without you two picking at each other."

"Tell that to your wench," Draco spit, pushing his wet hair off his forehead.

"I said _knock it off_," Blaise replied dangerously. "Or I'll do more than push you in the pool."

"Don't threaten me," Draco said.

"Then don't you dare speak to Ginevra like that," Blaise countered. "I mean it."

Draco would probably never admit it, Blaise was intimidating when riled up, and he was perhaps one of the other people they knew that could take Draco in a fist fight or a duel.

Draco prudently opted to simply sneer at Leolin instead.

"And I bet you think you're terribly clever for stirring up all that, don't you?"

"I—" Leolin began, but the chill in Draco's eyes crippled her, and she simply shook her head. "I'm not involved."

"Like hell you're not," Draco said in a cool voice.

"What's your problem?" Blaise demanded. "You've been awfully shirty since you got back."

Draco glanced at Leolin before his eyes settled on Blaise.

"I don't have one."

"Could have fooled me," Ginny bit out.

"Stay out of this, Weaslby," Draco snapped.

"Drake!" Blaise said, starting to get agitated. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Nothing!" Draco said forcefully. "I just—have a lot on my mind."

"Then sit down and let's talk about it," Blaise said. "What did you find out in London?"

Draco shook his head, eyes ghosting over Leolin before snapping back Blaise.

"I don't have time to chat," he explained. "Gen and I are headed to the coast for the day. We can talk when I get back tonight."

"Now?" Blaise asked, exasperated. "Are you fucking kidding me? All hell's breaking loose! We don't have time for you to take a holiday _mid-_holiday! We have to talk about Adrian and Thivierge!"

"Hell can wait," Draco replied. "After London, I owe Gen this."

Draco's gaze flitted to Leolin for a second before he looked away. Seeing the brief exchange, Blaise's eyes were skating between Leolin and Draco again, and Leolin could see him putting the pieces together. Leolin, for her part, felt another lump forming in her throat. She was unsure if this new maneuver by Draco was coincidental or designed to punish her, but it stung no less either way.

"Let him go, if that's what he wants," Ginny said at last, clearly still incensed about their fight earlier.

"Fine," Blaise said, eying Leolin's suspiciously quiet form as well before looking back at Draco. "We'll just talk tonight then."

"Have Lefevre fill you in," Draco said, eyes on her again. "If she isn't too busy stripping half-naked and chasing after Kelly Troy, that is."

Leolin abruptly stood. Suddenly she felt the absurd urge to go for another run. Or at the very least, get off the deck. She could feel both Blaise and Ginny watching her, and she fell suffocated. Besides, if she stayed she would likely punch Draco in the face, and though it was an increasingly appealing prospect, she had to admit it was probably inadvisable at the current juncture.

"And there she goes now," Draco sniped. "Give Troy my regards."

"Fuck off," she replied tiredly.

"Oy!" Blaise snapped. "You're leaving, too?"

"No," Leolin clarified. "But I don't have to sit here and take abuse if I don't want. See you two later."

She ignored Draco outright, and he growled in frustration.

"No one is buying you as a damsel in distress, Lefevre. Give it up."

"I never asked for you to," Leolin shot back hotly, whirling on him with mean eyes.

"Is there something the two of you would like to share with the class?" Blaise said with a cool authority.

"No," they snarled in unison.

"What happened in London?" Blaise demanded. "Why are the two of you being so nasty all of a sudden?"

Leolin glanced at Draco, whose dark expression dared her to admit the truth about what had transpired between them. His eyes were sparkling as they skated back and forth across her face, and it felt as if there might be a small part of him that simply yearned for the truth from her. She wanted to reach out and touch that place so badly that her palm had begun to sweat.

"There you are! Ready, sugar?"

Leolin exhaled a stale breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as Gen appeared, looking smug in a white and china blue patterned sundress. The diamonds at her throat twinkling in the mid-morning sun as she approached Draco for an overly-salacious kiss.

"Oh enough," Ginny growled irritably.

"Is something wrong, Ginbug?" Gen asked, and she did sound genuinely concerned. Leolin knew she wanted nothing more than for Ginny to adore in a manner comparable with the one she clearly felt she deserved.

"Please don't call me that," Ginny grit out as politely as she could, though for the record it wasn't a tone that was likely to win her any awards for civility.

"I'm sorry," Gen said. "I didn't mean to upset you!"

"You didn't," Draco assured her. "She's been in a snit all morning."

"Whatever for?" Gen asked, sitting on Ginny's lounger now. It was as if she hoped to win Ginny over with sheer force of will. "Is it something I've done?"

She touched Ginny's leg, and Ginny stiffened a bit.

"No," Ginny said in a quasi-diplomatic tone, brushing the hand off and standing. "But if I were you, I would ask Drake about that necklace you've got on."

Gen touched it self-consciously and Leolin's throat ached; she knew the gesture well.

"What's she talking about?" Gen said to Draco in a soft voice.

"I don't know," Draco said evenly, giving Ginny a dangerous look. "Are you ready?"

She nodded, standing as well and traipsing back to his arms for a kiss before smiling at Leolin. The glint it her eyes was sharp, like a piece of jagged ice.

"Leolin," she said in her musical voice. "Max is dying to take you out properly. You should owl him today; I know he'd love to here from you."

Leolin, who had been worn positively ragged with the last 48 hours, mere shrugged.

"Good to know, I guess," she remarked. She could feel Draco's gem-like eyes on her back, and it made the muscles between her shoulder blades ache.

Gen, seemingly satisfied at having resurrected the somewhat thorny issue, gave Leolin, Ginny, and Blaise a final smile.

"Excellent. See y'all this evening."

"Enjoy yourselves," Blaise said, sounding a bit like a disapproving father. "We have a lot to discuss when you get back."

"We will. You three behave yourselves now," Gen said, smiling at him before giving Leolin a devilish wink. "Especially you, sugar. Ta-ta."

With a smart crack, the pair had disappeared. Their absence left a stinging presence behind, like a bitter wind, and it burned Leolin's cheeks and throat. She had to go. She had to go before Ginny showered her with a cavalcade of questions she wasn't ready to answer.

"I'll see you two later," she said quickly, and ignoring Ginny's protestations, she was gone as well.

* * *

Leolin took a long nap when she'd returned, but as before, she woke tense and un-rested. She'd had another dream about Jean du Bones, except this time he chased her while she chased Draco.

"Draco!" she'd cried in the dream. "Draco, please! Draco, come back!"

She woke with heart pounding, her hand immediately flying to her throat for comfort. However, where the lock would normally have calmed her, today it only reminded her of seeing the lily around Gen's neck, which made her heart ache dully, like someone had punched her in the chest.

She had to get out of the house. She had to get out of the house and stop thinking about Draco. She thought about what Gen had said and bit her lip. After several minutes of tortured deliberation, she sat up and clicked open her floo. It flickered several times before the person on the other end picked up.

"Hello?"

"Max, it's Leolin."

Max's voice brightened.

"Welcome back, sweethaht. How was London?"

Leolin's stomach clenched.

"It was—uneventful," she said at last, and she could feel Draco's lips ghosting across hers.

"Well I have to admit I'm glad you left," Max said. "It means you didn't have to watch Kelly Troy wipe the floor with my team yesterday at the tournament."

Leolin gave a polite laugh, though the thought of Kelly actually just made her stomach ache more.

"He's been known to do that," Leolin said. "But I'm sorry you've been bumped."

"You don't have to be," he charmed. "If you let me take you to dinner tonight instead."

Leolin bit her lip, trying to sound enthusiastic. After all, this was the distraction she was hoping for. Still, she thought about what it felt like to be in Draco's arms and she just wanted to hang up.

"You read my mind," she replied instead, trying to sound flirtatious.

In reality, she felt like she was going to be sick.

"I knew I could win you over eventually," he said with pride. "How about I pick you up at eight?"

"Perfect," Leolin said faintly. "See you then."

"I can't wait," Max affirmed, and with that he hung up.

When he was gone Leolin flopped back on her back, consulting her clock. It was nearly five already. She had literally slept all day.

She got up onto unsteady feet, hoping that she would be gone before Draco arrived back. She didn't know what exactly she was trying to achieve by going out with Max, but despite the horrible way Draco had reacted to the kiss, she wasn't trying to make him suffer.

Gingerly she made her way to the shower, standing under the steam for a long time and trying to forget the past twenty-four hours. Part of Leolin felt what had happened was a manifestation of Draco's enormous bruised ego, and that the violence of his reaction didn't mean he didn't still love her. On the other hand, maybe it was simply that he meant what he said; maybe he truly didn't have feelings for her anymore.

The more Leolin contemplated this, the more it felt true, and though she tried to not to fret, it was difficult. What was she going to do if she couldn't have Draco back? More pressingly, how could she get Lucius off her back if she decided to give up?

Having a thought, she went to her floo and clicked it open.

_Fancy a trip Stateside? _She wrote cryptically. _I have something I want to discuss._

She shut the lighter and went to her closet, thumbing through her dresses. She had no idea what to wear tonight, mainly because she had no idea what message she wanted to send.

She eventually settled on a tasteful knee-length black dress. It was fairly simple, and in truth it was more Gen's style than Leolin's own. That was good; Max's relationship with Gen was strictly platonic, and Leolin wanted to give off a similar vibe. It was sexy but not provocative, which is exactly what she thought she should be going for. She didn't want to give Max the wrong impression; it would only fuel the fire and make him more annoying.

It took her forever to put on her makeup and fix her hair, but finally she looked in the mirror and was satisfied. She looked good, she decided, minus the abject sadness in her eyes, but that she would simply have to cover up.

She looked at the clock again. It was nearly eight. Taking a deep breath, she put on a pair of tall heels, grabbed her clutch, and headed downstairs.

Ginny, Ieuan, and Blaise were sitting on the deck as usual, and Leolin went out to join them for a drink before Max arrived.

"Merlin," Blaise said mildly. "Look at you. Why do you look so spiffed up?"

Leolin gave a fake smile that glittered magnificently.

"Oh," she said, as if not realizing she was dressed up. "I'm popping out for a bit."

Ginny and Blaise exchanged a look.

"With whom?" Ginny asked. "Please tell me it's not Kelly. You'll torture him in that dress."

"How?" Leolin said, exasperated. She was admittedly tired of everyone suggesting her whole wardrobe was somehow wanton.

"I'm sorry, that came out wrong," Ginny said sheepishly, clearly feeling bad. "I just think you could wear a burlap sack and Kelly would still love you."

"Merlin! Just stop already!" Leolin seethed, similarly tired of everyone painting her as the other woman, always waiting to steal other people's husbands. "He's married and happy; stop trying to resurrect ancient history!"

"Right okay, love," Ieuan said gently. "So it's not Kelly."

"No" she snapped. "It's Max. He's on his way to pick me up."

"You are voluntarily going on a date with _Brankovitch_?" Ieuan laughed. "Did I miss something?"

"Indeed," Ginny said keenly. "Two days ago you refused to give him the time of day, and now you're letting him take you to what I presume will be a romantic dinner. How—" she paused for emphasis. "—_curious_."

"Goddamnit!" Leolin all but screamed, stamping her foot. "Why am I _always_ fucking on trial?"

"You aren't, darling," Ieuan said kindly. "We're just teasing you. We'll stop."

However, Blaise didn't seem quite ready to do so.

"So just so we're clear," Blaise said. "This has nothing to do with London or Draco and Gen's trip to the coast today?"

"You know what?" Leolin said defensively, allowing herself to be hurt for the first time. "You can go straight to Hell."

Ieuan raised his eyebrows at Blaise.

"I would warn you off that line of questioning, counselor."

Blaise, un-phased by this advice, opened his mouth to continue pushing. However, just then a new voice echoed from the house.

"Anyone home?" Max called.

"We're on the deck," Leolin called back, scowling at Blaise before taking another swallow of her drink.

Now that Max was actually here, she was bitterly regretting the whole endeavour.

"Good evening all," Max said, sweeping outside.

He wore a slim-fitting navy blazer that suited his brawny frame immensely. Underneath was a grey cardigan and a blue gingham shirt, though he wore no tie.

"Leolin," he said, his eyes finding her at once. "You look delicious, as usual."

He came over and pushed some of her black hair back so he could kiss her cheek.

"Thank you, I guess" she flushed, fighting not to wipe the kiss away.

Blaise rolled his eyes in naked irritation.

"She's a person, Brankovitch, not a fucking pastry."

Max's stormy blue eyes twinkled merrily.

"I know," he affirmed. "Shall we?" he said, offering her his arm.

She nodded.

"I won't be out late," she said meekly to the others, and Blaise growled in frustration.

"What about London?" he demanded. "We still need to talk about what's going on! And we have to talk about Adrian."

"He's the last person I want to talk about," Leolin said truthfully. "And have Draco fill you in about London; it's his family, not mine."

Max looked at her quizzically but she just smiled.

"Long story," she explained, and he smiled.

"You can tell me all about it over dinner," he replied.

"Have a good night, you three," Max said, still appraising Leolin hungrily. "I promise to have her back before the stroke of midnight."

"I'm holding you to that," Ginny called back.

Max ushered her over to the floo.

"So where are you taking me?" she asked, trying not to sound nervous. She had to remember not to drink too much this evening.

"It's called Brasserie," Max said. "It's a steakhouse. I hope you like red meat."

Leolin couldn't decide if that was an innuendo or not.

"I do," she affirmed.

"Good," he said, urging her to take a handful of powder. "I"ll be right behind you."

She nodded, throwing the glittering powder into the flames and stepping in. She arrived at a delightfully old building right on the water, and she took in her surrounding. The place was sleek but not lavish, and the man at the maitre'd stand smiled when he saw Leolin step out of the fireplace.

"Welcome to Brasserie," he said in a drawling Southern accent. "name?"

Just then Max emerged, immediately coming forward and putting a hand on Leolin's back. She fought the urge to pull away. It's not that the sensation wasn't pleasant, but it did feel somewhat foreign.

"Mr. Brankovitch," the man said delightedly. "Welcome back. Your usual table?"

"If you would, Grady," he said.

"Of course. If you two could follow me."

Max indicated that Leolin follow, and she obliged, allowing the man to lead them to a table that looked over the water. Leolin thanked Grady as he untucked her chair before looking across the table at Max.

"So," she began. "You come here fairly regularly, I gather."

"I do," Max admitted. "I love this place."

"Usually with female company," she surmised.

"Actually no," he laughed. "You're the first woman besides Genny I've brought with me."

She raised her eyebrows.

"Where's the dung, Brank?"

He laughed merrily.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"If you're trying to trick me into feeling extra-special, I'm just going to leave now. Games like that bore me. Where do you usually take your consorts?"

He had the decency to look sheepish.

"A place on the other side of town. It's more—discreet."

Leolin rolled her eyes.

"I knew it."

"You just had to ask," he said, smiling as he untucked her chair for her.

She rolled her eyes at his caddish admission, though there was little malice in the gesture. There was something undeniably pleasant about him, though Leolin wasn't sure what; by all accounts he was rather a swine.

"Should we start with a glass of white?" he asked, not even bothering to look at the menu.

"Yes," she said, opening hers. "What do you usuall—"

"Albariño?"

He just smiled, though he didn't move a muscle. She gave him a scrutinizing frown.

"Have you been cheating?"

"No," he said, blue eyes glittering. "There's nothing that says research isn't allowed. Knowledge is power, sweethaht."

"Who did you talk to?" Leolin asked, not sure if she was flattered or annoyed.

"Birdie," Max said. "Though he was admittedly very hahd to get information out of him. I went to Kelly first, but he refused to tell me anything about what you liked. It seems like the only person that wants to see this to progress is me."

He laughed.

"Well you were smart to ask," Leolin said as a sommelier arrived.

Max made his selection and the man disappeared then reappeared a moment later with a bottle and two glasses. When the glasses were poured, Max raised his to Leolin.

"To you," he said.

"That's sort of an odd toast," she admitted, raising hers but making no effort to complete the gesture.

"To us, then," he amended, and she smiled resignedly.

"Well-played," she said, finally touching her glass to his.

"I'm just getting warmed up," he admitted. "So, tell me everything about yourself. I want to know it all."

He leaned forward slightly, indicating she had his full attention. She gave him a languid smile.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything," he repeated. "Start with your parents."

"You sound like my shrink," she said, and he smiled. "Well, my mum is Welsh and my dad is French, which I think you knew. They met on holiday when they were both sixteen and conceived me quite by accident. They never married, and I mostly grew up in London and Wales with my mum. I'm still close with my dad, though."

"Did either of them remarry?" he asked.

"They both did. My dad married my stepmum Amelie about seven years ago, and they have two boys, Maximilien and Henri, and they're having a third in November. My mum just remarried about three years ago to a bloke named James."

"And what about school?" Max asked. "I presume you went to Hogwarts."

"I did," she affirmed.

"And you were a—"

"Slytherin," she provided.

"Of course," he said as if it were obvious. "That makes sense."

"Does it?" she said somewhat defensively. She knew outside the UK Slytherin simply had a reputation for churning out evil.

He smiled.

"I just mean that it makes sense considering your friends. Birdie, Zabini, Malfoy. They are most accepting of their own."

"Blaise is marrying Ginny," Leolin pointed out. "And she wasn't a Slytherin."

"Well, there are exceptions to every rule," he said, still smiling. "What about after school?"

Leolin fought not to flush. She hated thinking about her life pre-Florence. It was too distressing.

"Merlin," she said, still flushing. "I feel like I'm on trial."

Max laughed.

"Not in the slightest," he said. "I'm just so curious about you."

Leolin nodded.

"After school I moved to Paris for a year to work in the Louvre."

"You're an artist?"

"Art historian."

"Which means you—"

"Study the history of art," she said somewhat slowly, as if he were extremely thick.

"Oh!" he laughed in understanding. "Well maybe you can catch that art thief that's been running around Europe. The Genius of Evil, or whatever they call him."

"Maybe," she said coyly.

"So why did you come back from Paris after that year?"

Leolin took a large sip of wine before looking down at the tablecloth. She could feel him looking at her expectantly, but she wasn't quite ready to face his gaze. Finally, though, she looked up at him.

"Because I was getting married."

For the first time he seemed pensive.

"To Malfoy?"

"I've only been engaged once," Leolin said pointedly, and Max nodded.

"Of course," he said. "How long were you two together?"

"You don't want to get into that," she said diplomatically.

"Oh don't worry; I'm not the jealous type," he explained. "And I'm not easily scared off."

Leolin narrowed her eyes.

"Are you doing reconnaissance for Gen, or something? I've told her a million times she doesn't have to torture me; I'm not up to something I shouldn't be."

It felt good to lie again. It made her feel like she was back with Severina making deals.

Max laughed, his eyes warm.

"It's my understanding that Draco has been very transparent with Gen about the two of you. I promise I'm not a spy."

Realizing she was being paranoid, Leolin. sighed.

"Four years," she replied, and Max nodded, taking a sip of wine.

They were silent for a whole minute before Leolin spoke.

"Thank you," she said finally.

"For what?" Max asked.

"For not asking why I left before the wedding."

He gave her a critical look before nodding again, eyes still warm.

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, right?"

She frowned in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

He raised his eyebrows.

"Well obviously I'm glad you're not married to anyone, least of all Malfoy. Married women—they aren't really my type."

"That's not what the tabloids say," she said.

He smiled to indicate she wasn't wrong.

"Don't believe everything you read, sweethaht."

"Why did you say least of all Draco?" Leolin asked.

Max considered, as if deciding whether or not to play his hand.

"Look," he began. "I'm happy that he's made Genny happy, but Malfoy is—I find him sort of hard to like."

"Why?"

"I know this probably isn't fair, but every time I look at him I can't help but think about all the horrible things his father did to people like me."

He reached across the table to take her hand, and she didn't immediately pull away.

"You're right to fear Lucius," Leolin said softly, feeling a little breathless as his index fingers gently ghosted across her soft forearm. "But you can trust Draco. I know he doesn't seem like it, but I swear he's a good man."

Max's gaze grew penetrative, and she blushed.

"You would still defend him?" he asked softly.

"Only when necessary," she lied.

Unable to abide their physical contact anymore, she gently extracted her hand and he smiled, allowing her to pull away from him without comment.

"I know he is," Max said. "And I do trust him. He's just—I don't know, he and I just come from completely different worlds. We were never destined to be friends, you know?"

She nodded.

"I think the majority of people feel that way about him. Ask Harry Potter."

He laughed heartily.

"Shall we order?"

* * *

The rest of the meal progressed fairly normally. Leolin found out that Max had grown up in middle class Boston with his two Muggle parents, who were both schoolteachers. He told her that his mother had been so surprised to find out that he was a wizard that she'd fainted, and that the hardest part of being a quidditch star was not being able to bring his parents to tournaments.

The wine kept the conversation pliant, and as the meal wound down, Leolin could feel Max itching for more. Once, during dessert, he'd casually taken her hand again and twined their fingers, but she'd only allowed the gesture for a minute or so before carefully pulling away.

"It's okay, you know," he said, smiling at her.

"What is?" she said, taking a sip of her Sambuca. Despite her promise to herself, she was pleasantly drunk.

"You're allowed to like me."

"I know that," she said, blushing at his insinuation.

"Do you?" he asked softly, leaning forward. "We don't have to be saints all the time."

"What are you trying to say?" she asked, a little annoyed and a little intrigued.

"Nothing," he lied, giving her a charming smile. "I just mean that I know how to have a good time."

"Oh Merlin," she growled.

He laughed.

"Should we go for a walk?"

She bit her lip again, Draco still on her mind.

"I should get home," she said softly. "It's getting late."

However, he wasn't to be deterred.

"C'mon," he goaded. "It's a walk, not a marriage proposal."

She looked at his outstretched hand for a minute before finally acquiescing.

"Just a walk, then," she agreed, and he beamed, leading her off the deck and onto the soft sand of the beach beyond. Realizing what futility it would be to walk on sand in heels, Leolin quickly wrenched them off, happy for the opportunity to let go of his hand as she put them in her bag.

He laughed as she shrunk.

"I've never seen you without heels before," he said merrily. "Merlin, you're tiny."

"I am not," she defended, laughing.

"It wasn't an insult," he said, casually taking her hand again. "I think it's sexy."

She flushed, not sure if she was pleased or uncomfortable with the attention. She thought of Draco's venom the night before and she decided to allow the contact. It was oddly comforting.

"It really is beautiful here," she commented, listening as the rolling waves hissed against the sand.

"It has its moments," Max admitted. "This is definitely one of them."

"It's—" Leolin began, but then she broke off, laughing softly.

"Go on," he said, knowing what she meant. "Say it."

"—Romantic," she finished, finally daring to look at him.

"And is it working?" he murmured softly, leaning down a little.

His cologne was cool and fresh.

"I—damnit!"

Leolin let go of his hand to cradle her foot. She must have stepped on something,

"Are you alright?" he asked, worried.

"I think I stepped on glass or a rock of something," she said, wincing.

"Here," he said, picking her up easily before easing her gently down on the sand. "Let me see."

He pulled out his wand and whispered _'lumos' _and suddenly she could see a small piece of glass sticking out, blood seeping around it.

"It's not very deep," Max said, examining it. "I can heal it, if you want."

She nodded, and he carefully pulled out the shard before murmuring a healing spell. He didn't immediately let go of her ankle when he was done, gently caressing her silky skin instead. Breathless, she allowed his touch.

"Where did you learn to do that?" she asked, and he smiled, his white teeth glinting in the soft semi-darkness.

"Would it kill the mood if I say I dated a healer for 4.5 years?"

"No," she said, trying to set her own past aside. "I don't care."

"Ouch," he said, tracing the curving muscles in her bare calf now.

She felt a tingle in her fingertips. She imagined Draco watching them and immediately felt guilty. However, when she remembered how hideous he'd been to her over the past twenty-four hours, especially considering what she'd done for him, she didn't care what he thought, she decided savagely. He was determined to hate her either way; what did it matter what she did?

Max, who'd received no response, let his hand drop from her leg. However, she shook her head, glad for the darkness.

"No," she croaked softly. "Don't stop."

His eyes grew hungry as he watched her. He didn't move for a second, but finally he surged forward, covering her lips with his. She froze at first, but she fought to be calm, and eventually she brought a hand to his soft hair, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

He tipped her back onto the sand, carefully settling between her splayed legs and trying not to crush her as the kiss intensified.

"Come home with me," he breathed, kissing her neck.

Leolin felt her stomach clench.

"I—I can't," she stammered. "I have to get back."

He stopped, leaning back a little so he could look her in the eye.

"I know you're still punishing yourself for whatever happened between you and Malfoy. Let me help you stop."

She said nothing to this, her mind racing. She shouldn't do this. She didn't love Max. In fact, she didn't really feel anything for him. And if Draco ever found out—

She looked up at Max, the desire to please shining brightly in his eyes. Draco never considered her feelings when he made decisions. Why should she consider his? She remembered the hatred in his eyes after he kissed her, and suddenly her mind was made up. If she couldn't have Draco's love, she would take Max's.

She answered his plea by leaning up to kiss him again, and he responded enthusiastically, knotting a hand in her hair as he moaned against her lips. After a minute, he hauled her up as if she weighed nothing, holding her in his bruising arms for a second before apparating them away.

They arrived at a beach house not unlike Gen's a few moments later, and the minute they did Max continued his assault. He kissed her passionately even as he urged her up the stairs, his lips trailing from her swollen lips to her jaws to her neck.

When they arrived in the bedroom, she urged he take off his blazer, which he did immediately. It had been a very long time since she'd had sex, and when she felt herself getting aroused she grew nervous. With Draco it had been familiar, but this was new and scary.

She tried not the think of that as she watched Max shed his shirt to reveal his muscular torso. He looked like he'd been carved by Michelangelo, and Leolin bit her lip as she gently reached out a hand to touch him. His skin was warm, and he shuddered contently at her feather-light touch.

Needing less permission now, he turned her in his arms so she was facing away from him as he gently unzipped her dress, dropping a kiss on her bare shoulder as he tugged the dress down her torso. When it finally pooled at her feet, he urged her to turn back around so he could appraise her fully.

"You're fucking gahgeous," he breathed, pulling her into his arms and prompting her to lock her legs around his waist as he carried her to large bed underneath the window.

He carefully deposited her there, and she flushed as she watched him shred his trousers and crawl up to meet her. He kissed her more softly this time, reaching a hand around her back to unhook her lacy bra as his tongue moved against hers.

She felt a small crest of panic as he freed the hook and tugged her straps down her arms before throwing the garment over his shoulders.

"You have a perfect rack," he said in admiration, bringing on two hands up to massage her breasts

She felt a moan building up but she held it back, her pleasure making her feel guilty again. No, fuck that, she decided. She didn't owe Draco anything. She'd never done anything wrong.

"Look at me," he commanded softly, and she did so, relaxing a little when she saw the genuine warmth in his eyes. "We don't have to do this, if you don't want."

She shook her head.

"I want to, it's just—been a while."

"I'll be gentle," he promised, bending to drop kisses across her bare chest.

He slowly worked his way downward, and Leolin tried to relax as he yanked down her knickers. She couldn't hold back a sigh when his tongue touched her. He had two large wings tattooed on his broad shoulders, and she watched them flex as he worked.

She could feel her body coming alive at his expert touch, and when she looked down at him between her thighs, she swore she saw a flash of blonde. Savagely she fought off the hallucination, urging Max to kiss her again instead. As he did, she could feel how turned on he was, and it made her both nervous and excited.

Still a little shy, she prompted him to take off his boxers as he kissed her neck. When they were both naked they stopped a moment and Leolin bit her lip, trying to erase another flash of blonde. Meeting Max's eye, she rolled onto her side, and he took her meaning at once. Sliding up behind her, he kissed her neck before urging her legs apart and sinking in deep. Max was sizably bigger than Cristian had been, and the intrusion made her breath catch.

"Did I hurt you?" he groaned. "You are wicked tight."

"No," she breathed, trying to pretend he hadn't said that. "I think you're just—"

He gave a self-satisfied laugh.

"Say it," he said arrogantly. "I'm fucking hung."

"Don't blow it," she warned him as he began to move.

He nodded, pumping against her fluidly. She could feel a dull swell of pleasure rising in her belly, and she fought not to moan.

"Get on top," he begged. "I want to be able to see your face when I make you come."

Slightly embarrassed she nodded, allowing him to roll onto his back before climbing on top of him.

She closed her eyes as they moved, pushing her hips forward and leaning back so he sunk deeper.

"Are you always this quiet," he said huskily.

"Sorry to disappoint you," she breathed. "But I'm not a screamer."

He pushed up on her downstroke, hitting a good spot. She moaned a little.

"Do that again," he prompted.

"Do tell me what to do," she said without malice.

He laughed, but it quickly faded into a groan.

"Don't stop," he said, grabbing her hips. "Leolin, don't stop."

She didn't, her speed increasing as she felt her orgasm building. She couldn't help it now; she bit her lip and moaned, eyes still closed. His thumb brushed her clit and she moaned again, this time a little louder. He knew what he was doing.

Feeling more at ease now that she was properly turned on, she licked her lips and looked down at him. She almost cried out in surprise. Suddenly it was Draco lying beneath her, his cheeks flushed. She knew he wasn't real, but she closed her eyes, intoxicated by his spectre.

"Don't stop, Callie," he said breathlessly, and even his ghost pushed Leolin to the edge. "I love you," phantom Draco told her as she rode harder, swishing her hips as if she were actually in a saddle.

This was enough, and she cried out as an orgasm washed over her. When she opened her eyes, it was Max beneath her again, and spurred by her pleasure, he spun them so he was on top, slamming into her as he sought his release. Feeling guilty for her hallucination, she closed her eyes again, but he leaned down to kiss her.

"Look at me," he demanded quietly. "I could get off just from that."

Leolin's eyes fluttered open and she willed herself not to cry. After all, none of this was Max's fault. Fuck, this was so terribly confusing.

"Fuck Lefevre," he groaned, hiking her leg around his hip so he could drive deeper.

She gave a soft inhale, gripping his hair and fending off memories of being in bed with Draco. Finally, she felt him shuddering and she knew he was close.

He moaned her name again, and she felt his whole body tense as he came undone. He gently pumped a few more times before kissing her slowly and cradling her protectively in his strong arms.

She listening to his breathing begin to slow and tried not to fidget, forcing herself to relax in his embrace. She'd made this bed; now she had to lie in it.

A/N: PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! What's going to happen next? And I will give you MAJOR props if you can figure out who Leolin sent that cryptic floo message to! Again, see you next Saturday! Please keep reviewing!


	13. Chapter 12: Best Laid Plans

**Chapter Twelve: Best Laid Plans**

_Leolin stood under the hulking shadow of the bronze Velázquez statue at the Southeast end of the Prado Museum in Madrid, casually checking her watch every ninety seconds. It was ten minutes before midnight; that meant it was almost time. She checked her watch again. She wished the twins would hurry up; at this point, they were borderline late, and she didn't have a minute to waste. After all, theft demanded something of a strict timetable. _

_Finally she heard a soft pop and she slowly looked up to see two figures clad in black slinking towards her. Leolin had met the twins Effie and Sweeney McAngus through Severina, and she'd known at once they would make the perfect co-conspirators. They were both accomplished pickpockets and charm-breakers, and despite their somewhat nefarious resumés, she found them easy to trust._

"_Sorry we're late," Effie said in a thick Scottish accent, pulling her shining red hair back into a ponytail. "Their apparation system here is mental. It took Swish an age to figure out a way around it."_

_Leolin nodded._

"_You know what they say about Spanish Bureaucracy," she replied. "You two ready?"_

_They both nodded._

"_Are you?" Sweeney asked, drawing is wand._

_Leolin considered, biting her lip. Part of her was sick to do this; she hated to rape the world of its treasures. However, when a memory of Cristian's hands on her emerged in her mind, she felt resolute. She even smiled._

"_More than ready," she affirmed, pulling out her own wand and continuing to smile. "Let's get filthy rich."_

_Sweeney and his sister shared a smirk. Effie drew three bottles of polyjuice from her slim pack, offering one to both Leolin and her brother._

"_I hope I got the handsome bloke," Sweeney said, sloshing his around in its vial. "I think I'll work better if I know I'm still handsome."_

"_Shut up, Swish," Effie said, pulling out three plain Venetian carnival masks as well. "No one is even going to see your face."_

"_It's psychological!" Sweeney said, downing the glimmering liquid._

_Immediately his slender frame began to elongate, and suddenly he'd shot from 5'6 to 6'5 even as his flaming red hair disappeared. He touched his pocked-marked cheeks and bald head._

"_Ugh," he said, repulsed. "This bloke has a face like hammered meat."_

_Leolin was growing terribly nervous as she drank her own polyjuice, but she laughed to calm her nerves. She grew taller as well, and her dark hair turned a shocking white-blonde as her feminine features morphed into equally-attractive male ones. She would never tell the others, but she'd chosen this bloke on purpose. She found it oddly comforting that he resembled Draco._

"_Merlin, Thénard," Sweeney huffed. "You're a bloody Greek God."_

"_What about me?" Effie said._

_She looked more like Sweeney's bloke than Leolin's, though hers had tufty blonde hair._

"_You're pretty heinous," Sweeney said, and she punched him._

_Checking his watch, Sweeney pulled out a slender velvet box from his own pack and popped open the lid. Nestled inside were three small earpieces._

_Leolin picked one up and examined it. _

"_Do we know if they work?"_

_Effie nodded._

"_Swish calibrated them himself."_

"_I want to test them quickly," Leolin said, jamming hers in her ear._

"_I hope this bloody works," she said in English._

_The twins nodded, and Sweeney beamed with pride._

"_It sounded both German and male," he said. "Didn't understand a bloody word."_

_Leolin nodded._

"_Now put yours in," she instructed them. "We need to make sure we can communicate with each other."_

_They did._

"_Sweeney McAngus is bloody brilliant," Swish said._

_Effie laughed, nodding and indicating she understood._

"_He's only brilliant at being a twat. This idea was simply inspired, Nay."_

_Leolin winked, straightening. She'd come up with them last minute to put the Spanish off their trail. It was in the plan to have a run-in with la policia españoles, and she wanted them to report the thieves to be three German males._

"_What can I say?" she said, readjusting her earpiece a pit. "I'm a genius of evil."_

_Sweeney consulted his watch._

"_Alright, boys," he said, making the girls laugh. "It's showtime."_

_They nodded, and Leolin check that the coast was clear before slipping from the statue's shadow towards the front entrance. They looked around again before each putting their masks on._

_Naturally the door was locked, but Effie had lifted a guard's badge earlier that week and made a copy so they would get in without a hitch. They'd ensured the man was at home tonight so he'd be cleared of suspicion. Leolin wasn't in the business of ruining lives._

_Once they were in, they ascended the marble steps, skirting the deserted desk in the rotunda._

"_Where are the guards?" Effie whispered._

"_This is the information desk," Leolin explained. "The guards sit in the lobby farther over. They just made their rounds at 11:45. We already tampered with the cameras, but they'll patrol the gallery again at 12:15."_

"_That's only fifteen minutes from now," Sweeney pointed out as they headed down the cavernous main hall. _

"_Forget that," Leolin said. "We're only going to have five minutes to get this done after we rip the thing off the wall."_

"_Good thing I have the quickest hands in the criminal world, then," Effie replied._

_They passed countless Titians and Rubens dotting the walls, and Sweeney made a face as they passed Rubens' grotesque __**Saturn Devouring His Son, **__which depicted the deranged god ripping the skin off his infant._

"_Muggles, man," Sweeney shuddered. "They can be so fucked up."_

"_Rubens was a wizard," Leolin whispered in response._

"_What a weirdo," Effie whispered back._

"_Come on," Leolin said. "Let's keep going."_

_The twins nodded wordlessly, following Leolin as she made a left at the end of the hall, which led to a large octagonal room with a high ceiling. There was a long bank of skylights running around the top, and they lay a pattern of moon-stricken stripes on the floor._

_The room was filled with Velazquez portraits of inane Muggle kings and queens, but at the far end was his masterpiece __**Las Meninas**__._

_Leolin gave a sigh of appreciation. It was perfection._

"_I am a horrible person," she muttered miserably to herself._

"_Think of it as borrowing," Effie said. "You are going to give it back someday."_

_Leolin nodded._

"_Alright, let's do this. Rip it down, Eff."_

_Effie nodded, getting a good grip on the frame with her gloves before wrenching the painting off the wall._

_Leolin set her watch._

"_T minus five," she said, drawing a spring blade and taking a huge breath. " Here we go."_

_Immediately she dragged the knife smoothly along the top of the canvas. It was not lost on her that a tiny fraction of the painting would have to be forfeited when it was stretched over the frame again. She worked quickly, checking her watch again as she made the second cut. Three minutes. She had to move quicker. She couldn't afford two minutes per the next two sides. She finished, moving to the bottom. Two minutes. It was going to be close. She cut along the left side. One minute. She could hear barked commands in the distance._

"_Hurry up, Nay-Nay," Sweeney whispered urgently. _

_She nodded. Finally the canvas was free, and she hastily rolled it, stuffing it in the tube that Effie'd just produced from her sack._

_The first of the guards appeared just as she was screwing on the cap._

"_Let's boogey," Sweeney said, as the man appeared._

_A thought occurred to Leolin. Merlin's fucking beard, what if one of the guards understood German. They would be screwed. This was Spain, she assured herself. They weren't usually ones to be bi or trilingual. She wrenched off her mask so the man got a glimpse of her handsome face before she began barking orders at Sweeney. Effie was already sprinting out of the room, heading for the lift. Sweeney and Leolin where taking the stairs._

_Leolin slung the canister across her back._

"_Aquí," the guard was calling to comrades. " Están en la sala de los retratos de Velázquez. Tienen Las Meninas!"_

"_Swish," Leolin said. "You know the drill. Go into the Ancient gallery then circle around to the back stairs. He'll follow me. Meet me in the Goya galleries on the third floor and we'll make the switch from there._

_He was already tearing from the gallery as the guard started after Leolin._

"_¿Cuántos ladrones?" his radio blared as Leolin streaked away._

_She was light on her feet and he was burdened by his gun and heavy belt, so she had a comfortable lead._

"_Tres," the man, huffed as he lumbered after her. "Son alemanes."_

_Leolin, turned the corner and flew down a flight of stairs, taking them five and six at a time. She'd finally broken line of sight, and she tore through the lower gallery before banking right towards the next set of stairs. She could hear more guards now, and she hoped Effie was gone already._

_She tore up the three flights to the gallery housing Goya's early works. Sweeney was waiting for her there._

"_Pass the baton," he said, and she tossed the painting to him._

"_Get out of here," she said, and he nodded, already dragging a ladder from his slim pack and ascending to the ceiling. "There's a broom on the roof. You have to get out of here before they get up there."_

"_See you on the other side," he said, she nodded, watching him ascend._

_She dodged into a side gallery as guards hustled down the hall, heading for the room Sweeney had just disappeared from._

"_Están en el techo!" a guard called. "Date prisa!"_

_Just as one man scrambled up the ladder, Leolin burst from her hiding space, drawing three guards. She headed down the stairs to the garden level, bursting out a side door and sprinting towards the Gardens._

_The guards who'd been posted outside were on her at once, but she tore through the maze of bushes she'd memorized. They'd lost her, and she knew she only had about ten seconds before they found her again. She couldn't allow that. If they saw her disappear, all this Muggle thieving would be for not. Dropping to the ground, she slithered along the path on hands and knees._

_Fuck, they were closing in._

"_Aquí," someone screamed, a light swiveling across the labyrinth. "¡Vino al jardín!"_

_Just when Leolin thought she was caught, she saw the gleaming pocket watch she'd planted earlier in the day, and as her hand curled around it, she felt the familiar jerk behind her navel as she was pulled away._

* * *

Leolin awoke feeling…strange. She'd expected to feel guilty, but as she opened her eyes and blinked back into full consciousness, the only thing she really felt was hungover. She'd consumed an ungodly amount of wine the night before, and this morning it felt like someone had rung out her brain like a sponge. Still, despite the nausea and the apocalyptically-scaled headache, she felt weirdly ebullient. She'd had a dream about the night she and the twins had stolen _Las Meninas_, and it'd awoken a fire in her that had been dormant since she arrived in South Carolina.

She was La Genie du mal, for fuck's sake. The bloody _genius of evil_. She'd been dubbed the smartest criminal of the age. She had to stop acting like her sixteen-year-old self and cowboy up. If she didn't she was sure to lose Draco.

She sat up gingerly, hissing in displeasure as she did so. Her skull was throbbing, and she tugged on some of her disheveled hair in an effort to relieve the pressure. When she felt confident she wasn't going to vomit, she turned her head to survey Max, tugging the sheet to her bare chest as she did so. He was lying on his stomach, and she watched the wings on his back moving with every exhale. Merlin, he really was sexy.

She didn't regret it, she decided as she continued to watch him sleep; every girl needed a one night stand in her life. Still, any errant sexual desire she'd may have been harbouring for Max had been burned off during the previous evening's exertions. The sex had been good, sure, great even, but that was never going to be enough for her. She'd been over-emotional the night before, but in the cold night of the day, she remembered the truth: she _loved_ Draco, and she was and would always be his Leolin, and no one else's.

Labouriously, she rose to her feet, unable to stifle a groan. She was sorely tempted to go to her hands and knees while she searched for her hastily discarded clothes—Leolin always found herself wanting to be as close to the ground as possible when hungover—but she ultimately admitted to herself how pathetic that would be, and she grit her teeth as she shuffled around like booze-soaked niffler, trying to separate her clothes from his. When she finally found her dress, which had miraculously (and annoyingly) ended up on top of a bookshelf, Leolin groaned again. It had seemed like a conservative choice last night, and indeed for intimate sea-side dinner for two, it was. However, now at almost half two in the afternoon the following day, it was almost comically suggestive. In this outfit, there could be little doubt what she had gotten up to the night before. Still, she didn't have any other options. She just wanted to leave before he woke up.

As she crept down the stairs, she wondered how Max would react when he found she was gone. She honestly doubted he'd care. He'd all but admitted that he only wanted to sleep with her, and now that he had she was sure he'd lose interest and move on to his next conquest. That was the kind of bloke he seemed to be, and if she was being honest, it was a relief. If he backed off, Gen would be forced to back off as well.

Leolin slouched out to the beach, heels still in hand, and swore audibly as the blazing sun touched her face. She really needed to consider exercising restraint from time to time. Still, it was too late now. Holding up a palm up to shield her eyes from the sun, she clumsily wrestled into her heels before apparating away.

She arrived in the Magical quarter several seconds later, and it took everything she possessed not to vomit onto the cobblestones. The street was bustling with witches and wizards all squawking and chirping in their needling Southern voices, pausing to sneer at Leolin as she trundled through in her rumpled cocktail dress. She simply ignored them, picking her way along cobblestones in search of a cup of coffee.

Eventually she found herself in a sleepy old book store with a small, cramped cafe inside. The bitterness and scalding heat helped stave off the insidiously long-lasting effects of the alcohol, and as she began to feel better, feel more herself, she found herself thinking about Draco again.

The dream about The Prado had been like a forest fire, burning away all the debris so only the necessary remained. The answer to winning Draco back wasn't seducing him; as long as he clung to the notion she'd abandoned him, he'd always be plagued by doubt. That meant she needed to switch gears. She needed to stop pursuing him and throw all her energy into breaking the gag. That's what Draco needed from her. That's what he had been _craving_ from her; to finally know the truth. When he learned the truth, it would be game, set, match.

There would come a time, of course, when Draco would have to answer for all the terrible things he'd said and done out of his misplaced sense of betrayal, but oddly that wasn't her main concern. The truth was that she wasn't a child anymore, and when it came to Draco, she _really_ didn't give a shit if he was a good person. She knew that at his core he was a great man, and she didn't need him to be a saint to prove it to her. Besides, despite his cruelty, he made her happier than she'd ever been, and that alone was worth fighting for.

What she _did_ need was to get out of South Carolina. Gen and Max and even Draco were distractions that were only hindering her progress. She needed to get back and work on helping him find his stepfather and Herpo's vessel, and she needed to break the chains that bound her.

On that score, she'd had an idea, and the more she mulled it over, the more convinced she became that it was a good idea. Closing her eyes, she recalled when she'd signed the gag, reading the stipulations with her mind's eye.

That was it. Lucius had been over-hasty in his drafting of the terms, and there was a glaring loophole; Leolin should have seen it before. La genie was not explicitly mentioned. He had failed to _bind _the evidence he'd collected on her to the contract. That meant if she could find the evidence and destroy it, that part of the gag would fall away. She would still be bound by her silence, but at least she wouldn't have to worry about being dragged to prison.

Lucius would keep the photo squirreled away at Malfoy Manor, but she knew he wasn't there that often. Besides, he was arrogant: he would never expect her to be this bold. It wouldn't be easy, but she was a mastermind with two of the world's finest and most loyal thieves at her disposal. She was confident she could find the evidence and destroy it.

Just then her floo began to issue smoke, and she flicked it open with a thumbnail.

_Look up, _it said simply.

She did as she was bid, and even though she didn't see anyone on the second story balcony, she beamed and stood. She knew who the message was from. She quickly ascended the rickety wrought iron staircase, picking her way around piles of books and sagging shelves, growing more giddy as she did so. Finally, she head a familiar voice behind her and she turned.

"Naomi Thénard, as I live and breathe! Or is it Leolin now? I can't keep up."

"Swish!" she cried happily.

Sweeney was standing with arms outstretched. His red hair was wild as ever, as were his devilish brown eyes.

"Hello love!" he said, dragging her into a MacAngus bear hug. "Don't you look bonnie! You just come from the pub or something?"

She laughed sheepishly, smoothing the slightly rumpled fabric of her dress.

"Ah—not exactly. The outfit's from last night."

He raised his eyebrows and laughed merrily.

"Things going well with your lad then, I take it?"

"Maybe not as well as I would like," she admitted, giving another embarrassed laugh."I _might_ have slept with Max Brankovitch last night."

His eyebrows shot up as he gave a laugh of surprise.

"The yankee quidditch star?" Sweeney said, still laughing.

"Shut up," Leolin said, though she was smiling. "It was a one-time thing."

"How the screwt did that happen?"

Leolin bit her lip again, flushing.

"Things with Draco are—complicated," she admitted.

"I should say so!" Sweeney said jovially. "I admit I cannae see how boffing someone else figures into your plan."

Leolin sighed.

"It doesn't, unfortunately. It was more like an—unintended pit stop."

Sweeney shrugged, still grinning.

"Well at least now you can tell your minted Malfoy bairns that you had a bit of hochmagandy with one of the best quidditch players of our generation."

She had the good decency to blush.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Did you look into those Greek vases I sent you?"

"I did," Sweeney said. "It turns out that huge dumps of Greek art have been funneling through the market in Istanbul."

"Did you talk to Spiros?"

"I didn't better than that. I applied a little…_pressure_, and he let me see that logbook he keeps of all his clients. Any of these blokes familiar?"

He drew a stack of photographs from his inner coat pocket and handed them to her. She flipped through them, shaking her head.

"Pucey, Rookwood, Flint, Montague," she said to herself. "These are all my old schoolmates."

She came to one and stopped, her blood running cold.

"Who's that?" Sweeney asked at seeing her distress. "He looks like a real knob."

"His name is Jaime Quinn," she said, feeling sick to her stomach. "And I just saw him a few days ago. He must be in charge of keeping tabs on Draco."

"You didn't know he was one of this bloke Pucey's crew?"

She shook her head.

"But I should have guessed. It was too big of a coincidence for him to be down here. Damnit, I should have seen that earlier. Drake and I both should have. Who knows what he's gotten off us when he thought we weren't listening."

"I can't believe you didn't notice," Sweeney admitted. "It's not like you to miss connections, and from what you've told me about Malfoy Jr., he's not either."

"He was busy trying to make me jealous, and I was admittedly—distracted."

Sweeney gave a resigned smile. "You know I hate this wank-job, right? I don't think he's even worthy of you."

Leolin smiled back, warmed by his concern. Sweeney and Effie had always said Leolin was the little sister they'd always wanted but never had. She grabbed his hand and squeezed.

"He is, I promise."

"Right, so what do you reckon the thieves were after, anyhow?" Sweeney asked as she continued to scan through the pictures. "You're note didn't say."

She looked up.

"Have you ever heard of Herpo's vessel?"

He bubbled his lips at her serious tone.

"Nay, that's a _myth_."

"Have you ever heard any chatter on it, though?" she asked seriously.

"Well, sure," Sweeney said. "Of course. It's the crown jewel of thievery. Anyone who got their hands on it would be—"

"Have you heard anything recently?" she interrupted. "Did Spiros say anything about it when you asked about the vases?"

Sweeney shook his head, his mirth fading.

"You really think Malfoy's going to try and bring you-know-who back from the dead?"

Leolin bit her lip. "Yeah, I do."

"Merlin," Sweeney breathed. "That would be bad."

"Agreed," Leolin said. "And on that score, I have another huge favour to ask of you."

"Of course. Anything."

"No," Leolin said, seemingly a little agitated now. "I don't want you to agree until you've heard all the facts, and I don't want you to hesitate to say no."

"Oh c'mon, hen! When have I ever—"

"Swish, I'm serious. This is—risky, and I don't want you to feel like you have to do this for me. If you can't, I'll find another way."

"Alright," Sweeney said seriously. "Hit me."

"Lucius Malfoy knows I'm La Genie," Leolin blurted, and Sweeney frowned.

"How?"

"He sent one of his thugs down to Florence to hire La Genie," she bit out. "Probably to steal these exact vases. His contact happened to see me."

"Well that was shite timing for you," Sweeney admitted. "What can I do to help?"

She looked up at him, a fire flashing in her eyes.

"I'm going to take away his leverage. He used the evidence he had against me to forcing me into a gag, but he forgot me to bind the evidence _to _the gag."

"So if you could find the evidence, and destroy it—"

She nodded.

"I'll still be gagged, but La Genie would at least be free from all this."

Sweeney nodded his understanding.

"You want me to steal the evidence from Lucius," he surmised.

"Only if you think you can."

He gave a grim smile.

"It's always been a dream of mine to pull one over on that bastard."

Leolin nodded.

"The Malfoys are big on vanishment, but would be too risky to carry around with his person. The things you need are going to be hidden in non-being in Lucius's office in the Manor in Wiltshire."

"What's the best way in?"

"Like a Muggle," Leolin said. "The Manor has tons of charms to repel Muggles but I think it would be relatively easy to sneak in as a Wizard using Muggle means."

Sweeney nodded again.

"I'll do it."

"Swish—"

"I said I'll do it," Sweeney repeated firmly. "You can't talk me out of it. It's done."

She nodded, drawing out a vial of ruby liquid.

"There's one more thing I need you to do for me."

Sweeney wrinkled his nose.

"Tell me that isn't a vial of your own blood."

"Take it," she said in response. "I want you to make sure that all the servants ingest this."

"You can't be serious."

"I am," she said. "I know it seems foul, but please don't question me."

Sweeney finally accepted the vial.

"At least tell me why," Sweeney said, pocketing it.

Leolin looked at him, her eyes suddenly a touch sad. Sweeney didn't know the specifics of her history with Lucius. Only Sev did.

"He hurt me a long time ago, and I used that hurt to make a charm so he couldn't physically touch me. If you give it to the servants, they will be the same way."

"That won't save them from being crucioed," he pointed out grimly.

She nodded.

"I know Lucius, though. When he figures out the info is gone, which he hopefully never will, the first thing he's going to want to do is physically hurt someone. When he goes to and he can't, he'll know it was me and he'll forget about crucioing staff."

"You can't take on that kind of target. "Lucius will _kill_ you."

"I can handle him," she assured her friend. "Trust me. And I'm not going to be responsible for Lucius killing some poor servant. And make sure that his wife is away when it happens. I don't want him coming after her either."

Sweeney gave a grim smile.

"That shouldn't be a problem."

"What do you mean?" Leolin asked.

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"His wife is pregnant. She just announced it in The Prophet this morning."

"Merlin," Leolin said, and Sweeney could see her retreating into her own head.

"Don't worry," he said soothingly, pulling her in to hug her. "I will sort out this theft for you. Everything else is out of our hands."

"I don't deserve you," Leolin breathed against his chest.

He stroked her hair.

"I'm loyal to you because you've earned my loyalty. I would follow you anywhere, Nay; you know that. Effie and I both would."

"Thank you," she said. "And hopefully you won't have to for much longer."

He pulled away.

"If what you said about Malfoy is true, we could be following into battle before the years' end."

"I don't mean to let it get that far," she said resolutely.

"And what about Draco's fiancée?" Sweeney said. "Do I have to tie rocks to her ankles and throw her in a lake somewhere?"

Leolin sneered, her ire directed towards both Gen and the sniveling coward she'd allowed herself to be in Gen's presence.

"She doesn't seem like at first," Leolin admitted. "But she's a right foul bitch. Someday I am going to pay her back in kind for all the shite she's heaped on me. I'm going to take away everything. When I'm done, she won't have a pot to piss in."

"I love when you get all revenge-y," Sweeney said, smiling. "It gives me goosebumps."

"I've let that little American slag push me around long enough," Leolin said in answer. "We'll see how much power she thinks she has after I break this gag and tell Draco the truth."

"I almost feel bad for her," Sweeney said, clapping Leolin on the back and drawing her from her revelry. "Almost."

Leolin raised her eyebrows.

"When you finally meet her, you'll be relieved of that feeling, I assure you."

"Can't wait."

He winked, pulling the hood of his jacket back up.

"Right," he said. "I'm back to the UK. I've got a crooked minister to steal from."

Leolin smiled.

"Please be careful."

"You too," he said. "And I will let you know if I hear anything about Herpo's vessel."

Leolin nodded and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks, Swish. Tell Effie I said hello."

"Of course. See you in three weeks."

Bollocks, the godparents ceremony for Severina's baby. She'd totally forgotten. Eventually she nodded again, her smile widening.

"See you there."

With that he disappeared, and Leolin looked at her watch before inspecting her clothes. Though it hadn't felt like it, they'd been in the bookstore for well over two hours, and evening was fast approaching. She had to get back to the house. Bollocks, she really hoped everyone else would be out. This dress was telling a very vivid story about the last twenty-four hours. I It would turn into a whole production, and that was exactly what she didn't need. She looked down at Jaime's picture again, biting her lip. He was a reminder of what could happen when she got distracted. Making a mental note to rip Jaime's face off the next time she saw him, she quickly apparated back to the house.

* * *

It was a little after six when Leolin finally arrived There was no one in the kitchen when she flooed through, and she kicked off her heels as she slunk from the floo. Hopefully she could make it upstairs for a quick shower before—

"Leolin! Finally! Merlin, we were ready to send out the Aurors after you!"

Gracie said. She was seated at the sprawling dining room table with Harry, Pansy, and Tieran.

"Sorry!" Leolin said as everyone sized up here attire; at least they didn't know who she'd been out with the night before, though it was exceedingly clear from her attire what she'd been up to. "It's been a long day."

"Looks like it was a long night as well," Pansy said dryly, smirking at Grace as if they were back at Hogwarts again.

"It's been a long holiday," Leolin answered, steering the conversation away from herself. "What are you lot doing here?"

"Malfoy summoned us," Harry said, his voice just a shade bitter. "He said it was about Lucius and Adrian Pucey. Merlin, he has been in a _state _waiting for you to get back here."

"I bet," Leolin said dryly. "Speaking of which, were are all the people I actually came here with?"

"I'm here, at least," Ieuan said, a handsome blonde man trailing behind him as they entered the room. "Though I'm not sure why Draco had to turn this into such a production, besides his predilection for dramatic flare. Hey, darling. Nice dress. Weren't you wearing that last night?"

"Um," Leolin said, letting him brush a kiss on her cheek. "Yes."

Pansy laughed outright, but Ieaun ignored her.

"Leolin, this is my fiancée, Luke," Ieuan said. "Luke, this is Leolin."

Leolin smiled as Luke kissed her as well.

"Nice to meet you," Luke said in a soft, serious voice. "Ieuan thinks the world of you."

"You as well," Leolin said, admiring the kindness in his soft grey eyes. "I'm so happy to finally meet you."

"You're glowing," Grace interrupted. "Did you know? You're absolutely fucking glowing."

Leolin touched her cheeks as a pretty blush flooded her cheeks.

"Am I?"

"Yes," Grace said evenly. "America agrees with you, Leolin. You look lovely."

"Oh I don't think it's America at all," Pansy said wickedly. "I think Leolin _finally _let some bloke—"

"—Fuck, woman," Draco interrupted, pushing through the door and glaring at Leolin.

Pansy raised her eyebrows sinfully, but Leolin ignored her.

"Where the _devil _have you been?" Draco demanded. "And what the hell are you wearing?"

"Yes," Leolin said in a bored voice, not looking at him. His tone still stung, but she had stop reacting, It didn't help anything. "Nice to see you too, Malfoy. And we've been over this: you aren't my personal stylist. Stop trying to weigh in on my wardrobe."

"Leolin!" Blaise and Ginny had entered now, and Blaise was scowling as well. "Merlin, we thought you were dead!"

"No you didn't," Leolin said, rolling her eyes. "Stop being so dramatic."

"Well what were we supposed to think when you _didn't _come how last night?" he demanded.

"That I'm a big girl and I don't have to report home for curfew?" Leolin supplied.

"You were out all night?" Draco demanded, taking the dress in again. "Doing what?"

Pansy raised her eyebrows and smirked.

"I told you," she whispered to Gracie, who shushed her but smiled.

"Seriously, where were you?" Ginny asked. "We called you a million times. I had to keep Blaise from flooing the Aurors. Or worse, your mum."

Leolin opened her mouth to answer, but a newcomer's arrival interrupted her.

"Sorry I'm late," Max said, glancing around the table.

"You're not, really," Draco said flippantly, still glaring at Leolin. "Lefevre just got here, too."

At this Max looked up at her, and his grinned wickedly, giving her a shameful up-down. Apparently he wasn't quite done harassing her. She'd suspected he'd keep it up until he found fresh meat.

"Well aren't you an early riser!" he laughed.

"Excuse me?" Draco spit, looking between them.

Max ignored Draco, biting his lip and giving Leolin a sinful appraisal.

"You could have at least stayed for breakfast; I have feelings too, you know."

Draco looked ready to breathe fire. He looked between Leolin and Max, and he didn't even bother to hide to naked and ferocius jealousy in his sparkling eyes.

"Well," Pansy announced. "That at least solves _one_ mystery."

"Pans," Tieran said in a flat voice. "Don't get involved."

"Just stating facts," Pansy said innocently, but Leolin ignored her, eager to get this conclave over with.

Draco sneered at Leolin.

"You have to be kidding me, Lefevre."

"Stay out of this," she said sternly. "This is none of your business. And shut up before I punch your lights out, Brankovitch."

"What," Draco continued. "Was Kelly Troy too busy?"

"I said stay out of it," Leolin snapped at him. "And if you say even one more unkind thing about Kelly I am going to rip off you arm and beat you with it."

"Let's just get down to business," Blaise said, sensing that Draco was gearing up to say something _truly _regrettable.

"What about Gen?" Leolin said, not sure why she even cared.

"I sent her down to New Orleans to make preparations," Draco explained, his gaze still contemptuous. "We'll met her down there tomorrow."

Leolin nodded. She didn't know why, but it seemed significant that Gen wasn't at Draco's side for this meeting. Leolin forced herself not to hope that Draco had sent her away on purpose. It was clear that everyone else had been informed about the abduction, the theft, and the sack of the National Museum, and she knew Draco would flip if she wasn't there. It admittedly felt good that he felt comfortable not having Gen by his side.

"What's the plan for New Orleans, then?" Ieaun said.

"First things first," Harry said. "Leolin, Malfoy said you might know what Adrian's after?"

Leolin finally looked at Draco, dispassionately meeting his glower.

"One of my contacts in Florence found out that thieves have been discarding mass quantities of Greek vaseware in Turkey."

Tieran spoke first.

"Did this contact have any names or descriptions of the fence? We need to know who the players are."

Ginny had told Leolin that Tieran had assumed an unofficial role, alongside Blaise, in advising Draco. Whatever Draco was planning, Tieran would be near the helm.

"The dealer in Istanbul always takes a secret photograph of all his clients," Leolin explained. "Not many people know that. "

"Did Malfoy's men know?" Luke pressed.

"Back up," Max said, his gaze teeming with mistrust. "How did you?"

Leolin and Draco exchanged a glance. Max, for all his swagger and caddish remarks, was sharp, and he was somewhat intimidating now that he was serious.

"Spiros is—an old friend," she said simply. "Every once in a while he throws me a bone_._"

Max nodded in understanding, licking his lips inadvertently. Apparently he'd decided this was a boon and not a detractor.

"Right, anyways," Harry said. "Did Malfoy's men know?"

"No," Leolin said. "And in a effort to minimize suspicion, Adrian sent a different man every time. Based on the time stamps, this has been going on for a while. Since before Sebasten's abduction and the move on the National Museum. They're been hitting private collectors for months."

"Do you have the pictures?" Luke asked.

Leolin nodded, pulling the stack from her pocket and skidding them across the table.

"Merlin," Gracie whispered, picking one up and looking at it. "This is half our Hogwarts graduating class."

"I know," Leolin said, grimacing. "And they're all the children of original Death Eaters."

"Quinn," Ginny said grimly, staring down a grinning face on the glossy photo in front of her. "He's one?"

Leolin bit her lip.

"That's my fault," she said somewhat fiercely. "I should have known he was involved when we saw him last week."

"The question is what does all this mean, and what are we going to do about it?" Harry interrupted.

"We're going to New Orleans," Draco replied authoritatively. "They are holding a big public funeral for Baudry des Lozières the day after tomorrow, and Audige is going to be there. We have to get to him before Adrian does. Otherwise he'll slither back into his hole and we'll never find him again."

"Who is Audige?" Grace asked.

"They call him the King of the Quarter," Blaise said. "And he's the only one who knows the truth about Bones."

"He's also incredibly nasty," Max said. "This is a terrible idea; going about Audige is a suicide mission. He'll kill us all and serve us at his next dinner party."

"We don't have a choice," Draco said in a cold voice. "We already know that Adrian is looking for him."

"Let him look," Max said, leaning back and crossing his brawny arms. "It will be one less problem for us when Audige kills him."

Ginny shook her head.

"Adrian may not be a match for Audige alone, but he's got Thivierge and Merlin knows who else with him. He has a better chance than you think. A much better chance."

"Victoria Thivierge is down here now?" Ieaun asked somewhat fearfully. "That's not good."

"Fine," Max ceded. "I'm in. I don't like it, but I'm in."

Draco nodded grimly. Leolin fought off a quizzical frown. Draco didn't seem particularly keen on Max, and Max had admitted he didn't really trust Draco. What, then, was he doing there? Leolin had a feeling that he was more involved than she knew. She made a mental note to do some digging.

"Me too," Tieran said solidly. "If Pucey gets to Audige, this could be over before it even begins."

"So am I," Pansy said, taking Tieran's hand. "This is starting to scare me."

"I'll go," Harry said, looking at Grace. "But I don't want you involved in chasing Pucey or Audige."

Grace huffed.

"I'm pregnant, not infirmed," she said in a sour voice.

Draco shook his head.

"I agree with Potter. We're not going to take any unnecessary risks."

Leolin fought off a quizzical frown. Draco didn't seem particularly keen on Max, and Max had admitted he didn't really trust Draco. What, then, was he doing there? Leolin had a feeling that he was more involved than she knew. She made a mental note to do some digging.

"Obviously we're in," Ginny said, and Blaise gave her a warm look. "Though I admit this whole thing makes me sick to my stomach."

"So are we," Luke said, and Ieuan nodded.

Draco's eyes slid to Leolin,

"Lefevre?"

"Of course I'll go," she said. "I'm the one that started this. But you should know," she said, looking at Draco before shifting her gaze to Blaise and Ginny across the table. "I'm leaving after this."

"Leaving where?" Ginny said, sounding doleful.

"Back to London. My family needs me, and I need them. No matter what happens with Adrian, I'm going back to London on Thursday morning."

Draco eyed Max coldly for a moment before his eyes skidded back to Leolin.

"Before you say something hateful," she said in a strong voice. "Let me assure you that I can work just as hard on finding the key to saving your stepdad in London than I can here."

"Not that you deserve her help," Ginny murmured to Draco, and he gave her a cool look in response.

"Not going to try and convince her to stay, Brankovitch?" Draco sneered, physically incapable of letting sleeping dogs lie.

Max laughed hardily.

"As if I even could."

"Butt out, Malfoy," Leolin warned. She meant it.

Draco gave her a cool look, but she knew that beneath the surface this barb has stung.

"Stay or go," he said dispassionately to Leolin. "After New Orleans, it makes no difference to me."

"Good," Leolin said evenly, un-phased by his brooding. She could tell he was sour she was leaving, and though it was petty and selfish on his part, it was progress on hers. "Just so we're clear."

"Inescapably," Draco said, and Leolin could feel Max watching their exchange keenly.

"So what's the plan?" Harry said. "Just spread out and try and find Audige?"

"Exactly," Draco said.

"And what about Adrian?" Pansy said. "The way I see it, this is practically two separate missions."

"We have to deal with Adrian first," Draco agreed. "Get him and his crew running in circles chasing us so we are free to go after Audige."

"Here's our next problem," Ieuan pointed out. "How do you lot propose to find Adrian in the midst of this funeral? Won't there be thousands of people there? It'll be bloody impossible."

"We're going to drop a tracking charm on him," Blaise said.

"He's not an idiot," Grace pointed out. "He'll be able to feel the charm. My mother used to put them on me; they're very inorganic."

"I know," Pansy said, "But Tieran's been working on a new one."

Everyone looked at Tieran.

"It's not as powerful," Tieran explained. "But it's a lot more subtle. The French Quarter is less than a square mile, though, so it shouldn't be an issue."

"What about the others?" Leolin said. "Adrian's crew?"

Tieran considered, looking at the pictures spread out across the table.

"Let's prioritize them," Tieran said. "I bet you he doesn't run more than five at any time. Once we know who we're looking for, I can link the tracker charm. It will spiral out from Pucey, and we can hunt the others down accordingly."

"I know Flint is the one stealing art," Leolin said, removing his picture. "He won't be there."

"Quinn's just the lookout man," Draco sneered. "He's not going to be in the field."

"The minister of Spain is in London until Thursday discussing the education reform," Harry said. "So that means Rockwood's out."

"Who does that leave us?" Grace said.

Blaise called them out.

"Graham Montague, Dom Godfrey, Robby Macnair, Radomir Dolohov, Merrill Travers, Tate Rowle, Terrence Higgs, Nic Scabior, Rodger Yaxley, Will Avery, Macklin Gibbon, Ferran Rosier, and Kai Morris."

"Kai Morris?" Ginny said in disbelief, leaning over to look at his picture. "The bloke who used to announce the Quidditch matches at Hogwarts?"

"I could have predicted that," Pansy said imperiously. "I never liked that twat."

"That's how I feel about Dom Godfrey," Ieuan said, and Leolin gave him a sympathetic look.

She hadn't forgotten the way Godfrey had tortured Ieuan about his father and Cornelius Fudge, and apparently neither had he.

"Quite the boys' club," Grace sniffed, and Leolin nodded grimly.

"She's not in these pictures," Leolin said. "But Victoria will be there, too."

"Right," Harry said, surveying the group. "How would Pucey organize this lot?"

"He and Tate Rowle were thick as thieves when Rowle was still at Hogwarts," Pansy observed. "And he's smart as hell. I guarantee he's Pucey's second in command."

"She's not in these pictures," Leolin said. "But we already know Thivierge will be there, too."

"Montague and MacNair are both clever," Draco said. "They'll be there."

Grace gave a big exhale.

"Someone needs to tell Daphne," she said softly. "She has no idea Graham is mixed up in this."

"Someone will," Harry promised.

"I'll talk to my stepdad James," Leolin said. "He still has some Auror friends he can have look out for her."

Gracie nodded in appreciation.

"Assuming Adrian runs a five-man team," Blaise observed. "We're still two short."

"I can't believe Terrance Higgs is involved," Pansy said. "I always liked him."

"I think he's peripheral," Draco said. "Look: he and Morris were the first two to go in. That means they're expendable."

Leolin nodded.

"Adrian was testing the waters with Spiros. He didn't send in his best guys until he was sure it was safe."

"Who's left?" Luke asked.

He didn't know any of these people, but Leolin could tell he was a quick study.

Draco began arranging the photos.

"Godfrey, Dolohov, Scabior, Yaxley, Travers, Avery, Gibbon, and Rosier."

"Godfrey's out," Grace said at once. "I know for a fact that Adrian's ex-wife Isobel cheated on him with Godfrey. I don't know why he's running with this crowd, but Adrian's the most spiteful little prick I know. He's not going to give Godfrey a slice of the action."

"So are Yaxley and Travers," Blaise said. "They're both power-hungry, and Adrian won't want anyone challenging his authority or stealing his glory. Besides, Yaxley's working for his dad in Magical Law Enforcement. I think his part is probably mostly in London."

"So Avery, Gibbon, Rosier, Dolohov, and Scabior," Harry synthesized. "Now what?"

Leolin stood up and considered, singling out the pictures of Adrian, Rowle, Macnair, and Montague.

"Adrian and Tate are the brains," she said, pushing them to the side. "Robby Macnair and Thivierge muscle. Montague, most likely, is running point. That means that Pucey's missing a sneak."

Draco came to stand beside her, surveying the pictures as well. Out of her peripheral, Leolin could see Grace and Pansy exchanging a meaningful look, and she knew what they were thinking: Leolin and Draco were a two-man triumvirate.

"Scabior's the sneak," Draco surmised. "He's slick and he's cruel. That makes him dangerous and versatile."

"What about Dolohov?" Leolin said, nodding her agreement to Nic Scabior and sliding his picture towards the rest.

"What about him?" Tieran asked.

"I have a feeling he's going to be here, too. If Audige is as nasty as everyone says, Adrian's going to want to bring a thug like Dolohov."

Draco looked down at her, and she could feel the tension seeping out of his form as they read each other's thoughts. Much as he professed to hate her, she knew he was secretly grateful to have her back on his side.

"I think you may be right. He's Pucey's cruelest man," Draco said, tearing his eyes away from Leolin. "Adrian's going to need him on hand if and when things go South."

"Then I say we link him closest to Pucey," Max suggested, flexing his broad shoulders. "Because we are going to want to neutralize him first, if necessary."

"Agreed," Leolin said, sitting down again.

"Good," Tieran said, gathering the pictures and ordering them. "I can do that tonight."

"Aren't we forgetting something?" Ginny said. "How do you propose to slap this charm on Adrian?"

"That's already sorted," Draco said. "I sent Gen down to Louisiana today. The Wizarding community in New Orleans is small, and her father's house is one of the biggest in the Quarter. Word that's she's there in going to spread like wildfire. Once Adrian get wind of all this, he's going to come sniffing after us to try and find out what, if anything, we know. Once we lure him out, we can slap the charm on him."

"I'll do it," Harry said. "I can pretend to pick a fight with him."

Blaise shook his head.

"It's too inorganic," he replied. "He's used to being the aggressor in situations like this. He has to be the one to come to us; we'll spook him if we come on too strong."

"Who do you suggest, then?" Harry said, sounding the slightest bit defensive.

Blaise shook his head.

"I'm not sure. My guess is he'll come after Drake. He can do it."

Now Leolin shook hers.

"No, Adrian's always been scared of Draco. He wouldn't risk antagonizing him directly, especially when there are easier targets."

"What are you suggesting?" Luke asked keenly.

Leolin looked at Ginny, whose face was grim.

"It has to be me; we all know I'm the one he's going to come after, and it will be the most organic."

"Are you mad?" Draco snapped. "No way."

"Yes way," Leolin replied. "Blaise just said it: this will only work if he starts the tussle. If we try to, he will know something is up." Leolin said.

"I don't see why that means it should be you," Draco said.

"Yes you do," Leolin said softly.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Max said, looking at her intently.

"We've known Adrian since we were kids," she explained. "We all went to Hogwarts together."

"I knew that," he said somewhat impatiently. "What does that have to do with you in particular?"

"I was—" Leolin began, trying to avoid Draco's penetrative gaze. "I could have been nicer to him. I was also picking at him, mostly because I had Drake and Blaise to back me up and keep him from retaliating. Now that the tables have turned a bit—" she paused again. "Let's just say he hasn't forgotten the score, and now he's looking to settle it."

"That's exactly why I don't want you doing this," Draco said. "No way."

"I'm not your responsibility anymore," Leolin said evenly. "Just worry about Gen and let me do the rest."

Draco gave her a cold look that Leolin knew was veiled concern. She gave him a candid look in return.

"She's right, Drake," Blaise said. "He's going to take one look at the two of you out together and come after Leolin."

"No," Ginny said fiercely. "I'm with Draco. The fact that he's going to come after her is precisely why it _shouldn't _be her."

"I'm a big girl, Gin," Leolin said, swallowing the swelling knot forming in her throat. "I can take care of myself, I promise."

"Are you forgetting what happened last time you tried to go toe-to-toe with him?" Ginny said. "He had you _arrested_."

"What?" Draco demanded. "No one told me that."

Leolin ignored Draco.

"I've learned a lot since then," she said to Ginny. "And he has a weakness for me. I guarantee that he will be so caught up torturing me that he won't see this coming."

Tieran nodded.

"If Lefevre thinks she can handle Pucey, I believe her. Besides, we will all be on hand to sort things out should they go awry."

Max nodded.

"I will wring his fucking pencil neck if he gets too handsy," Max assured Leolin, giving her a small wink. She rolled her eyes.

"How chivalrous," Draco sneered.

"Good," Harry interrupted. "Then it's settled. We'll meet you in New Orleans tomorrow, then?"

Draco nodded.

"Gen's father's house on St. Charles, right on the edge of the Quarter."

Grace nodded, standing and rubbing her belly.

"Send us the address, then."

"We will," Ginny said, standing and hugging them both. "See you tomorrow."

"See you then," Grace said, and they left.

"I'm out, too," Max said, standing. "See you all in the Big Easy."

"I'll walk you out," Leolin said, standing as well.

Draco clenched his jaw, but she pretended not to notice. She just wanted to sort this mess with Max out before it became a problem.

Max waited for her to rise before they left through the large French doors that lead to the beach.

"So," he said when they were a ways away.

She looked up at him, and he was merely smiling.

"I'm sorry," she said, blushing a little. "I shouldn't have snuck out this morning."

Max shrugged.

"It's alright," he said, grinning at her again. "Last night got pretty intense."

"Look," she began. "It's not that I didn't enjoy myself—"

"I'm not worried about that," he said. "I know you enjoyed it. _A lot_."

She flushed, and he bit his lip, still smiling.

"You made some of the hottest noises I've ever heard."

"Right," she said awkwardly. "Well, be that as it may—"

"Listen, sweetheart," he said. "You can relax, okay? I'm not Kelly Troy. I'm not trying to fall in love with you or sweep you off your feet."

"A charming sentiment," she said, unable to avoid feeling at least the slightest bit annoyed.

"You're a great girl," Max said. "And you're wicked hot. But it seems like you've got something fairly complicated going on here, and it doesn't really seem like you're that eager to let me in on it."

"I'm not," she said bluntly.

"Then its no hard feelings," Max said. "Though it doesn't mean we have to stop spending time together like we did last night."

"That was a one-time thing," Leolin said firmly. "I think you know that."

Max bit his lip as he looked down at her.

"I was really hoping you _wouldn't_ say that," he admitted, grinning amiably.

She gave a laughing groan.

"Merlin, you're a nightmare."

"I guess," Max said. "But I'm a guy. Screw the consequences; I'd bang you four times a day if you'd let me."

"Elegantly put," she said, both amused and annoyed.

"Sorry," he said. "I forgot you redcoats always stand on ceremony."

"It's admittedly not often that someone uses the word 'bang' to my face."

"My apologies, then," he said, and he brushed a kiss on her cheek.

Leolin gently wiped it away. Max was a decent enough bloke, but any desire she'd had to be touched by him had long since faded away.

"See you in NOLA," he said.

She smiled.

"See you there."

He disappeared with a pop, at which point Leolin consulted her watch. She needed to grab some dinner, and maybe after that she'd go through the files Narcissa had given her. She wanted to get to the bottom of the stolen painting. She had a nagging feeling it was critical, and much as she selfishly wanted to work on breaking the gag, she knew that Sebasten's life partially depended on her figuring out the truth.

She traipsed back up to the house, making a small plate of pasta before fetching the files and heading to the dining room again. Radames was laying on the deck when she re-emerged, and he stood and followed her as she sat back down at large table. He sat dutifully at her feet as she spread out her materials and began to work, her eyes scanning through the hundreds of paintings listed in the inventory as she placed x's on the map Narcissa had given her of the two apartments and the villa.

The work was time-consuming but engaging, and she gently rubbed her bare feet on Radames's belly as he lay sprawled at her feet. It was nice not to be alone, and Leolin couldn't help but fantasize what it would be like if she and Draco reunited. The three of them would be like a little family.

Around midnight, the door clicked open and Draco emerged.

"Is my—"

Radames woke up and stood at once, immediately trotting the length of the rectangular room and going to his master.

Draco knelt to scratch his ears.

"Sorry," Leolin said, watching them. "He just sort of followed me in here."

"He's very fond of you," Draco admitted.

"Well, I'm sure you can convince him to be otherwise," she said flippantly, looking back at her work.

As charitable as she'd been about Draco that morning, she realized now that they were alone that she was still supremely annoyed at him. Just because she loved him didn't mean she had to always like him. He ignored her barb, straightening and studying her instead.

"Did you have sex with Brankovitch last night?" he asked bluntly.

She looked up, not sure if she should deny it or not. She decided to just be honest.

"Yes," she said evenly.

"Because of me?" he pressed.

She met his gaze.

"Not everything in my life is about you," she pointed out, hoping he wouldn't realize she'd side-stepped the question. She didn't want him to see her as pining or weak anymore. The other night had proven that it wasn't effective. Furthermore, it wasn't her.

"Look, Lefevre—"

"You better be getting ready to apologize," Leolin said, not looking up from the floorplan in front of her.

He growled in frustration.

"If you're going to be insufferable about it, then I'm not going to," he said, annoyed.

She rolled her eyes.

"You know what? You don't get to be indignant with me. I am helping you protect your family, and I didn't _force_ you to kiss me. If you're so weak that you can't handle me in a fitted skirt, wear blinders next time."

"Why do you always have to be so difficult?" he said, clenching his jaw.

"I'm not!" she snapped. "It's not my fault you can't decide which head you want to think with!"

He groaned.

"Goddamnit, Leolin, I _didn't _come down here to fight with you!"

"Then why did you come?" she said.

She knew she was shooting herself in the foot a bit, but she didn't care. As much as she still loved Draco, even in that very moment, he'd been a right royal prick, and she was fed up.

"I'm sorry, okay?" he snapped. "You're right; I shouldn't have pushed all of that on you. I—I'm the one who's engaged."

She finally looked up at him. Despite her resolve to forget about Gen and focus on breaking the gag, she had a feeling whatever he was going to say next would still sting.

"In fact, you were right about a lot of things," he admitted. "I don't—Merlin, I don't feel _'nothing'_ for you."

She remained impassive, despite the hammering in her chest. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

"But it's not—" he broke off, as if trying to convince himself. "Look, I don't love you anymore, alright? I've done that and I don't want to go back."

"So you've said," Leolin pointed out, savagely repressing her disappointment.

Please Merlin let that not be true.

"But even still," he bit out. "I said some really cruel things I maybe shouldn't have."

"I don't know if I ever told you this," Leolin said, not able to bite back her pettiness. "But you give the worst apologies I have _ever _heard."

"I'm aware," he admitted, coming to sit next to her. "Look, we both know that it's not in my nature to be kind, but your help has been invaluable, and I—the truth is that I can't do any of this without you."

Leolin turn to look up at him. It was hard to meet his glittering gaze, but she did so unflinchingly.

"Then man up and apologize properly," she said.

He considered, and Leolin could feel the trust they'd always shared flowing between them again as his diamond eyes arced across her face. She clung to it desperately.

He crouched down next to her chair so he could catch he downcast gaze.

"I'm sorry, Leolin," he murmured in a deep, rich voice. "I was a terrible prick to you, and I shouldn't have been. Please forgive me."

The irrational part of her wanted to lean in and kiss him again. Instead she looked away, reminding herself that there was only one way to win Draco back, and it wasn't this.

"Help me stop Adrian and then I will consider it."

He nodded.

"Done."

They were silent a minute before she set down her quill and looked at him again.

"Can I ask you something?"

He looked away from her, clearly sensing he wasn't going to like what she was going to say.

"Go on," he replied.

"How sure are you that we can trust Gen?"

He looked up, glaring at her.

"Excuse me?"

She met his fierce gaze without fear.

"I have to ask," Leolin said. "Because if you have even one single doubt—"

"I don't," Draco said with derision. "And if you bring it up again I'm going to make you really sorry."

"Screw your threats," she said. "You're asking our friends to put their necks on the line tomorrow. I have a right to voice concerns."

"It's a shame your 'concerns' are so translucent," Draco said, and Leolin flexed her shoulders in irritation.

"Go to hell," she said sullenly. "This actually has nothing to do with me and you."

"Then where is this coming from?" Draco said, narrowing his eyes.

"Why wasn't she here with you tonight?" Leolin replied

Maybe Draco was right and that her hatred of Gen was simply clouding her judgment, but there was something about Gen's absence that distressed her.

"Because I need everything to be ready when we all head down there tomorrow. If we can't lure Adrian out, we'll be sunk."

"And that's it?"

"I'm not even going to do this with you," he said, annoyed. "Of course I trust her. If I didn't, I wouldn't be marrying her."

Leolin bit her cheek.

"Fine," she said, feeling less anxious, though no less agitated. "That's all I needed."

"Glad to have cleared that up," he said sarcastically, moving to stand.

However, Leolin had seemed in find something in the inventory.

"What is it?" he said, leaning to peer over her shoulder.

She fought not to inhale his lovely scent.

"According to your stepdad's records, this was the painting in his office."

Draco must not have been wearing his glasses or lenses, because he had to lean farther over to read the title.

"_Hypnos and Thanatos Carrying Away the Slain Sarpedon,_" he read, frowning a little. "Who is Sarpedon? And who are—" he glanced down at the parchment again. "—Hypnos and Thanatos?"

"Sarpedon is a hero of the Trojan War," Leolin explained. "And he died nobly in the battle of Troy. His courage was so revered by Zeus and Phoebus Apollo that they send Sleep, Hypnos, and Death, Thanatos, to fetch and clean his body."

"I thought my mum said that it was someone on a raft," Draco said.

"I think she might have been talking about this," Leolin said, pointing to the wooden dais on which Sleep and Death were standing. "It's a funerary pyre."

"What could this mean?" Draco asked.

Leolin shook her head.

"I'm not sure. It could mean the vessel we're looking for has this story on it. It could be that an image of the vessel is hidden somewhere inside this picture. I'm not sure. I need more time to sort through this."

He nodded tightly.

"Alright," he said, standing again. "Let me know when you figure something else out."

She nodded, glancing up at him at he moved towards the door. Radames moved to follow him but Draco shook his head.

"Non," he said, making a sweeping gesture towards Leolin. "Reste avec elle."

Radames did as he was told, obediently dropping to Leolin's feet again. Leolin looked up at Draco, trying not to read into the gesture. She needed to focus.

"Bring him with you when you come to bed," Draco ordered quietly. "I'll be up for a while."

She nodded, wishing they were sleeping in the same one.

"I will, thanks."

She looked down at her parchment, blood rushing through her veins. There was hope yet.

"Goodnight, Lefevre," he said seriously.

Her eyes found his.

"Goodnight."

A/N: Sorry for the delay! I'm terrible human! Please let me know what you think. How do like Effie and Sweeney? What's going to happen in New Orleans? Who is your favourite death eater? What about Max? Also, people know that the more reviews I get, the faster and better I write!


	14. Chapter 13: The Big UnEasy

a/n: "Spread the word around, guess who's back in town…!" *jams to bitchin' guitar solo. I can't tell y'all how amped I am to be back from hiatus! I'm also happy to report that my Masters' Thesis has been accepted, and I start writing in the fall! If you couldn't tell, I'm getting a Masters in Art History, and my thesis is actually about the Borgia, hahaha. I really hope y'all enjoy this chapter, I eagerly await your feedback! Also, just in case y'all don't know, people refer to New Orleans as "The Big Easy". Also, I haven't really edited this yet, please forgive. I decided to give it to y'all first and let you enjoy it and I will edit it tomorrow! Also it's sweet that you think I should have more reviews, I'm honestly just so pleased with the loyalty I have. Obviously, I'm self-centered and think I'm one of the best HPFF writers, but the evidence doesn't agree. Again, though, I just love y'alll so much I don't care! Having said that, please review! The more detailed, the better! :D

**Chapter Thirteen: The Big [Un]Easy**

_Draco took off his sunglasses and looked around, frowning as he did so. It was nearly dusk and yet it was still blazing hot out, and the breeze that whispered through the narrows streets was uncomfortably warm and offered no reprieve. New Orleans was nothing like he'd imagined. Or rather, it was definitely underwhelming. He'd pictured a city teeming with delicious debauchery, but all he'd received was sweltering heat and an uneasy feeling. This was ironic, he realized, given the city's nickname, but there was something intangible choking the streets of the French Quarter that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up._

"_Well this is rubbish so far," Blaise said beside him. "I always knew I'd hate America."_

"_I agree," Draco said, still frowning. "It's so—"_

_He trailed off, unable to put words to his distain. Blaise nodded in understanding, though._

"—_American," Blaise finished, and Draco smirked._

"_Merlin save the queen," Draco replied, checking his watch. _

_He wished he hadn't worn a suit coat. He was uncomfortably warm._

"_Where's Brankovitch?" Blaise asked, looking at his leather-banded watch as well. He said the diamond-faced one Draco wore was too feminine for his taste. "He was meant to be here five minutes ago._

"_You know the Yanks," Draco said. "They can't do anything right."_

_Blaise laughed._

"_Doesn't mean I wouldn't fuck one, though, if the opportunity arose," Draco replied._

_Blaise raised his eyebrows._

"_Seen any good ones so far?"_

_Draco laughed._

"_Nope. Have you?"_

"_I'm finally dating the girl I've been in love with since I was fifteen. I didn't even know there __**were**__ other women here."_

_Draco gave a rare smile._

"_It's going well then, I take it."_

"_Mark my words," Blaise said. "I am going to marry her."_

"_Good," Draco said. "Because she's not an annoying slag and she's frankly too awesome to be a Weasley for much longer."_

"_I'm meeting her parents when I get back," Blaise said. "I'm bloody terrified. Remember that howler her mum sent second year?"_

"_Would that I could forget," Draco murmured. "The only downside of marrying Ginny is that you'll be brothers-in-law with Ronald."_

"_Ginny's already advised me not to eat or drink anything," Blaise said. "She said the twin ones like to put that puking potion in her boyfriends' food."_

"_How are you supposed to go over there and not eat?" Draco asked snidely. "Her mum is going to be stuffing food down your throat."_

"_What?" Blaise demanded. "You've met her?"_

"_Like six months ago," Draco said. "Molly and I are proper mates. She's dead cool, for a mum. Way more fun to be around than Narcissa, especially since the divorce."_

"_How did you __**possibly**__ manage to step foot in that house?"_

"_I made sure Weaselby the elder was out," Draco explained._

"_Still," Blaise said. _

"_Don't be so stressed, mate. I've paved the way for you."_

"_You had it easy," Blaise huffed. "You didn't have to deal with the six brothers."_

"_It's only going to be five," Draco pointed out. "They don't really see the tight-arsed one."_

"_Oh, great. So it's just the ones that want to make me vomit at dinner, the one I hate, the dragon tamer, and the curse-breaker. Yeah, you're a real trail blazer."_

_Draco looked at his sparkling watch again._

"_It's been bloody fifteen minutes. Where is this sod?"  
_

"_Search me," Blaise said. "Why are we even down here in the first place? You never really said."_

"_Brankovitch called me six weeks ago and said he had a beat on what was going on with my father. I originally told him to fuck off, but it turns out his intel is solid. I think we could use him."_

"_What do you need his intel for?" Blaise said. "Lucius is your dad. Surely you have an inkling as to what he's about."_

"_An inkling's__** all**__ I have. I was locked into things when he was funneling all his dealings through the company, but I don't have any real contacts in the Ministry. He cleaned house after he got elected, and there's no one left there I can trust."_

"_What about James Burgis? The head of the Auror department. Word on the street is that he and Lucius have been butting heads. Maybe he knows something."_

_Draco nodded._

"_I thought of that, too."_

"_And?" Blaise prompted. "Have you talked to Burgis?"_

_Draco nodded again._

"_It turns out his feud with my father isn't about politics. It's personal."_

"_What does that mean?" Blaise asked, shrugging out of his jacket and rolling up his sleeves._

"_Burgis proposed to Ariadne. They're getting married in the spring."_

"_What?" Blaise said. "No way!"_

_Draco smiled._

"_I know. I guess they've been carrying on for months. Ariadne said she didn't want James to lose his job for her, but I bet he'll quit before my father can find a way to fire him."_

"_That's not good for us," Blaise pointed out. "I don't like the idea of Lucius getting his hands on the Auror department."_

"_You're telling me," Draco replied. "Anyways, long story short is that Brankovitch has a whole ring of blokes on the inside, and that's intel we sorely need."_

"_What's Brankovitch's stake in all this? What does he care?"_

"_Ask him yourself," Draco said, eyes glittering as they watched the brawny seeker loping towards them._

"_Malfoy," Max said, extending a hand when he was close enough. "Welcome to New Orleans.  
_

_Draco accepted the grip and gave Max a cool smile in return. At 6'4, Draco wasn't accostumed to people being able to look him right in the eye. However, Max was just as tall as Draco, though he was markedly more bulky. Not fat, certainly, but exceedingly muscular._

"_Thank you for inviting me. Brankovitch, this is my firend Blaise Zabini. Blaise, this is Max Brankovitch."_

"_Pleasure," Blaise said in a bored voice. _

_He hated strangers._

"_Good to meet you," Max said, jovial and unfazed by Blaise's sullenness. "Should we go?"_

"_Where is it that we're meant to be going?" Blaise asked as they started down the cobblestone boulevard._

"_To a party my friend is throwing," Max explained. "Large parties are the best places to talk; they're so intimate."_

_Draco and Blaise exchanged a glance. The man had a point._

"_Besides," Max continued. "I like to be careful. I want to make sure we're somewhere that we won't be disturbed._

"_So we're going to a rager?" Blaise asked, his distain growing. _

"_Exactly," Max said, clapping Blaise and the back and making him scowl. "Let's go."_

_He cuffed each of their shoulders and they spun away, arriving a moment later in front of a stately mansion pushed 100 yards of the quiet drive upon which it sat._

_Two banks of stooping oaks flanked the long stretch of gravel leading up to the stately mansion. Draco had been expected the kind of column-adorned houses he'd seen in pictures, and the white Neoclassical behemoth before him did not disappoint. _

"_What do you think?" Max asked just as a white peacock strutted across the walkway in front of them._

_Draco frowned. Those had always been Lucius's favourites, too. He hated them._

"_Charming," he drawled unenthusiastically. _

_He could already tell he was going to hate the twat who owned this place._

"_C'mon," Max said when they're finally reached the front door. They could hear the bass booming inside. "Let's get you boys a drink. Seems like your sour friend here might need one."_

_Max pushed the door open, wading through the sea of ridiculously over-dressed women and pastel-clad men to a cocktail waiter. _

"_What do you want, fellas?" Max asked Draco and Blaise._

"_Gin and tonic," Draco said._

"_Vodka soda," Blaise replied._

"_And a whiskey coke for me, Ricky," Max said, stuffing a shimmering American note for ten galleons in the man's hand. "We're heading to the veranda. You can bring us our drinks there."_

_The waiter nodded appreciatively, and Max jerked his head for Draco and Blaise to follow. Draco looked around as they passed through. The décor was very much French inspired, though the overall scheme felt forced, like it was trying too hard. Still, he supposed it had a certain charm to it, though he wasn't certain what that charm was. _

_They emerged out onto a sprawling pool deck in the back populated with just as many people, and Max greeted several of the more beautiful women before leading them upstairs to a balcony that overlooked the pool. There was a couple groping on one of the low couches. Blaise, who was sour at being dragged away from Ginny to attend a party, frowned in disgust, but Max only smiled._

"_Hey Ash," Max said congenially, tapping the bloke's shoe with his foot. "Where's your girlfriend?"_

_The blonde man's head snapped up and he flushed, immediately ceasing his machinations with the redhead trapped beneath him._

"_You have a girlfriend?" the girl demanded, pushing him off of her. "You told me you were single, you pig!"_

"_Wait, sugar—"_

_She stood, huffing angrily. She turned on Max._

"_What are you looking at?" she demanded, and Max laughed and raised his arm as she stomped off._

"_Brank," Ash said, half-laughing and half-embarrassed. He had a thick Southern drawl that Draco found infuriating. "Where have you been? Genevieve has been waiting for you all night."_

"_Has she? I just got here. Tell her I'll be down soon to say hi."_

_The man stood sheepishly._

"_Please don't tell her about this," Ash said. "If she finds out I stepped out on Savannah, she'll drown me in the pool."_

"_You're a cad, Ashley Benton," Max laughed, and Ashley gave an easy smile._

"_You're a good man, sir. Gentlemen," he said in salutation, acknowledging Draco and Blaise for the first time. _

_Finally he seemed to have composed himself enough to leave, and he did so without another word. Max watched him keenly, opting not to sit down until Ashley had disappeared._

"_Who was that?" Draco asked suspiciously._

"_He owns this place," Max said. "Don't worry, he doesn't know anything."_

_Ricky had appeared with the drinks, and they each accepted theirs and took a sip._

"_Keep them coming, Rick," Max said, and the man nodded._

"_So," Max said. "Have you thought about my offer?"  
_

_Draco considered, taking a sip of his drink instead of answering._

"_You really think you're equipped to help me take down my father?"_

"_You need me, chief. I've been watching you spinning your rims since he's been elected. You haven't got any guys on the inside to help you out."_

"_And you do?" Blaise asked snidely._

"_Yes," Max said, taking a sip of his drink._

"_Who?" Draco asked._

_Max shook his head._

"_Don't worry about it."_

_Draco clenched his jaw_

"_I'm not agreeing to anything until I know your information is coming from a good source."_

"_Your dear old daddy would kill my guys if he knew who they were. I'm not going to put their necks out like that just for you to feel comfortable."_

"_I'm sorry," Draco said coldly. "Are you suggesting I'm a betrayal threat? Because you came to me, __**chief**__. You may be right that I need you, but you absolutely need me if you want this to work."_

"_Relax," Max said. "I didn't mean to offend you, alright? I just mean the less people who know, the better. My guys inside don't even know who all is involved. Only I know exactly who all the players are."_

"_None of this proves you're a worthy partner," Blaise said. "You're a yank, what is it that you think you know?" _

_Max looked latently annoyed. There was nothing he hated more than European snobbery, and Blaise was old-school Italian arrogance._

"_What do you want? A sample?" Max said, fighting now to remain cordial. "I already proved my sources were good."_

"_Once could be luck," Draco pointed out._

_Max bit his lip, clearly irritated. _

"_James Burgis quit three days ago," Max said._

_Draco didn't blink._

"_We already knew that," he fibbed._

_Draco was an excellent poker player; he knew how to flush out a bluff._

"_Then you know who'll replace him," Max said evenly, pulling a cigar from his pocket and lighting it. "Good for you, lobstercoat."_

_Draco and Blaise exchanged a look. Max smiled. For a grinning idiot, he was incredibly shrewd._

"_See?" he said, puffing a few times and blowing the smoke skyward. "You need me."_

"_That doesn't prove you're trustworthy," Blaise said a little savagely. "Lucius could have sent you here to entrap Draco."_

_Max's genial expression melted into a sinister frown. He put down the Cuban and pulled out a photo from his coat pocket, handing it to Blaise. It was the picture of a beautiful young woman. She was laughing, her brown eyes sparkling._

"_Do you recognize her?" Max said as Blaise handed the photo to Draco, who frowned._

"_She's the mudblood girl that the deatheaters tortured at the World Cup," Draco said. "The year that Ireland beat Bulgaria."_

_Max's face hardened at Draco's vulgar utterance._

"_She was my fianceé," Max explained. "And they defiled her and humiliated her just because of her blood status. She ended up jumping off the London Bridge because of it."_

_Blaise looked penitent and bowed his head. Draco clenched his jaw._

"_I'm sorry," Draco said tightly, extending the photo. "It was hideous what they did."_

"_I don't have to explain myself to you," Max said fiercely. "And this is the only time I offer to help you Brits. It's now or never, Malfoy. What's it gonna be?"_

_Draco considered. "What are your terms?"_

_Max gave a grim smile, extending his hand. _

"_I only ask that when you catch your father in his sick little web, I be there when the dementors give him the kiss."_

"_I think that can be arranged," Draco said, shaking it._

_Something odd passed between them. It was clear that neither was particularly fond of the either, but they forged a bond in that moment that wouldn't easily be broken._

"_Maximilian!" _

_They all turned to see a newcomer on the deck, and Draco found himself looking at the most beautiful woman he'd seen in a long time. He usually didn't like blondes, but this one was fresh-faced and angelic. The floral cocktail dress she wore was modest, but it had been tailored to perfection, he could felt a familiar clench in his stomach as he looked at her. He imagined her creamy skin against his grey sheets as she writhed underneath him. He wanted her. No, he needed her. It had been almost three months since he'd slept with someone, and he'd starting dreaming about Leolin again, which meant he was overdue for a meaningless shag._

"_Genny," Max said, standing and lifting her off her feet as he hugged her.  
_

"_Where have you been_**, **_sugar? I was starting to fret," she said, touching his arm. She had one of the loveliest speaking voices Draco had ever heard, even considering the annoying accent._

"_Sorry," Max laughed. "I got a bit of a late start tonight."_

"_It's been so boring without you," she drawled._

_It was here that she laid eyes on Draco, and she gave him a glowing look of unadulterated approval. However, there was something about the way her eyes moved across his face that made his blood pump a little faster._

"_Max," she said, eyes never leaving Draco. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your new friends?"_

"_This is Blaise," Max said, and Blaise gave her a bored look and raised his glass._

"_Charmed."_

_She barely looked at him before her penetrating brown eyes flitted back to Draco._

"_And you are?"_

"_Draco," he said, giving her a sinfully handsome smile._

"_Genevieve," she replied, slipping a delicate hand into his. _

* * *

Leolin stayed staring at the painting long after Draco left, wracking her brain for what it might mean. Unlike Draco, she had excellent vision, and she scoured ever inch, searching desperately for a clue to the painting's significance. She half-expected a vase hidden somewhere in the shadows, but there was nothing. She bit her lip, wracking her brain for information about Sarpedon. She was no Hellenist, but to her estimation there was nothing that she could remember that could relate to reviving the dead. Sarpedon had been the archtypical tragic hero, sacrificing his life in the service of The Trojan war. Yes he had been taken away by Sleep and Death, but that was an acceptance of his fate, not a rebellion against it. What the fuck could it—

Leolin stopped, staring at the painting at her hot blood began to freeze in her veins. She couldn't totally make it out, but there were a pair of wild eyes peering out from the obsidian depth of the background. The bulged out of an indistinguishable head, and despite the almost complete blackness that cloaked the figure, the whites of the eyes stood out faintly. You had to know where to look, but there was absolutely a figure in the foreground.

Leolin bit her lip. She had a sneaking suspicion who the figure might be. Herpo the Foul had been alive in the twilight of the Greek empire, and there were stories about his interference in Muggle affairs. It was difficult to say what Muggle Greeks' relationship to magic was. Scholars remained unsure if they were aware of the Wizarding world, but Herpo meddled none the less. Some said he was a servant of Hades, Lord of the Underworld, and he sowed discord at Hades behest.

It had long been said that it was Herpo who had convinced Paris of Troy to abduct the beautiful Achaean Helen and start the Trojan war. However, it was just as likely the Herpo used the cruciatus and imperius curses to coerse Paris into ensighting such bloodshed. The Muggle thought Eris, the goddess of discord, had started the war out of spite, but the wizards knew better.

Perhaps this was the connection between Sarpedon and the vessel of immortality. After all, Sarpedon was a victim of the strife that Herpo had sown. He could be a story of evil's triumph over good.

She stood. She had to show this to Draco. She checked her watch. Damn, it was nearly four. It was unlikely he was up. She could show it to him in the morning, she supposed, but in truth those beady eyes had unnerved her. She would feel better knowing Draco had seen them too.

"Allons, Rodames," Leolin said, and the dog picked up his head, eager to follow her. She left the detached glass box dining room and traipsed up the stairs to the deck., Rodames on her heels. He eventually bounded ahead of her to go up the stairs, eager to be re-united with Draco. He immediately sat outside the door, stratching it with his paw.

"Shh," Leolin said, trying to coax the dog to her. "Draco is sleeping."

Reluctantly he followed her, settling in front of the adjoining door instead.

"I know," she said softly, taking off her sweater before bending to pet his head. "I'm sorry."

However, a minute later he sprang up at movement on the other side of the door. His nub of a powerful tail wagged furiously, and when the door didn't immediately swing open, he gave a sharp, staccato bark.

Draco emerged a second later, smiling as Rodames danced happily.

"Hey Mate," he said, petting him. "I'm right here; no need to shout."

Rodames, now contented, lay down again.

Draco straightened, taking in Leolin's attire but saying nothing.

"You're up late," he commented dryly, adjusting his thick-framed glasses. "Or early, I suppose. The sun will be up in an hour."

"I know," Leolin said. "But I found something."

Draco folded his arms across his naked chest.

"In the painting?" he said eagerly. "Show me."

Leolin nodded. She turned her back to him and strode over to the bed before sitting on it. It was admittedly huge, spanning the breadth of seven pillows, but Draco still looked wary.

"Come on," she said, annoyed when he didn't immediately follow. "I'm not going to molest you, I swear. In fact, I'm still fucking mad at you. You're a knob."

Draco laughed a little, biting his lip as he surveyed her. Her hair was mussed from running a distracted hand through it, and her lips were ruby from her nervous habit of biting them. She licked her bottom one as if to signal she was growing impatient, but she could hear Draco's soft exhale. She was having a serious effect on him.

"Put a shirt on," he commanded, eyes glittering.

"Not unless you plan to," she countered, making a show of adjusting her straps of her lacy bra. It made her succulent breasts bounce a little.

"Don't do that," he admonished.

"Do what?" she replied innocently, readjusting again.

"Stop it. It's distracting," he blurted, looking away. "Like a broomwreck. I don't want to look, but I can't help it."

"That's a you problem," Leolin countered saucily. "Either get over yourself and come here or get out. I'm exhausted."

"I bet," he said, sounding a shade bitter. "You had a big night last night."

She looked away. Max was the last thing she wanted to talk about right now. She met his gaze again.

"Put up or shut up, Malfoy," she said evenly, and finally he clenched his jaw, running both hands through his hair before acquiescing.

Seeing the Draco was going to sit on the large bed, Rodames immediately followed.

"You're spoiled," Draco admonished. Rodames only gave a contented sigh in response, resting his head on his paws and closing his eyes.

Draco glanced back at Leolin.

"Alright," he said expectantly. "Show me."

Leolin drew the small canister from thin air and pointing it at the blank wall. The images on the wall with such precision that it now looked like a fresco. Draco scooted over to touch the wall to see before looking back at Leolin. He didn't smile, but she could see admiration glinting in his eyes.

"That's quite the party trick," he said.

She shrugged.

"You're blind. If I don't do this you'll never be able to see what I want to show you."

Draco frowned. Leolin only shrugged again in response.

"Brankovitch really brought the firecracker out in you," he commented snidely, and she rolled her eyes.

"It really bothers you, doesn't it?" she asked.

"What?" he said defensively.

"The idea of me sleeping with someone else."

Draco sneered.

"What do I care? I've been between your thighs a million times. Did you let him fuck you in the arse like I used to?"

She slapped him across the face, but he barely even flinched, giving her a condescending smirk instead.

"That wasn't a no, Lefevre."

She tried to slap him again and he grabbed her wrist, the smirk fading. He used his grip to pull her closer. They were nose to nose, and she could smell his sharp mouthwash.

"I would advise against trying that again."

"You're such a filthy prick," Leolin sneered, wrenching her arm away. "And you should know you can't lie to me. I know you're only throwing shade because you _are_ jealous."

"Why would I be?" he countered.

She leaned in a little again, meeting his hard gaze without fear.

"You tell me."

He smirked coldly "You've got it all wrong, Lefevre. Gen pleases me in ways you never could. My relationship with her is _unbelievably_ satisfying."

She looked away, feeling stung. He always did know just where to cut her.

"Are we ever going to get to this painting?" he said, sounding a little smug. He knew he'd one that round. She sort of wanted to punch him in the jaw. She bit her lip instead.

She said nothing, just pointed to the dark chasm between the figures of Sleep and Death.

"See that?"

Draco leaned forward to get a better look then recoiled.

"Merlin, are those…_eyes_?"

"Yes," she said simply.

"Who _is_ that?"

"I think its Herpo," she said.

"That's fucking creepy," he said.

"I know," she said. "But it could be the key to figuring out why Lucius wanted this piece in the first place. If he's looking for Herpo's vessel, this could explain why he stole this painting."

"Why?" Draco asked. "Is he going to drag Herpo out and torture him, too?"

She gave him a stern look to show she didn't think his joke was funny.

"I can't know without seeing the canvas, " she said. "But it could be that the actual lekythus is hidden inside the painting and can be retrieved."

"That's even creepier," Draco said.

"This is the most insidiously dark object ever created. Getting your hands on it isn't going to be easy."

"Are we going to vie for it?" he said, more to himself than to her.

"I think we have to," Leolin said, glancing at him.

Despite everything, she caught his eyes straying again. She wasn't over the comment he'd made earlier, and it irritated her that he was being such a cad.

"Stop it," she admonished sharply. "I'm not yours to ogle anymore."

Draco had the decency to look away, evidentially a little embarrassed.

"Don't dress like that if you don't want the attention."

"Don't tell me what to do," she snapped back. "And I didn't 'dress' this way. You barged in on me while I was changing."

He looked again just to be spiteful.

"Then why haven't you put a shirt on yet?"

"Because I'm not going to change my behaviour for you. If you feel threatened by the way I dress, that's on you, _not _me."

Leolin almost couldn't believe how combative she was being, but the way Draco was acting was making her skin crawl. Just because she loved him didn't mean she couldn't hate him from time to time.

"Is that all, then?" he said.

"Yes," she said coolly. "Get out."

He slid off the bed, and just when she began to wish he would come back, he turned and to say something hateful.

"Sweet dreams, Lefevre. Or are going to sneak out for another rendezvous with Brankovitch?"

Leolin's felt like someone had just doused her heart in acid.

"Why do you have to be such a bully?" she said with vitriol.

"I'm not," Draco said. "I'm just calling it like I see it."

"Go away," she said doggedly. "Seriously. Before I punch you in the face."

He didn't move, simply crossed his arms across his chest.

"You're certainly changed your tune since that night in London."

Leolin bit her lip, her agitation growing. She could feel herself about to blurt something petulant. She knew she shouldn't say anything she didn't totally mean, but he'd fallen into his old role of instigating, and at that moment she felt more than happy to escalate.

"I don't know why I said that that night," she whispered, wanting to hurt him the way he'd hurt her. "I didn't mean it. In fact, I don't know why I ever loved you. I must have been out of my mind."

His eyes flashed. She knew she'd hit the mark. He clenched his jaw, and she could tell he was ready to bite back.

"Finally," he spit. "A sentiment we can both agree on."

"You know what?" she said, getting off the bed and stomping over to him. "You and Gen deserve each other. You're both bloody rotten."

"You're just mad because she's something to me you _never_ were!"

That stung _immensely. _She drew the thin canister, the colour in her voice rising as she glared daggers at him.

"You really think so? Well, why don't you try this on for size: you couldn't do _any _of this without me, and yet you are so damn ungrateful! If really think Gen can do any bloody better with this Herpo rot, tell her to _have at it_."

She shoved the canister against his chest, and he grabbed her wrist as she did, keeping her hand where it was. She could feel his strong heartbeat reverberating through her palm.

"Let go," she whispered with venom.

"Don't even think about leaving," he whispered softly, and it was half a warning and half a plea. His eyes danced over the bridge of her nose across her creamy cheeks, drinking in her beauty.

"You don't tell me when to stay or go," she sneered. "I'm my own master now."

She struggled and he only tugged her closer, his breath falling on her lips even as her chest pressed to his. He brought a second hand to her hip to further entrap her. To someone who didn't know what was going on, it would have looked downright romantic.

"I'm not telling you," he grit out, careful to keep his lips from touching hers. "I'm asking you. Please, help me see this through."

Her eyes flicked up to his full lips. She knew it was crazy, but she wanted so badly to kiss him. It didn't matter; she knew he'd reject her advance if she did.

"I already said I would," she replied instead.

"That's all I ask," he said with meaning, finally relinquishing his grip.

"That's more than you deserve," she bit petulantly, mad that he hadn't apologized.

He gave her another blazing look before whistling once. Radames leapt off the bed and past Draco into the adjoining bedroom.

Draco followed and Leolin trailed naturally forward as well, making a pretense of closing the door.

She prepared to close it but he turned, occupying the doorway by pressing a hand to the frame on either side of him and leaning forward towards her. She'd _just _yelled at him from leering at her, but she simply could help admiring the lithe swell of his pectoral or the sleek abdominals of his taut stomach. She forced herself not to trace the curve of his obliques as they cut arcs into his trim hips, upon which his linen trousers hung low. He didn't fail to notice her gaze, though he said nothing, opting to smirk instead. She rolled her eyes, though she knew the gesture was completely unjustified on her part.

"Good night, Lefevre."

He looked up at her a last time, an expression in his eyes that she couldn't quite place. The diamonds in his irises glittered, though it was neither warm nor particularly predatory.

She put a hand to his warm chest and pushed so he would step back and she could swing the door closed. She didn't even particularly want to touch him right now, her need to kiss him having subsided, but she wanted him to remember what it felt to experience her touch. His body temperature had always run high and, it forced a small reaction when her cool fingers touched him.

He licked his lips before running a hand through his blonde hair. She could tell now that he was thinking about kissing her too, but she remembered what he said in London about her just being a warm cunt and she stepped back, out of his reach.

"Goodnight, Malfoy," she said coldly, wanting him to go away and stop confusing her.

He read her reaction at once and Leolin's heart leapt as he silently struggled to apologize. In the end he didn't though, and she rolled her eyes in irritation before turning her back to him.

"Get some sleep tonight," he said. "We have a big day tomorrow. "

Leolin didn't turn.

"Close the door behind you," she said, and wordlessly he didn't what she said and disappeared.

* * *

Leolin woke around eleven, lighting pouring generally though the glass plate that made up the wall opposite her bed. It offered and unparalleled view of the dark blue water, which twinkled under the near-noon sun.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. She needed to get up. They were leaving for Louisiana in four hours.

She heard scratching and whining at the adjoining door and she smiled, rising and letting Rodames in. He cantered around the spacious room before running excitedly to her from pets and kisses.

"Is that lazy Draco not up yet, darling? Should we wake him?"

Leolin, feeling both playful and spiteful, strode into Draco's room, Rodames on her heels. Draco lay on his back, a hand flung over his eyes to shield them from the sun. Gen and Draco's bed was as big or bigger than Leolin's, and she had to crawl on it to touch him.

The room smelled faintly of Gen's perfume, and Leolin frowned.

"Get up, lazy bones," Leolin said, jabbing him in the side. "Your poor dog needs you."

"Fuck off, wench," he said.

"You don't deserve Rodames's loyalty," she said. "You know that, right?"

"Leave my dog out of this," Draco muttered sleepily, rolling onto his side. "He's the most spoiled creature on Earth."

Just then, Draco's floo, which lay several feet to his left, began to emit a soft pink smoke. That was Gen. Draco couldn't see it because he remained with eyes closed. Already reveling, Leolin swept a leg gracefully over Draco's right hip so she could reach the floo.

"Oy," Draco complained, having yet to move. "Get off me, Lefevre."

Leolin flicked it open, making her voice husky with sleep.

"Hello?"

There was stunned silence, and Leolin felt a grim satisfaction. Draco _still_ hadn't moved, and Leolin stood on her knees so she was hovering but no longer touching him.

"Leolin," Gen said finally, her sweetness unable to completely mask her dismay.

"Hey," Leolin said simply, not wanting to tip Draco off.

"Go _away,_" Draco replied, still thinking she was talking to him.

Leolin could imagine Gen fuming and fretting in equal measure, all the while refusing to let Leolin have the upper-hand by showing it.

"Is Draco there, by any chance?" Gen said tersely.

"Of course," Leolin replied simply.

This finally caught Draco's attention, and he swiveled so he was on his back. He glared at Leolin even as she dropped her hips against his.

"Well may I speak to him?"

Draco's strong hands were on Leolin's hips now as if he meant to lift her. However, Leolin simply pressed the floo to his ear, and he bit his lip and closed his eyes, knowing who it must have been.

"Darling," he said, sitting up and trying to coax Leolin off of him. He couldn't very well say anything.

Leolin gracefully swiveled a leg and got off as if that had meant nothing. She could see by Draco's breathing and thin trousers that it hadn't failed to affect Draco. He was having to fight to remain stoic. A familiar glitter in his gaze told her that he wanted nothing more than to tug her beneath him and fuck her senseless, regardless of consequences.

"Are you serious?" Gen snapped through he phone. "Why is _Leolin _in your room?"

"I can explain," Draco began a tad too hastily.

"Has she been there all night?" Gen said tersely.

"Of course not," Draco snapped back. "She just came in her to take the dog out and she answered my floo because she's a conniving bitch."

"Fuck you," Leolin snapped venomously. "You little snake."

With that she ushered the dog out, smiling a little as Draco's voice rose. She knew she'd sown major discord, and she didn't really care what that cost her the rest of the trip. It was absolutely worth it to make Gen suffer even a fraction of what she had. Besides, sitting astride Draco had caused a pleasant tingle beneath her thighs, and she knew he'd felt that spark was well.

She changed into her bathing suit and traipsed downstairs with Rodames. Ginny. Luke, Ieuan, and Blaise were sitting on the deck breakfasting from a lovely buffet

"You're up late," Ginny said as Leolin sauntered onto the deck. "You usually rise with the damn sun."

"I had a late night," Leolin said, wondering over to the breakfast spread and grabbing a slice of mango from the tray before pouring herself a mimosa from a crystal carafe.

"Oh yeah," Ieuan said. "Sneaking out to see your yankee beau?"

Leolin laughed.

"That was absolutely a one-time thing," she said, taking a bit of the mango.

"Too bad," Luke said softly, smiling at her. "He's something of a dream boat. Did you see the muscles in his arms?"

"I'm right here!" Ieuan protested, and Luke simply gave a soft shrug.

"I still can't believe you slept with him," Blaise huffed.

"What do you care?" Leolin asked mildly.

He didn't look up.

"I don't, beyond thinking his a cad and not good enough for you."

"Or," Ieuan offered conspiratorially. "He's representing the interests of a unnamed third party."

"Shove off," Blaise snapped.

"And speak of the devil," Ieuan muttered as Draco stormed onto the deck.

He made right for Leolin, grabbing her by the wrist so they were nose to nose.

"You little brat," he seethed.

"Draco!" Ginny admonished. "What the fuck!"

Leolin responded in a heartbeat, using the little wandless magic she knew to shock him with an electric bolt that forced him to let go.

"Damnit, woman!" he cried in irritation as she gracefully slipped past him to sit back down.

"Well," Ieuan said. "That was colourful."

"What in the actual hell is wrong with you two?" Ginny seethed. "We don't have time for this shite."

Draco ignored her, glaring as Leolin twirled a lock of dark hair around one finger.

"Why did you do that this morning?" Draco demanded. "Gen's still half-convinced we slept together."

"Well I'll be more than happy to set the record straight," Leolin sneered, standing and folding her arms across her chest. "I wouldn't sleep with you for love or money."

"Oh yeah?" he snapped, grabbing her arm. She once again shook of his grip.

"Don't touch me."

"Blaise," Ginny said. "Stop them."

"Back off, you two," Blaise demanded.

Leolin sneered at Draco. She had no clue why she was being so aggressive with him, but she couldn't stop herself today. It was perhaps in part of the way he'd acted the day before, but she'd also been nursing a slow-simmering agitation about the task that lay ahead of her in New Orleans. The idea of facing Adrian again was starting to make her fretful. She couldn't say it out loud yet, but she was desperately afraid of him.

"Stop torturing Gen," Draco said, bringing her out of her reverie.

Leolin and Ginny traded a look and they both rolled their eyes.

"I'll stop when she does," Leolin snapped.

"She's not the aggressor!" Draco insisted.

Now it was Ieuan's turn to roll his eyes.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Malfoy," Leolin said. "But I'm done playing nice with her. If she wants to get nasty, she better buckle up."

"Merlin's pants!" Ginny admonished. "Will you two cut it out already? Whatever this petty thing between you is, stop it. It's annoying and useless. We have bigger issues than Leolin and Gen."

Leolin sat down and Draco glared before sitting down as well.

"So," Blaise said in a bored voice. "Am I to assume this spat started last night or this morning?"

"Both," they replied in unison before sneering at each other.

"And what were you two doing together last night?" Ginny said. "If I may be so bold as to ask."

Leolin rolled her eyes,

"Lefevre found something," Draco said.

Blaise perked up.

"What?"

Draco conjured the canister and produced the image, explaining to the others what Leolin had explained to him. As he did, Leolin felt a shade coming over her, further darkening her mood. It was unnerving to see the image in daylight, and fear was making her dizzy. Under the noon sun, this suddenly seemed so…_real_.

"Well," Blaise said, drawing her from reverie. "That certainly ups the ante."

"Indeed," Draco said, pensive.

Leolin, who suddenly was feeling almost woozy, stood at once. There was something nagging, something familiar, nagging at her about the eyes in the painting, and paired with the thought of Adrian, she felt downright nauseous.

"Lai?" Ginny said concernedly . "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

_What was she missing? Why were those eyes haunting her?_

"Fine!" Leolin said too quickly.

Draco was studying her keenly now, a concern shimmering beneath his anger.

"I think I'm still just exhausted," Leolin said, and it was true; she felt _weary. _"I'm going to lay down until we leave."

Ginny exchanged a quick glance with Blaise.

"Of course, darling," she said soothingly. "We'll wake you up when it's time."

Leolin nodded, wanting to be alone while simultaneously fearing to be.

"Rodames," she called, and he lifted his head. "Allons."

"Oy," Draco said in irritation. "You can't take the dog with you!"

"Why not?" Leolin asked. "He wants to come with me."

"Lefevre," Draco groaned, and she shrugged, the eyes in the painting following her.

She'd seen them before.

"Goodnight, gang," she said, and Rodames led the way back to her room. When she collapsed onto the bed, the dog at her side, her weariness overcame here, and she tried to put her unease from her mind and focus on getting some rest. She would need the clarity.

The problem was that her sleep was anything but restful. She dreamt of Herpo's penetrating gaze, shrouded in darkness. She dreamt of bokor masks and rattling bones. She dreamt of Adrian and Lucius, their unwanted touches raking across her skin. She kept trying to wake herself up, but she felt trapped in a limbo.

_It's not real_, Leolin reminded herself. But that didn't feel true. Adrian's hand was around her neck, choking her as he whispered in her ear. She fought to get away, but Gen was standing there, keeping her from leaving.

Leolin made to call out for Draco, but he was deaf to her cries.

"Leolin? You awake, bug? It's six thirty. You need to get up."

Leolin sat up, pushing her sweaty hair off her forehead. She's slept hard, and a cold moisture clung to her skin. Ginny was sitting on the edge of the bed, frowning.

"How long was I out?" she asked, feeling disoriented.

What the fuck was wrong with her?

"A while," a second voice chimed.

Leolin looked up to find that Draco was standing in the doorway, watching her keenly.

"I should shower, then," Leolin said stiffly, not wanting to have to explain her unease.

She thought of Adrian again. She needed to pull it together.

"That's much appreciated," Draco said.

Leolin ignored him, pitching from the bed and padding to her bathroom. She closed the door and sunk to the cold tiled floor, taking deep breaths. Suddenly she regretted fighting with Draco. It wasn't that she needed his protection, but it was nice to know they were on the same side. Right now they weren't, and she knew that was her fault in part.

Finally she got in the shower, washing the unease and weariness off and pushing shampoo infused with eucalyptus into her hair. The scent and the steam calmed her, and she stepped out feeling more confident. She looked in the mirror. In school she used to love sparring with Adrian; she'd rarely lost, and it had almost felt like something she could control when everything else was in free-fall. She had to remember that tonight. He might have gained a little power, but deep down he was still the same little twat she'd put down time and again at Hogwarts.

"You ready?" Ginny called, wrapping on the door. "I already packed you a bag."

"Be right out," Leolin replied, quickly drying her hair and putting on a soft t-shirt and leggings.

She came downstairs to find the boys were already assembled.

"Finally," Blaise said. "Feeling better, Lai?"

"Loads," Leolin said, willing it to be true.

"We need to go," Draco said, checking his watch. "Gen's expecting us any minute."

"How are we getting there?"

"Side-along."

Leolin groaned.

"Alright," Blaise said, slinging an arm around Ginny. "Meet you there, then."

They disappeared.

"You know where you're going, Birdie?" Draco asked.

Ieuan nodded, and he and Luke disappeared as well.

"Why?" Leolin demanded.

"Come on," Draco coaxed. "I don't have time to mess about today."

"Just tell me where to—"

"Merlin, Lefevre," he growled, grabbing her hips and pulling her towards him. "You are such a child about this."

He dragged her into his arms, but she was visibly stiff.

"Hey," he said, taking her by the shoulders and looking at her intently. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," she said.

"You don't seem it."

"Quit picking at me," she snapped.

He gave a soft groan of irritation before giving her a much gentler look.

"I'm not. The opposite, in fact. I'm—worried about you. You seem out of sorts."

She didn't reply.

"Talk to me."

"It's nothing."

He gave her a meaningful look.

"You can't lie to me, Leolin. We both know that."

She looked up at him again, and his eyes skidded across her face as he sought to read her worry.

"Is this about us?" he said softly.

"What us?" she asked bitterly. "You've made it clear there isn't one."

He clenched his jaw.

"I'm sorry about London," he admitted, his tone more candid. "I was wrong to lash out."

"This isn't about London," she affirmed.

"Then what is it?" he said almost imploringly.

It never ceased to surprise Leolin the way he was so easily able to vacillate from cold to concerned. She wanted desperately to kiss him, but she knew how he'd react, and she needed to get away from him before she lost control.

"We need to go."

"Leolin—"

"Drake, please," she pleaded. "I can't talk about this right now."

"Fine," he said tersely, seemingly a little wounded. "Let's just go then."

He extended a hand without looking at her, and she accepted it, fighting to urge to melt into his arms.

The next minute they were spinning away, and Leolin regretted not eating anything today. Finally they arrived, and Draco's hands fell away from her.

They were at the end of a yawning drive that stretched what felt like 100 yards, a canopy of bending oaks guarding it from the sky above. Leolin looked back at Saint Charles street, and another wave of unease swept through her. It was the same feeling she'd had when she'd first arrived in New Orleans for Gen's dress fitting. It was as if something invisible was creeping through the streets, waiting to strike. Abruptly she turned her back, facing the house again.

"C'mon," Draco said to the others, waving his wand and unlocking some sort of ward.

With that he re-apparated to the front of the drive, and the others followed. The house itself was a French chateau style structure, and Leolin rolled her eyes. As a Frenchwoman, there were very few things more annoying than things feigning French authenticity when they had none.

There was a large rounded staircase at the end of the drive with two sets of stairs, and Gen hurried out the front door and down one set to greet Draco.

"Finally," she demanded, a slight edge in her voice. "You're three minutes late."

"I'm sorry," Draco said, accepting her embrace and kissing her softly. "Are the others here yet?"

"We're having drinks out in the back. Here, let Francois take y'all's bags."

Francois was a strapping man with smooth skin the colour of dark coffee. He didn't say a word as he collected their things.

They followed her through the house, which lavish to be point of being obnoxious, to the back patio. There Harry, Grace, and Tieran, and Pansy were already gathered.

"Come, sit, you six," Gen said, taking a quick opportunity to glare at Leolin.

Leolin ignored her.

"Something to drink?" another dark-skinned man said, his voice heavy with a French Haitian accent.

"Gin," Leolin said, not looking at Gen. "Avec le jus du chaux."

"Nan kou," the man replied. "Madamoiselle?"

"We'll both have a vodka tonic," Ginny said, gesturing to her and Blaise.

"Whiskey," Draco said, his eyes flitting to Leolin as well.

"glas?" the man asked.

"Non," Draco said. "Neat."

Finally the man looked at Ieuan and Luke.

"Monsieurs?"

"Vodka as well," Luke said.

The man nodded a disappeared.

"So," Tieran said when they were alone. "Here's this," he said, holding up what looked little a shimmering button.

"Is that the tracker?" Harry asked.

Tieran nodded.

"Bit ostentatious, don't you think?" Blaise said. "How is she supposed to slip that on him?"

"Here," Grace said. "Give it to me. I can fix that."

Tiernan handed it to Grace, who swished her wand. Immediately the pendant dimmed.

"How do we know it still works?" Pansy asked.

Grace handed it back to Tieran, who examined it.

"It does," he said. "We're good."

"Remember," Tieran said. "You have to get it on bare skin, or it won't function correctly."

"How is she suppposed to accomplish that?" Ginny demanded. "Strip him naked?"

"Stop!" Leolin said, trying not to sound too fretful. "Please. The last think I fucking need right now is to be imagining Adrian without clothes on. This is stressful enough on its own."

"Lai, are you sure you want to do this? You seem really wound up," Blaise said.

Draco was watching very keenly now.

"I'm fine," Leolin said, forcing some of the tension out of her body."I'm sorry, Gin, I didn't mean to snap at you."

Ginny gave her a sympathetic frown.

"I'm sorry, too," she repeated. "That was an insensitive thing to say."

Leolin bowed her head. She was starting to feel terribly uneasy about the whole thing again. She had to get over that. If she didn't, Adrian would tear her to ribbons.

"Leolin," Gen said, turning to her and giving a blithe smile. "I know you're the last person who needs fashion advice, especially from me, but I saw a dress when I was out today that was so you I had to buy it. I thought you might wear it tonight. It's up in your bedroom."

Leolin blinked back her surprise. She was sure it was shamefully slutty, but she supposed that's what tonight most called for. At least it saved her the trouble of having to pick out something of her own. It helped in situations like this to pretend she was someone else entirely.

"Thank you," Leolin said in a neutral tone. "I will."

She took a long sip of drink and let the conversation ebb and flow around her, not really listening to any of it. She took another sip. She really ought to eat something; the gin was starting to cloud her mind. However, she decided to have another instead anyways. At one point she watched Gen head upstairs to get ready and thought she ought to do the same. She didn't, though.

The sun was beginning to die around them, though the temperature didn't drop nearly as much as she would have expected. The air was still stolid and hot, which only contributed to the feeling that there was something lurking in the city she couldn't feel but knew was there.

But now she'd finished her second drink and she was definitely buzzed.

"Yous should go get ready," Tieran prompted to Leolin and Ginny. "We're meeting Brankovitch in an hour, and we have to give Pucey time to catch up to us if we want a shot at laying the tracker."

"Right," Ginny said, rising. "C'mon, Lai."

Leolin nodded numbly, taking Ginny's proffered hand and following her upstairs. This time, Leolin noticed, her room was as far from Draco's as possible. Clearly her little charade this morning had caused the pendulum to shift. Gen was on the defensive for the first time, and though Leolin had vowed to focus her attention on the gag and not winning Draco away, it still felt good.

"Meet you down there," Ginny said, disappearing into her own room.

"Yep," Leolin said, closing her door.

However, once she was alone, Leolin simply flopped on the bed. Her hands were shaking a little, but that might have been from the booze. That didn't stop her, however, from sending for another.

After lying on the bed for so long, she finally stood, shedding her casual clothes and wandering nude to her closet. Ginny had managed to bring nearly all the clothes Leolin had brought to South Carolina. They had already been unpacked, and Leolin drew a bra and knickers from the lingerie chest and slowly put them on. Gen's new dress hung in the closet, and Leolin gently reached out a hand to finger the soft skirt. It was a curve-hugging off the shoulder gown in burgundy silk, and Leolin had to admit it seems to strike the balance between sultry and demure. It was just the sort of thing that would lure a snake like Adrian in. Leolin could tell just by looking at it that it would fit like a glove.

She traipsed to her vanity and sank down. She took another sip of her drink before putting her head down for a second. _Get it together, Lefevre. You can bloody do this. _

* * *

"What's taking Leolin so long?" Tieran demanded. "We need to get going soon!"

Everyone was already gathered downstairs, having a final cocktail before they were due to leave.

"She's been weird all day," Blaise said, nudging his fiancée off his lap. "Gin, go check on her."

"No," Draco said authoritatively. "I'll go."

Gen grabbed his arm.

"Drake!" she said, feigning a laugh. "Don't be silly. Let Ginevra go."

He tugged his arm away.

"I'll be right back."

"No, Gen's right: let me go," Ginny said. "You're only going to make whatever this is worse."

Draco ignored her, starting up the stairs.

"Be down in two," he called.

Leolin heard a knock at the door, and she looked up. She'd managed to get a pair of garnet chandeliers in her ears and do her makeup, but she was still in her silk dressing down.

"Who is it?" she called.

"Draco."

"I'm not dressed yet," she said, but two seconds later she heard the door open anyways.

Their eyes met in the mirror before she quickly looked down. She didn't want to have to explain herself. He was wearing a simple pair of fitted khaki trousers with a crisp navy oxford. He wore a pair of expensive high-top sneakers on his feet. It wasn't something he normally would've worn.

"Your yank is rubbing off on you," Leolin commented, taking another sip of her drink. "I don't think I've ever seen you dressed this casually."

"Hopefully Adrian will think so, too," he said, approaching. "I want him to feel like he has the upper-hand."

She nodded, taking another sip of her drink to avoid speaking.

"You should eat something, Lefevre."

"I'm fine," she said. "And I didn't know you cared."

"You aren't," he countered. "And you know that's not true."

She said nothing, though she was flushing.

"I'm sorry about last night and this morning," he said, continuing the conversation from before. "I was being a terrible prick, and you're right; I should be more grateful."

"I'm still mad," she said as he set down a bar of chocolate next to her.

He smiled.

"I would expect nothing less," he said as she took a piece. It admittedly helped.

"Why aren't you dressed yet?" he asked casually touching one of her earrings and making it jingle quietly. "Everyone is waiting."

"I'm getting there," she said, making to take another sip of her drink.

However, Draco clamped a hand over the glass so she couldn't pick it up.

"I think you're good on that for now."

"You're not my keeper," she said, but he just shrugged.

"Until you get dressed I am. C'mon, get up."

"I don't need help," she said.

"Prove it, then," he said, stepping back with the drink still in his hand so she could rise from her vanity stool.

She did so, and she felt his eyes skating down her back as she crossed to the closet. The ice in her glass clanked as he took a sip. All the animosity from earlier had simply melted away, and she felt calm in his presence.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked as she slid the dress up her thighs and stepped into shoes. "It's okay if you aren't."

"No," she said fiercely. "I am. It has to be me, and it will be."

She struggled to reach the zipper and he stood, putting one hand of her hip to steady her as he zipped with the other.

"I know you're just going to yell at me," he breathed, nose practically to her neck. "But you don't have to do this. We can find another way."

She exhaled a shaky breath. This was no time to lose courage.

"No," she whispered. "I can do this."

"I don't doubt that," he said, gently prompting her to rotate her hips so she was facing him. "I just—I haven't forgotten what you said to me about Adrian." He pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. "That you're afraid of him."

Leolin would marvel at this complete change of tune on Draco's part from this morning, but this was always how it had been. One minute they were fighting and the next they were saying 'I love you'.

"I'm afraid of a great many things," Leolin said in a soft voice. "That doesn't mean I should avoid them."

"I can do this for you, if you want me to. Despite what you think, it doesn't _have _to be you."

"No," Leolin said, looking up at him. They were toe-to-toe now. "I don't need you to fight my battles anymore."

His eyes glittered warmly.

"You never needed that, Cal."

"You and I both know that's not true," she whispered back. "but thank you."

He nodded, and acknowledging that there was no plausible excuse for him to stand so close, he reluctantly stepped back, taking another sip of her drink.

"There is something I need from you tonight," she said, grabbing her clutch.

He looked back to her.

"Anything," he murmured, allowing her to come back over to him and reclaim her glass. She took a sip, and he watched her do so.

"When Adrian does show up, I need you to be all over Gen. He's only going to come after me if he thinks you're suitably distracted."

His smile faded a little, though he disguised it with a laugh.

"Gladly," he said, taking the glass and finishing the drink. "You should see how beautiful she looks tonight."

That stung, and she looked away. However, her touched her chin to urge her gaze back, and she acquiesced to his touch.

"Now you have to do something for me."

"No I don't," she pointed out, gently shrugging off his touch. "But go on."

"Promise me you'll be careful."

She turned sinking back onto the vanity stool and coaxing her hair into a voluminous chignon.

"I always am," she said.

She looked down at her hands, and when she looked up he was advancing. Putting a hand to either side of her so he could speak quietly in her ear.

"No you're not," Draco said, cool breath falling onto the newly exposed skin of her shoulder. "That's why I want your promise."

She said nothing, and he responded by leaning farther in.

"Promise me, Leolin."

She turned a little, looking at him over her shoulder. Now seemed like the perfect time to kiss him, though she knew it would end badly. Still, the temptation lingered.

"Fine," she breathed. ''I promise."

"Good girl," he said, retracting from his position and turning towards the door.

"One more thing," he said, turning back.

"What?"

"Be careful with that perfume. It's—intoxicating."

They both knew he'd crossed a line just then, but neither said a word; acknowledging it meant they had to stop. He opened the door and started down the hall and she let him, decided she'd sown enough unnecessary discord today. Right now it was all hands on deck.

When she was sure he'd made it safely downstairs she followed, plastering a smile on her face so the others wouldn't worry. She didn't want then to doubt her ability. She noted that Gen had wound herself around Draco, who hardly seemed to notice. Draco was right; she looked painfully beautiful. She was dressed more provocatively than Leolin had ever seen her, though the black dress was still knee-length and thin-strapped. However, it had two triangles of fabric cut out at the waistline, exposing her creamy skin.

Draco wasn't looking at Leolin as she descended.

"Ready?" Blaise asked skeptically.

"Born ready," Leolin said, a familiar glitter in her eye. "I know how handle Adrian better than anyone."

"This feels just like old times," Ieaun said, smiling and nudging Leolin supportively. "You always were a champion at shutting him down."

"Let's hope she still is," Tieran said seriously.

"Have fun," Grace said, sounding a bit put out. "I'll just be here all alone."

"We won't be out late," Pansy said, rolling her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic, darling."

Tieran checked his watch.

"Right," he said. "Let's go."

"Where is it we're going?" Leolin asked, smoothing her skirt.

"La Voûte," Gen replied. "It's a club on the edge of the quarter Max's friend Theriot owns."

"Dare I ask what 'voûte' means?" Pansy asked.

'Vault," Draco replied. "It's very elite. Adrian will probably be expecting to find us there."

"The Vault?" Ieuan repeated. "Why does that make me feel like I'm walking into a trap?"

"Because there's at least a fifty percent chance that you are," Blaise replied dryly. "Let's go."

They all filed into the floo and muttered 'Rue Dauphine.'

They emerged on the bustling Rue Dauphine a minute later, and Draco jerked his head in the direction of the bar they were headed to.

"You alright?" Ginny asked, looping arms with Leolin.

Leolin smiled.

"Fine. That painting just—I don't know, threw me for a loop. I just feel like the pressure's on me to figure this out and I'm worried I won't be able to."

"Okay," Ginny said. "Stop stressing. This isn't all on you. We will figure this out together, I promise."

Leolin nodded.

By this time they'd reached the crowded entrance of La Voûte, and Gen strode artfully to the front of the long line. When the burly doorman saw her, he gave a toothy smile, opening his thick arms.

"Genevieve. I heard you were back in town! We'd hoped to see you tonight. Theriot has a bottle waiting for you at the table."

"Thank you, Erik," she said, giving him a lovely smile. "Y'all are always too kind."

"Here for the funeral," he said.

"Yes," she said, giving one of her pretty little frowns. "It's so sad, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," Erik agreed. "But whoever killed him is going to have to answer to Audige."

It was here that Erik acknowledged Draco, extending a cordial hand.

"Mr. Malfoy, nice to see you."

"And you," Draco said mildly. "And please, call me Draco."

"We ought to get inside," Gen said. "I think Max Brankovitch is already waiting for us."

"Of course," Erik said hastily, and the sleek lacquered door swung in. "Enjoy."

They all filed in, Leolin's eyes quickly scanned the rafters, looking for any of Adrian's gang.

The place did have a prison-esque ambiance, though it was tempered by elegant fishtanks full of erotic creatures and a starry sky overhead.

"C'mon," Gen said, taking Draco hand and gesturing an upper level with a swish of her blonde head. "Lets get to our table."

They trailed up the stairs to a semi-circle of low couches, a bottle of expensive champagne bathing in a bucket of ice that had been enchanted to sparkle like a pile of gems. Max was already seated and fiddling with his floo, and he looked up and grinned when he saw them.

"Genny," he said, rising and kissing her cheek. "How are you, sweetheart?"

"Fine," she said, smiling up at him.

His gaze flitted distainfully over Draco and more neutrally over the others before eventually landing on Leolin.

"Leolin," he said, the grin splitting his face wider. "You look—"

"I'm not in the mood," she said curtly, unwilling to tolerate his tawdry attempts at flirting when she had so many other things on her plate.

"Duly noted," he said, turning away from her. "Can I interest anyone in a drink?"

Leolin ignored his offer, turning to peer over the railing at the dance floor below. She didn't see a sign of Adrian or his crew, but she knew he'd be there. By this time word was spreading that Genevieve Beauchene and her billionare fiancée were there; that information would spread around the Quarter like wildfire. She gave Adrian on hour, tops.

She turned back to the larger group. They'd already popped the bubbles, and Gen wordlessly extended Leolin a glass.

"Thank you," Leolin said absently, though she didn't take a sip.

She watched instead as Draco drew a gleaming cigarette case and his floo from his pocket, pulling a slender fag from inside and slipping it between his full lips.

"Is that really necessary, Drake?" Gen said softly. "It's a disgusting habit."

Draco ignored this comment as he lit his cigarette before turning to look at Leolin. He extended the case and she accepted, pulling one out and lighting it with her floo. She wandered back a ways as she did, taking a deep drag before blowing two green plumes through her nose like a dragon. Gen watched her in blatant disapproval, though she said nothing.

Leolin looked over the balcony again, once again searching for Adrian's gang. However, they still hadn't showed. However, she watched as a series of flashes erupted it the bottom corner, indicating someone of passable importance has just walked in. As the figure emerged more fully into the crowd, Leolin could see it was Kelly.

Draco, came to stand at the balcony as well, six or so feet from Leolin, and groaned in irritation.

"What is bloody Troy doing here?"

"I invited him," Max supplied. "Word he's here as well is going to expedite this process."

Draco clenched his jaw.

"I seriously doubt that."

Leolin didn't inject, just took a healthy sip of her champagne as she watched Kelly ascend the stairs. He smiled when he saw her, ignoring Draco's glare.

"Hi," she said, letting him kiss her cheek. "This is a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?"

"Brank asked, and I couldn't say no. I want to help, if I can."

"You can't," Draco said curtly. "So you might as well go."

Kelly rolled his eyes as he greeted the others.

"Champagne, KT?" Ginny asked, already handing him a flute.

"Thanks," he said gratefully, taking a sip. "Any sign of Pucey yet?"

"Not yet," Blaise said. "But he will be here."

"I don't doubt it," Kelly said, his tone sour. He turned to Leolin. "For the record," he told her. "I don't like this. Adrian is more dangerous than you give him credit for."

"No one knows that better than me," Leolin said. "But I'm the best person to lure him out. He has to know this is a risky move, but I know him; he won't be able to resist if he thinks he'll get a chance to torture me."

Pansy frowned.

"I don't like any of this."

"I know it's not ideal," Leolin affirmed. "But this is our best chance for tomorrow. We need to make it count."

"Just be careful," Ieuan warned. "He could turn the tables on you."

"I'll keep an eye on her," Kelly said with authority. "That creep won't dare lay a hand on her."

Leolin felt a warm bubbling in her stomach at his words, and she turned away to avoid flushing.

"There's Quinn," she said, gesturing to the lower bar.

"Does he have anyone with him?" Blaise queried.

Draco was looking now, too.

"Doesn't look like it. Adrian must have sent him to scout."

"We need him to see us," Ginny said.

"And we need to make contact," Leolin said.

"Malfoy, do something ostentatious," Tieran said. "Get him to look up here."

Gen, wanting to ensure she was part of the scene, came to stand next to him before trailing away to draw the gazes of those around her. Eyes moved to her at once, giving her the attention she was so famous for. Draco glanced at Leolin for a moment before following, leaning over to whisper into Gen's ear. Gen gave a musical laugh, turning so Draco could kiss her heatedly.

"Oh brother," Ginny grumbled.

Leolin watched with an envy that was only half fake, and she knew they were attracting attention from below. She gave them a pained look before scurrying away, as if she couldn't bear to see more. She knew when she got to the lower bar, Jaime would come over at once.

She hurried down the stairs, the crowding bending to let her pass as she swayed to the sleek bar.

"Gin martini," she told the bartender, and he nodded.

"Certainly."

"Lefevre," a voice cut in.

Leolin turned and pretended to be surprised, though her gaze was cool.

"Jaime," she purred, nonplussed. "My gods, you're everywhere."

"So are you," he said. "And if I may say, you're looking delicious as ever this evening."

"I'd prefer if you didn't," she said in a bored voice.

In characteristic Jaime fashion, he seemed undaunted by this barb.

"What brings you to the French Quarter, angelfish?"

"We go wherever her _ladyship_ commands."

"You mean Genevieve," Jaime pressed. "It does seem like New Orleans is rather taken with her."

"No more than Draco," Leolin said in candid bitterness, and Jaime gave a smooth laugh. "What about you? I thought you had a gig in Charleston."

"Oh," he said, smirking. "You know me. Have wand, will travel."

She wanted to press the issue, but she knew he was too clever for that. He'd spook at the first whiff of trouble, which would be disastrous.

"Are you going to the funeral tomorrow?" he said eagerly. She feared Adrian had to same idea about ensnaring them that they had about him.

She gave him a confused look.

"What?"

His eyes glittered.

"You didn't hear? One of the bokors turned up dead a few days ago."

"No," she said, feigning surprise and alarm. "That's awful."

"They're having a big funeral tomorrow. Music, masks, dancing. It's quite the production. You sure you want to miss it?"

"I would feel uncomfortable going to the funeral of a perfect stranger," she said firmly.

Seemingly convinced they weren't likely be a threat, Jaime smiled.

"Your choice, of course."

"I should get back," Leolin said, as if she'd exhausted her tolerance for him.

"I hope I'll see you later," Jaime pressed. "Or tomorrow, perhaps."

Leolin rolled her eyes. "Don't hold your breath, Quinn."

With that she took an ambitious swallow of her drink before striding off and back to their plush couch.

"What'd you find out?" Tieran asked.

"It was a fishing expedition. He was trying to see what we know. I think he bought we didn't. He asked if we were going to the funeral and I told him no."

"Did he believe you?" Harry asked. Leolin shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I hope so."

"Thank Merlin you're such a good liar," Gen said sweetly, looking up at Draco. "You've really saved us."

"I do what I can," Leolin said. "We all have to."

"I'm just grateful that someone's willing to put themselves on display to get information," Gen replied. "I could never pull that off."

"Genevieve, that's enough," Draco drawled lazily.

"She started it with the little prank this morning," Gen defended, but Draco just gave her a bored look.

"And now you've finished it. Happy?"

"You aren't going to defend me?" Gen demanded softly.

"What's to defend?" Draco snapped back. "You got the last word in."

"You're _my_ fiancée. Don't you want to do something?

"What do you want me to do?" Draco said irritable. "Challenge her to a bloody duel?"

"I—" she began, but Pansy interrupted her.

"Incoming."

They watched as Adrian, dressed in a sharp black suit, cut through the crowd to Jaime. They conversed for a second before Adrian's tawny eyes scanned the upper crowd, his eyes resting on Leolin when he found her. He drank her in, gaze wolfish. She turned her back.

"Who does he have with him?" Harry asked, not rising from his seat. They didn't want to seem to eager.

"Tate Rawle and Graham Montague," Tieran replied. "How long before he comes up here?"

"He won't," Blaise affirmed. "He'll wait until he can get Leolin alone."

"Then let's not hurry this along," Kelly said.

Gen curled against Draco's chest, and he wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders, though his gaze was still on Leolin.

"'Let's sit down," Ginny urged. "This needs to feel as organic as possible."

Draco ushered Gen to do as Ginny had instructed, and Leolin sat across from them at Kelly's left. He seemed pleased to have her next to him, and she was, too. He'd always been a comforting force.

Her heart was admittedly _hammering_ in her chest, but that wasn't for fear of Adrian. Or rather, for fear of what he might do to her. It occurred to her that he could just as easily poison the well against her to Draco. That would be a disaster as well.

"What do you reckon they're talking about down there?" Pansy asked, eyes glittering.

"They are _literally_ hatching an evil plot. This is exactly what we Gryffs suspected," Ginny said. "We knew you lot just sat around and made dastardly plans."

"Just think," Blaise said, smiling. "Some day our children will sit around and hatch evil plots with their friends, too."

"No, they won't," Ginny said. "Since they're going to be Gryffindors."

"Over my dead body," Blaise sneered. "Ugh, can you imagine anything more dreadful?"

"We've already agreed ours will be Slytherins," Pansy said, kissing Tieran softly.

"Grace and I hope the girls end up in Ravenclaw," Harry said.

"Why?" Kelly laughed. "They are the most ruthless bunch!"

"I know," Harry said. "That was just our compromise. Obviously I'm rooting for the scarlet and gold."

"Cara and I haven't even talked about children," Kelly said. "But she was a Hufflepuff, so—"

"Gryffindor, then," Blaise said dryly and Kelly laughed.

"Does it make me a bad person that I don't want my children to be Hufflepuffs?" he asked.

Leolin smiled.

"I think it makes you pretty normal, actually."

This whole conversation was admittedly making her stomach hurt a little. She wanted to look at Draco so they could reassure each other that their children would be Slytherin royalty. However, she couldn't; that wasn't a reality for Draco yet. Hell, the way things were headed, it could be that they never got to have children together.

She realized the conversation had continued, and she tuned in to hear Ginny add,

"Of course Draco's kids are going to be in Slytherin, bullying all the other houses."

"Oh Merlin," Blaise said. "Does that mean our kids are going to have to stick up for all their awkward ginger cousins? What a burden."

"Well we might not send our children to Hogwarts," Gen chimed. "So your little nieces and nephews may be safe after all."

"Wait, what?" Ginny laughed, looking at Draco. "You never told me you were thinking about that!"

Draco gave Gen a cool glance, drawing another cigarette and slipping it between his lips.

"That's because we aren't."

"What do you mean?" Gen said in an even voice, touching his thigh. "We've never discussed it."

She was, in her southern way, trying to hide her obvious annoyance. On some level, Leolin felt for her. Draco had an infuriating way of standing on useless and unrelenting principle.

"Because there's nothing to discuss," Draco said with finality. "My children are going to Hogwarts."

"That's very not fair," Gen pointed out. "You're not the only one who has a vested interest in where they grow up."

"I don't give a damn about fair," Draco said flippantly, blowing a plume of smoke. "That's how it's going to be."

"Nice, Malfoy," Max said, coming to Gen's defense.

"Gen knows who she's marrying," Draco said. "And there will be no negotiation on this subject."

Gen stood, going to the balcony. Leolin traded a look with Draco, and he seemed to understand that this was the moment he needed to make her seem agitated and jealous.

"I'm sorry, G," he said softly, caging Gen against the railing and kissing her neck. "Let's cross that bridge when we come to it."

She shrugged off his touch softly.

"You're being unfair," she told him, heading for the stairs.

"Go after her," Pansy urged. "You two fighting on the dance floor is going to attract Adrian's attention."

Draco put out the cigarette and followed, though he wasn't in any particular hurry. Gen was at the bottom of the stairs by the time he reached the top, and she wound through the crowd, drawing sufficient attention as she went. She made for the bar, and Draco followed her path, meeting her there. She was already nursing a drink as he approached, touching her hip and leaning in to kiss her cheek. She rebuffed his advance.

By this time they'd one the attention of those around them, and the group watching as she turned to him and began arguing. He quickly engaged, looking stern as he took her by the arm. That was a move Leolin knew too well. Gen jerked away. She turned but he jogged to get in front of her, walking backwards as he talked. Leolin's heart constricted painfully as he reached out to touch her soft hair. Gen turned back to the bar, and he gently caged her. She rotated, and he kissed her heatedly.

She responded heartily for the crowd's benefit, and Leolin felt a hot flush on her cheeks, and she gripped the railing so tightly her knuckles were white. When she tore her eyes away, she noticed Adrain on the opposite balcony, drinking in her reaction.

She turned away at once, watching as Gen pressed herself to Draco's side, putting her left hand to his chest to showcase her ring as they posed for a picture. Seeing her opportunity arise, Leolin grabbed Draco's gleaming cigarette case before heading for the rooftop deck.

"Be careful," Kelly implored her. "Please."

She nodded, setting off. She could sense Adrian moving in tandem. She wouldn't be on the roof for more than a minute or two before he was on her.

She lit a cigarette and waited, the balmy air blessedly mitigated by a breeze.

She heard the smart snap of dress shoes on concrete, but she didn't turn, simple exhaled a blessed lungful of smoke instead. She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't terribly afraid.

"Lefevre," Adrian purred, approaching. "What a pleasant surprise."

She exhaled again.

"I wish I could say the same," she said, avoiding looking at him. "Actually, that was a diplomatic lie. I really don't."

His eyes glittered dangerously.

"Trouble in paradise?"

"Go away, Adrian," Leolin snapped, letting the tracer drop into her palm. The minute she pressed it to him it should sink in and disappear.

"You know I can't do that," he snapped. She could hes was pridefully wounded by her disinterest in him. "I'm supposed to report back to Lucius on your progress with Draco. I would hate to have to tell him you haven't made any."

Leolin thought about London or the sexual tension this afternoon.

"I'm working on it," she said, trying to sound fretful.

In truth, it wasn't too difficult. Adrian had a predatory gleam in his eye that she'd seen before. That was the look Lucius had given her all those years ago in the Gringott's vault.

"Well maybe you need an incentive to try harder," he said, approaching.

She quickly sized him up, trying to find a patch of bare skin big enough to adhere the tracker. It wasn't going to be easy to pull off organically. The only target available to her, besides his face, was the six or so inches of smooth skin between his shirt collar and the first button. He reached out quick as a snake, grabbing her by left hip and pulling her flush against him.

"Get off me," she demanded, turning in his arms and pressing the tracker in her palm to his bare flesh. His skin was unusually warm, and she jerked her hand away. "I'm warning you, Pucey."

"Should I use the Imperius again?" he asked, a malicious sparkle in his light eyes. He pushed some hair aside to brush his index finger down her neck. "Last time you were ready to suck my cock, remember?"

"You're foul," she snapped at him, batting his hand away breathlessly.

Goddamnit, why hadn't she brought her wand? She would just have to go old-fashioned.

"C'mon, Lefevre," he goaded, knotting a hand into the hair at her nape so she was forced to look up at him. "Don't be a spoil sport!"

She lifted her heel and jammed it down with all her force into his toe-box.

"Damnit," he hissed, letting go. "You stupid bitch, stop bloody _doing_ that!"

"Lefevre!" Draco had just rounded the corner onto the veranda. He took in Adrian hunched over and Leolin's fearful face and nodded.

She nodded too, signaling she dropped the tracker.

"Same old song and dance, eh Malfoy?" Adrian wheezed.

"You're the same little creep, if that's what you mean," Draco said, striding around Leolin to grab Adrian by the collar.

"How dare you lay even one finger on her," Draco sneered.

"What do you care?" Adrian said with a snarl. "You have that hot American piece waiting for you inside."

"Say one more thing about Genevieve and you'll be spitting teeth for a week," Draco warned.

"You're a blunt instrument, you know that?" Adrian said nastily, aware that he was quickly losing the upper hand. "All brawn and dumb threats. You're going to need more than brute force if you want to protect your harem, Malfoy."

Draco punched Adrian in the jaw, and the latter stumbled backwards, swearing.

"What do you think of my brute force now?" Draco countered.

"I still think," Adrian said, looking at Leolin as he wiped blood from his busted lip. "That I have all the right cards in hand. It's not just about what you can see, Malfoy. It's about what you can't."

"How poetic," Draco sneered. "Now get out of here before I let Lefevre finish what she started."

Adrian sneered.

"I have what I came for," he said, labouriously rising to his feet.

He skirted deftly around Draco before clamping a hand to Leolin's throat and pushing her suggestively against the wall.

"Keep up the good work, Lefevre. I'll be watching."

Leolin made to punch him in the gut, but in a snap he was gone. Draco approached, tucking a hair that had come loose behind her ear. Adrian's tugging had practically pulled the whole chignon undone.

"You alright?" he his fingers trailing down to touch her chin. She tilted it up to look into his glittering eyes.

Leolin nodded, her heart hammering in her chest. She knew it was more than Adrian that was spiking her pulse.

"Come here," he said soothingly, pulling her to his chest and resting his head gently atop hers

"Someday I'm gonna kill that prick," she whispered against his chest, craning her neck back to look at him again.

He brushed her hair back again before cupping one of her cheeks, eyes tracing her lips. She licked them, desperate to kiss him.

"I don't doubt it," he breathed.

"Look," he whispered, his thumb arcing gracefully across her creamy cheek. "I know you don't need my help, but I could end him for touching you like that."

"I know," Leolin said, grateful. "Thank you."

They stood silently staring at each other for a minute, but she knew she had to leave before she slipped up and kissed him.

"I'm going to head back inside," she said, stepping back and looking down. "Here's this."

She extended the case and he took it.

"See you in a minute."

He nodded, looking doleful.

When she'd almost reached the stairs, he called out to her.

"Leolin, wait."

She turned, hoping against hope he was going to kiss her.

"What did Adrian mean?" Draco asked pointedly. "About keeping up the good work?"

Leolin's heart raced. If only she could tell Draco the truth.

"I don't know."


	15. Chapter 14: Out of the Frying Pan

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT, PLEASE READ:**

As you know if you read I Know You Know the first time, the character of Audige is new, and thus this chapter marks the true divergence from the original story. I have been changing things here as there up to this point, but here is where it gets interesting. As a result of this shift, I have added over 5,000 words to this chapter! Considering this, I would really _really _**really **like you to comment! I do _sincerely_ appreciate reviews that beg me to update, but the one that give actual feedback are **AMAZING AND MOTIVATIONAL**_. _I know I have been criticised for slow updates, but I work hard to bring you these chapters, and getting reviews makes my heart happy and helps me to keep motivated writing new material, so **PLEASE **review this chapter! **I LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS. **I need the feedback. For those who review often, you are my favourite people on earth including my parents and my boyfriend. You know who you are and you are angels! Thank you and ENJOY!

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Out of the Frying Pan**

_Leolin stood in the shadows outside the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, waiting. The sun had long since gone done, and there was only a crescent sliver of moon above. Effie and Sweeney were due any minute, but she wasn't worried; she knew they'd be here in time. She'd been away from Florence for many weeks procuring deals, and it was nice to be home at last. She smiled. How odd that Florence was her home now. _

_Then again, why shouldn't it have been? She'd lived there almost two and a half years now, and for the first time in a long time, she realized she was happy. Business had been booming, she was once again surrounded by people she loved and trusted, and she finally felt like her old self again. Well, as close to her old self as she would ever be without Draco._

_She touched her bare neck, which she still did out of old habit. Despite the time that had passed, Draco's absence still left an acute ache in her chest. She had assumed he would fade in time, just like everything else, but the truth was time had only made her more sure of her love for him. She'd gone on casual dates on several different occasions, generally at Severina's behest, but they'd only served as reminders for her devotion to Draco. She'd (very bitterly) acknowledged that she would never see him again, but in the end she'd also had to acknowledge that she would also never stop loving him either, and this ultimately brought her to the realization that she would probably never marry nor have children._

"_Nay!"_

_Leolin turned around, watching Effie and Sweeney slip quietly into the moonlit cortile. She smiled, opening her arms to them and letting them envelop her._

"_Welcome home!" Effie beamed, stroking Leolin's hair._

"_Good to be back," Leolin affirmed, smiling more broadly. _

"_How are we doing schedule-wise?" Sweeney asked as they stepped back._

_Leolin glanced down at her watch and beamed._

"_Right on schedule. Besides, this place is going to be a breeze. You know the Italians; they don't really believe in security measures," Leolin pointed out._

_Sweeney laughed and shrugged._

"_I suppose you're right."_

"_This place doesn't even have silent alarms," Leolin said, accepting her earpiece from Sweeney._

"_Are you sure?" Effie said, putting hers in as well._

"_Positive," Leolin replied. "I talked to three different people."_

_Sweeney smirked. _

"_I bet you did," he said, waggling his eyebrows seductively._

"_Shove off, Swish," Leolin said, laughing._

"_What about cameras?" Effie asked._

"_We have to go old-school and disable them one by one," Leolin said. "There's no central feed."_

_Sweeney groaned._

"_That's bloody primordial," he grumbled._

"_It is what it is," Leolin amended. "Now, here's the plan. We're here," she said, laying down a map and making an x. The building was a giant U, and they were currently positioned in the top left corner. "We need to get to this gallery here." She made an X in the bottom right corner. _

"_Can we just apparate in?" Sweeney asked._

_Leolin frowned._

"_It's risky," she said. "If we don't end up in exactly the right spot, they will have us just appearing in the room. That's sure to tip off the aurors."_

"_Right," Effie said, so are you saying we have to creep in through each room individually?"_

"_I think that'd be best, yeah."_

"_That's a lot of cameras," Swish said. "We'll be here all night."_

"_We should have planned this more thoroughly," Effie said. "Why don't we come back tomorrow night?"_

"_No," Leolin said. "I promised delivery by tomorrow. We can just use the swivel of the cameras to our advantage. We will only worry about disabling the one in the Caravaggio gallery. "_

"_Sounds good," Sweeney said. "Here we go."_

_They silently downed their usual polyjuice before slipping on masks and dodging inside the building._

"_Right," Leolin whispered. "Let's dance."_

_She edged artfully around the gallery's perimetre, careful not to bump any of the ancient marbles scattered about. She then darted quickly under the camera, avoiding its sweeping gaze._

_Effie and Sweeney followed her path as she snaked in and out of the galleries virtually unseen._

_Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they reached the Caravaggio gallery, all three of them staring at the roundel depicting Medusa._

"_She's a beaut," Effie commented casually, and Leolin laughed._

"_Give us a boost," Leolin said in reply, and Sweeney offered his shoulders._

_Leolin quickly sprang up, reaching the camera easily and switching off the stream._

"_Male you ways a ton!" Sweeney groaned._

"_Alright," Leolin said. "We're good. Take it down, Eff."_

_She nodded, getting her usual grip._

"_How long do we have until the guards show?" Effie asked._

_"Once it's down, we have about seven and a half minutes. Yous know the escape route, right?"_

"_Right," Sweeney said. "Go on, Eff. Let's get this thing and get the hell out of here."_

"_Eh! Cosa stai facendo?"_

_All three whipped around as the light of a Muggle torch fell on them. A well-muscled guard was standing in the doorway, blocking their escape and frowning. He swiveled his metal torch and frowning._

"_Non si muova!" the man bellowed, barking orders into his radio._

"_Fuck!" Sweeney said. "He's calling backup. What do you we do?"_

"_Ottenere in ginocchio!" the man cried._

_"What's he saying?" Effie asked desperately._

"_He's telling us to get on our knees," Leolin said._

_They heard more boot tread from the outer galleries._

"_We're screwed," Sweeney said._

"_No we aren't," Leolin said slowly. "We just have to improvise," she muttered. "Eff, on the count of three, I want you to get that thing off the wall."_

"_What if that bastard shoots me?" she demanded, eying the guard and gun._

"_He won't," Leolin said. "Ready?"_

_Effie nodded._

"_One, two—"_

_Effie leapt up, lunging for the Caravaggio again. She caught the guard by surprise, but after a second he raised his weapon, preparing to fire. However, Leolin had drawn her own._

"_Stupefy!" she cried._

_The man flew backwards before crumpling unconscious._

"_What you doing?" Sweeney screamed. "You just ruined our cover!"_

"_I didn't have a choice," Leolin said, running a distressed hand through her hair. "We weren't getting out of this without magic. Let's just hope they don't' recognize that he's been stupefied."_

_The shouts of the other guards were nearly upon them._

"_Now what?" Effie said, still clutching the Caravaggio in its frame.  
_

"_We don't have a choice," Leolin said frantically. "We have to apparate out. Now!"_

"_Seven hells," Sweeney said. "Into the frying pan we go."_

* * *

"How was it?" Gracie asked as they all returned home.

"Tense," Harry replied, sinking down onto the lounger she was sitting on and laying his head in her lap. She stroked his hair soothingly, and some of the tension fell out of his frame.

"Did you lay the tracker?" she asked, and the others trickled onto the back porch as well.

"Lefevre did, yeah," Tieran said.

"How did it go?" Grace asked Leolin, who looked drawn. She couldn't shake the unease Adrian had inspired.

"It was—fine," she said, trying muster the strength for a smile and not quite succeeding. "Adrian's always been easy to manipulate."

"I think this whole thing stinks ," Ieuan admitted. "I can't help but feel like we'll be walking into a trap tomorrow."

"We may well be," Draco admitted. "But that doesn't mean we should give up. Besides, sounds like Leolin convinced Quinn we weren't even going to the funeral, and Adrian has to know that going after Audige is suicide. He won't expect us to be as stupid as he is and do it, too."

Ieuan and Luke exchanged a look.

"I don't know what worries me more," Ieuan said. "Being killed by Audige or getting jammed up with Adrian. It feels like he's holding all the cards these days."

"That's why we have to take some back," Blaise pointed out. "If we can get to Audige first, we can get Adrian on his heels and gain back some ground."

"Speaking of which, what's the plan for tomorrow?" Ginny asked.

Tieran and Draco exchanged a look.

"We split up," Tieran said. "First we peel Adrian's crew away, then we double back for Audige."

"How do we know where Audige will be?" Leolin asked.

Max gave a grim smile.

"Finding him is easy. Everyone knows where he holds court."

"I thought you said going after him on his own turf was exactly what we shouldn't do!" Ieaun pointed out.

Max shrugged.

"We might not have a choice. He'll be nearly impossible to get to during the funeral itself, and we'll have Pucey to deal with."

"This is mad," Ieaun said. "We need to call this off."

"No," Leolin said, thinking. "This might work. In fact, it might actually be better."

"How do you figure?" Harry said, frowning as well as he sat up.

"We've already agreed how dangerous Audige is, and it's going to be almost impossible to catch him off guard and get the upper hand. If we try that and we fail, he could kill us."

"What other option do we have, then?" Gen said, a subtle snideness in her tone.

"Diplomacy," Leolin explained.

"Diplomacy?" Tieran repeated incredulously. "Honestly, Lefevre, this isn't the time for jokes."

"It's not a joke," she said in a stern voice. "Listen, I've had a lot of experience dealing with blokes like this. We have a much better chance getting what we want by bargaining with him then we do trying to bloody kidnap him in his own backyard."

Draco looked at Leolin intently, eyes shimmering. She couldn't decide if he was imagining her as La Genie's dealer and judging her or silently praising her more prudent plan.

"Leolin's right. Adrian's going to go after Audige while he's still out and about in the streets. If we spend that time running interference, we can go to Audige directly."

"From what I've heard," Max pointed out. "Audige isn't exactly a goodwill ambassador. More likely than not, he's going to kill us."

Tieran grit his teeth before looking at Leolin.

"Do you really think you can get something out of this guy?"

"Yes," she said evenly. "I've met my share of monsters over the years, and I speak French. That can't hurt."

"Then I say we have to do it," Tieran said. "We split up, pick off Adrian's crew, and head for Audige."

Everyone look at Max for specifications.

"It's an old mausoleum in the Wizarding graveyard. You enter through the Muggle cemetery just off the bank. It's called St. Louis, I think. Walk in, take a right, there is a small mausoleum guarded by hooded angels. That's the Wizarding entrance. Just go through and you're on Magical ground. I don't know exactly where Audige's court is, but I think we'll know it when we see it."

"Alright," Blaise said nodding. "But first things first. Who's going after who?"

"We should go in pairs," Tieran said. "There are nine of us, including Troy. We focus on Pucey, Thivierge, Dolohov, and Scabior. If Montague is really running point, he won't be moving. Still, he could be reporting our position, so we ought to take him out first. That will get Pucey's attention and take him out of play."

"There are ten including Troy," Gen amended.

"No," Draco said at once, looking at her. "I want you here."

"What?" she demanded. "Why?"

"Because I don't want you involved," Draco said. "You're staying here with Grace. We'll run communications through you."

"Why can't Grace do that?" Gen demanded.

"Because it's a two person job," Draco said.

"So what," Gen said. "Now I'm the babysitter? That's not fair!"

"Gee," Grace said venomously. "Thanks."

"This isn't up for discussion," Draco said, nonplussed. "You aren't going."

"Why me, though?" she demanded. "All the other women get to go play spy in the field. Why do I have to stay home?"

Leolin and Ginny exchanged an annoyed look. Leolin was still feeling shaken up; she didn't have the time or the energy to listen to Gen's stupid whinging.

"Don't be petulant, Genevieve," Draco said, beginning to grow annoyed himself. Leolin knew he hated airing dirty laundry. "This is for your own good. You're the only one who didn't fight in the war, and I don't want you getting hurt or worse."

"Fine," Gen said, folding her arms across her chest. "Then why doesn't Leolin stay with me?" she said peevishly. "We'll run comm. together."

"Weren't you listening?" Tieran snapped, reminding Leolin once again of the Hogwarts professor who detested students. "She's the lead negotiator."

"Tieran's right, Genevieve," Draco said tersely. "We need her."

"We need her?" Gen sneered at Draco. "Or _you _need her?"

"Wherever you're going with this," Draco sneered. "I suggest you _don't_."

"You're unbelievable!" Gen snapped back. "You aren't even going to deny it?"

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Deny what? That I need Lefevre to keep Audige from murdering all of us? No, I'm not."

"That's not what you need her for," Gen muttered nastily, and Draco had her by the arm at once.

"What was that, darling?" he snarled. "Why don't you repeat that a little louder?"

The group had begun to grow agitated at the scene, none more so than Leolin. It should have made her happy to see them fight, but after everything that had transpired with Adrian, she just wished they would stop.

"I said I _know _what you think you need her for," She sneered, brushing off his hand.

"Genevieve, I swear to Merlin—"

_crack!_ She was gone.

"For fuck's sake!" Draco seethed, and his cold gaze fell on Leolin.

She folded her arms across her chest, a throbbing beginning to build in her temples. She was exhausted; she just wanted to sleep.

"Don't even look at me like that," Leolin said firmly. "I haven't done a thing to her all night."

"Like hell," Draco murmured, running his hand through his hair again.

Ginny scowled.

"Drake, that's not fair and you know it. Stop being so inconsistent. That's what's causing all this."

"So this is my fault?" Draco demanded. "Great."

Ieuan wrinkled his nose.

"Why are you even with her?" Ieuan said. "She's a fucking menace."

"Ieuan!" Luke admonished, but Ieuan ignored the protests.

"No! She's bloody awful," Ieuan sneered. "I'm not going to pretend she's not anymore."

"Shut the hell up, Bird," Max demanded, giving Leolin a hard look as well. "You don't know her."

"Stop it, all of you," Tieran demanded. "We don't time for any of this."

"You should go after her," Blaise said to Draco, though he didn't sound particularly enthusiastic about the prospect. "We can't afford for this to bleed into tomorrow."

"No, don't," Pansy replied. "That's what she wants. Don't reward her for acting like a spoiled brat. Let Brankovitch go if that's what he wants."

"Stay out of this, Pans," Tieran warned.

Pansy only sneered in response.

"I'll go in an hour," Draco said in veiled irritation. "That gives her plenty of time to cry to Benson about what a horrible bastard I am. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear it."

"Jesus, Malfoy," Max snapped. "You really are a shitty fianceé."

"What fight did you just witness?" Ginny demanded. "Gen's being a little _brat_."

"Well maybe you guys could try not ganging up on her all the time!"

He glanced at Leolin.

"Don't even," she growled. "All she ever does is tell me what a slag I am! Then again, that worked out for you in the end, didn't it?"

"I didn't ask you to sleep with me," he shot back.

"Didn't you?" Blaise said in irritation.

"Drake is just looking out for her," Pansy interjected. "He's right, you know; Gen isn't prepared for a fire fight. I'm not sure you are either. Don't remember seeing you at the Battle of Hogwarts."

"Don't you worry about me, sweetheart," he said in a nasty tone. "I'm a big boy; I can take care of myself."

"This is madness," Harry said. "Seriously, all of you _knock it off_. And Malfoy, for Merlin's sake, get your fucking personal life together."

Draco shrugged, massaging his temples.

"What can I say? I have a weakness for impossible women."

Draco looked at Leolin again, who in turn looked away. It had been a confusing night on the Draco front, and she was didn't want to turn into his punching bag now that things had gone sour with Gen and he was feeling guilty.

"And on that insulting note," she said, her cheeks flushing. "I'm going to bed. See you lot in the morning."

"Night," they all echoed, and Leolin could feel Draco's eyes on her back as she trailed away. She knew he had something he wanted to say, but in the end he prudently remained silent.

"We leave tomorrow at nine a.m.," he called instead. "Be ready to go by then."

She nodded.

"You know I will be."

* * *

As usual, Leolin rose with the sun, and as usual, she was the only one up. She supposed she didn't want to admit it, but she was monstrously nervous about the next day.

An odd pall had been cast over the city, and she could feel it stewing overhead like a storm cloud even as the sun struggled to rise. She wondered if Audige had summoned the thunder and rain to display his discontent with Loziéres murder.

"Do you ever sleep?"

She sat on the porch in her nightgown and silk robe, the stuffy breeze ruffling the ebony silk curtain of her hair. She didn't turn at this utterance. She couldn't decide if Draco was an agitation or a balm in her current state. She decided to wait to hear what he had to say.

"I've always been an early riser," she replied. "The real question is when did you become one?"

"I'm still not," he said, sitting down next to her. "I just couldn't sleep."

"Did you convince Gen to come home last night?" Leolin asked.

He sighed.

"Not that it really matters, but yes, I did."

Leolin heart gave a joyful thump.

"What do you mean?" she asked again, feigning casualness.

Was he trying to tell her he was going to break off the engagement?

"I mean this is going to continue to be a problem until you go back to London," he said solemnly. "She's never going to be happy until you're not in my life."

"Oh," Leolin said, trying not to sound too disappointed. "I see."

"I think she underestimated you," he said bluntly. "She's never met a woman she couldn't beat at this game. Now that she knows she can't, she's pretty put out."

"And you were just going to let her?" Leolin asked, trying to ignore the painful constriction in her chest.

Draco finally looked at her.

"I knew she wouldn't be able to, and I tried to tell her that. I told her that you weren't so easily broken."

Leolin laughed despite herself.

"I bet she wasn't too happy when you said that."

He laughed, too.

"Oh, she wasn't. If I have a knut for every time she's accused me of wanting to sleep with you over the last two weeks, I would have doubled my fortune by know."

Leolin blushed, mostly because she knew that he _had_ thought about it a fair amount.

"Well, I'll be gone by tomorrow," she said softly, willing him to protest.

He only nodded instead.

"That's—" he looked at her then licked his lips. "Probably for the best."

Leolin looked down, Stupid fucking gag.

"Yeah," she said, trying to sound casual. "I reckon so."

"Are you—" he paused before trying again. "Are you coming to the wedding?"

Despite everything, this made Leolin laugh.

"I didn't realize I was invited."

Draco grinned ruefully, too.

"Of course you are. You just have to agree, in writing, that you'll wear a friar's robe and a potato sack over your head."

Leolin blushed, still laughing a little despite everything. Please Merlin let there be no wedding. No wedding but her own.

"Challenge accepted," she said saucily. "I can make anything sexy."

"Don't remind me," he murmured.

Her heart thudded wetly again.

"I'm glad you were able to patch things up," she admitted begrudgingly. "Now isn't really the time for fighting."

"I suppose not," he said. "Though part of me wishes it was."

"What do you mean?" she said too quickly. She countered her eagerness by not looking at him.

"I mean if I could choose between refereeing squabbles between you and Gen and taking on Adrian and Audige, I choose you and Gen."

"Me too," she said, desperately trying to mask her disappointment. Somehow that wasn't what she thought he was going to say.

"Are you ready for today?" he asked, gazing at her.

She finally looked at him, confident that the longing had seeped from her gaze.

"No," she said. "Are you?"

"Not really."

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Kicking the hornet's nest? And not to mention tangling with Audige."

"No," Draco replied. "I'm sure it's a terrible idea. But what choice do we have? Pucey's getting close; I can feel it. If we don't strike now, it could be too late."

"How much damage can he really do without the vessel?"

"You tell me," he said softly.

She shrugged.

"I don't know. That's the problem; I don't know anything for sure. I'm worried we're operating on incomplete information. We could be missing the bigger picture here."

"That may be so," Draco said. "But it's all we have, and after seeing the way Pucey was strutting around last night, I don't think it's a good idea to wait. We'll strike now, and hard. Even if we don't get everything, we still succeed in rattling his cage."

"I think I'll be happy if Audige doesn't kill us. Still, we're on a knife's edge," she said, willing her voice not to shake. "Adrian is going to be furious, and he'll come for revenge. You know he will."

Draco touched her knee unexpectedly and she jerked in surprise.

"Are you worried for your safety? Because I promise I wont let him hurt him."

"I don't think that's really your promise to make," she pointed out.

"I can do whatever I want," he reminded her.

"You really are a gutton for punishment, you know that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you love a hateful woman," she said, trying and failing to mask her bitterness. "Even if you could protect me from Adrian, Gen is going to make your life hell for it. I know you know that. She's petty and controlling."

The mirth faded from his eyes, though he was began to smile.

"A perfect cocktail for the future Lady Malfoy, don't you think?"

She rose from her chair and wondered to the railing, putting her back to him

"Certainly," she said, trying to sound flippant.

"Though, I suppose she's not the first hateful woman to eye the role, is she?"

He was on his feet now too, advancing on her. Leolin gave an unkind smirk back, fighting to keep the hurt from her eyes.

"Not very kind of you to talk about your mother like that," she jibed back.

His cool smile grew, leaning into her so their hips were practically touching.

"Maybe I should teach you a lesson and put that tongue to better use."

Leolin wrinkled her nose in disgust, pushing him back.

"You just can't resist being a misogynistic little prick, can you?"

"Little prick?" He smirked, advancing on her a little. "Don't be revisionist, darling."

"Why do you always have to be such a pig?" she demanded.

"Why do you always start things you can't finish?" Draco replied casually.

"Honestly!" Leolin said. "You've giving me whiplash."

"Oh,_ I'm_ giving your whiplash?" he said with a patronising scoff. "It's not my fault that you're jealous."

"Jealous?" Leolin laughed, desparate to hide the fact that he was right. "Jealous that some Yankee slag gets to marry the man I left at the altar? In your dreams, ace."

Draco clenched his jaw. Leolin could feel in her gut that she'd gone too far, though she was too proud to apologise. She left, striding off the deck and into the spacious kitchen. She poured herself a glass of orange juice and stewed for about five minutes before making up her mind. She ought to set things right with Draco. Today was going to be dangerous. She didn't want to go into it fighting with the man she loved.

However, before she could make her move, she watched Gen slide onto the deck instead.

"Drake?"

Draco looked up, and Leolin watched him smile warmly as Gen approached.

"Hey," Draco said, opening his arms in invitation. "How did you sleep?"

"Not well," she admitted, sinking gently into his lap. "But better than you, I'd say."

Draco tipped his head back and Gen dropped her lips to his before raking her fingers through his hair. Her engagement ring glinted as she did so.

"I'm sorry," he whispered against her lips before kissing her again. "I know I was tossing and turning all night."

"It's fine," she affirmed, laying her head in the crook of his neck. "I don't think I could have slept much, anyway."

"What's on your mind?" he asked, laying his head atop hers.

"I'm sorry about last night," she blurted. "I know I was being a terrible pain."

Draco only laughed.

"I just—" she began, swiveling a little so she could look at him. "I don't know. I think I'm just paranoid."

"What do you mean?"

"I—do you—what's going on between you and Leolin?"

"Genevieve—"

"No, it's alright. I'm not trying to trap you, I just—please just tell me the truth. If you—with her, then I forgive you. I don't care, as long as anything you had is over now."

Leolin's heart thundered in her chest. She had a feeling that Draco knew she was still listening.

"G, look at me," Draco demanded softly, and Gen obliged.

It was hard to watch them, because Gen was a real person when she was alone with Draco. Leolin could see, could _feel_, how much she loved Draco, and in that moment it wasn't that difficult to imagine why he might feel the same.

"Listen," Draco continued. "I—you know that I adore you. I always have. From the very first moment I saw you. I know it's been hard having Leolin here, but it doesn't change anything, and it's only one more day."

Leolin knew in that moment she shouldn't have stayed to hear that. None of it mattered anyway; Draco didn't know about the gag yet. That was a game-changer. Still, listening to him spout is affection for Gen wasn't easy.

She heard them kiss again and urged herself to stop listening. She only managed to turn her back.

"Tell me you love me," Gen said greedily against Draco skin.

All the colour drained from Leolin's face.

"You know I do," Draco groaned somewhat breathlessly.

It was obvious what they were getting ready to do. Still, Leolin felt rooted to the spot.

"I know," Gen replied, breathless as well. "But I still want to hear you say it."

"Darling—"

"I tell you all the time," she said, a small whine sharpening her breathy tone. Leolin had a sickening feeling the whine wasn't a result of the conversation. "Please, I just need to hear you say it."

Leolin could hear the swish of their bare flesh, and it was sickening. Still, she had to know if Draco would say it back.

"I love you," Draco groaned, his thrusts increasing. "You know I love you."

Leolin immediately apparated to her own room before picking up glass from last night sitting her nightstand and hurling at the mirror of her vanity. Goddamnit, this was exactly what she didn't need right now. Gen, that manipulative little cunt. She'd probably orchestrated that whole encounter in the hopes of putting Leolin off her game and getting her killed in the mission today.

Leolin repaired the glass and the mirror before hurling the highball again. The worst part of all of this was that she knew that wasn't true. Of course Gen hadn't orchestrated that. Leolin had seen the genuine hunger and distress in her eyes. That was the type of candor Leolin was sure she only reserved for Draco. Leolin supposed that left the better question: had it been genuine on Draco's part? Gen had certainly believed so, though Leolin was less convinced. Had he meant all that, or was he just stinging from Leolin's snide remark?

She knew at some level he had meant it. After all, before Leolin came back, he was happy to marry Gen and move on. But what about what had transpired between her and Draco in London? What about the way they'd treated each other the night before? Had that meant to Draco what it had meant to Leolin?

She shattered the glass again.

Probably not. That didn't matter, though. She needed to remember that. None of this pettiness mattered. She still held the trump card. As soon as she played it, Gen would be a distant memory.

Repairing and shattering the glass a final time, Leolin steeled herself. She had to remember who the real enemy was today. As much as she hated Gen, they were on the same team. It was Adrian she had oversmart today, and Audige she had to convince. She would strike Gen down another day.

"Lai?" Ginny called through the door. "Are you okay? I heard shattered glass."

"Fine," Leolin said. "I just dropped something."

"Can I come in?"

"Of course."

Ginny slipped inside and closed the door behind her, perching on the bed instead.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked.

"About as good as could be expected," Leolin replied. "You?"

"Same. Blaise tossed and turned all night, too."

"Good," Leolin said in a dull voice, "So we'll all be exhausted together."

"Seems that way," Ginny said. "You ready?"

"Not really," Leolin admitted. "I don't know what to expect from Audige, and that makes me nervous. Not to mention Adrian. He's capable and dangerous and—"

"And?" Ginny prompted gently.

Leolin bit her lip.

"He scares me," she admitted in a soft voice.

"Why?" Ginny said. "That doesn't sound like you."

Leolin considered if she was ready to admit the whole ordeal. She wasn't, she decided. Still, there were parts she needed to confide.

"The first night I came back," she explained. "The night he arrested me, he was so nasty. Not that I didn't expect that, we never really go on at school and I was always going out of my way to make his life difficult. Still, the way he was acting was..unsettling."

"Did he threaten you?" Ginny asked softly.

Leolin nodded.

"The Adrian I knew it school would have wanted to settle the score, just frustrate all my plans and make me look like an arse. But he's not that boy anymore. At some point he decided that wasn't enough."

"What do you mean?"

Leolin looked at her.

"He wants to fuck me," she said bluntly. "I don't mean rape me, but he's gotten obsessed with this idea of getting me to get into bed. It's like—I don't know—like he's dying to get me to like it. I know that doesn't make sense, but he hates me and Draco so much and he just loves this idea of stripping us of our dignity by sleeping with me and making me love it."

"Ugh," Ginny said. "That's so predictably foul of him."

"He's attractive," Leolin admitted. "I know he _knows _he is, and I think he loves the idea of making me admit it, and forcing Draco to stomach the idea of him getting between my legs and getting me to scream for him the way I used to for Draco. That bit always drove him mental at Hogwarts, and we never failed to throw it in his face. I admit I—" she paused. "We used to go out of our way to do it on purpose. Not to Blaise or anyone else, just to him. He's been nursing resentment over that for ten years."

"Lai," Ginny said sympathetically. "I'm so sorry. That's—ugh, that's so awful. Has he tried to touch you?"

"Yeah," Leolin admitted. "A bit. Obviously nothing I couldn't easy rebuff. But like I said, he doesn't want to _force_ me. He wants to convince me. I know that shouldn't bother me because I loathe him, but it does. In fact, it scares me half to death. What if he slips me amortentia and—"

"He won't," Ginny assured her. "We won't let him. _Draco _won't let him. Besides, he's met his match in you and he knows it. If he tries something, you're crush him to dust."

Leolin smiled, squeezing Ginny's hand.

"Thanks, Gin. It feels good to let that out."

"Thanks for telling me," Ginny replied. "You know you can always come to me and you can tell me anything."

Leolin thought of the Le Fey draught and the gag and bit her lip.

"Yeah, I do."

"Blaise and I love you so much," Ginny said. "We're always here for you."

Leolin nodded.

"Thank you."

"Let's just focus on today. Are you sure you want to go to Audige's court? You don't have to if you don't want to. None of this is worth dying for."

"No," Leolin said firmly. "I've had a lot of practice with this sort of thing, and if we get it right think of how far we'll be."

"I know," Ginny said. "Still. It feels like the city itself is restless. Like the clouds and the cobblestones are quivering for a fight. Have you looked outside? It 's getting ready to piss rain. As hot as it's been, we're looking at a lot of fog today."

"I think that might be Audige," Leolin admitted. "I think bokors can sometimes control the weather. Or at the very least, call down the thunder and the rain. He's obviously not happy about Loziéres. I don't imagine he's accustomed to trouble in the Quarter that he doesn't orchestrate."

"Merlin," Ginny breathed. "Just when it felt as if things weren't going to get any worse. With all the skeleton masks, we could be sitting ducks. Do we even know what Audige looks like?"

Leolin shook her head.

"No," she admitted. "But he's the king of the Quarter. I have a feeling he'll be easy to pick out."

Leolin stood, going to her chest of drawers and pulling out a pair of pair leggings, and a black long-sleeve t-shirt, and slim running shoes.

"You look very American," Ginny commented, and Leolin gave a mock bow.

"I feel like a spy from a Muggle moving picture."

"So do I," Ginny said, gesturing to her own gear. "So will everyone."

"What am I supposed to do with my wand?"

"Oh, here," Ginny said, handing Leolin a holster. It went around her hips like a belt before securing around her left thigh.

"Are you mad?" Leolin laughed. "Are we gun-slinging cowboys?"

"It's easy access," Ginny said. "And no one will even notice."

"I feel absurd," Leolin admitted.

"And you haven't even seen this yet," Ginny said, holding up a vest made of what looked black, tightly-woven chain mail.

"What, now I'm a medieval knight?"

"It's charmed to repel simple jinxes and charms."

Leolin put it on. It was oddly weightless. She enchanted a black slim-fitting rain jacket to emit cool air and keep her from sweating from the mail before putting it on.

Leolin sat down at her vanity a last time, winding a small but sharp stiletto knife into her hair.

"What the hell is that?" Ginny demanded.

"It's a stiletto," Leolin replied.

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"What are you doing with that thing?" Ginny demanded. "You're going to trip and kill yourself."

"It's just a precaution," Leolin said, "If case we get jammed up, I'm holding court on the street."

Ginny smiled somewhat dubiously.

"Sometimes you scare me a little, you know that?"

"I'm just trying to be prepared," Leolin said.

Ginny nodded, though she still seemed uneasy.

"Alright, come on, let's go get some breakfast. We have to leave in an hour."

Leolin nodded, trudging down the stairs. Ieuan was the first to see them as they descended, and he smirked.

"You two look like a cat burglarizing duo," he commented. "Maybe if today goes well, you can start working for La Genie du Mal."

Draco, who'd been sitting at the kitchen counter drinking coffee, choked on his sip.

"What?" Ginny said, misinterpreting his gesture for one of distain. "You don't think we could do it?"

"No, I'm sure you could," Draco said pointedly, looking at Leolin.

"I'm surprised they haven't caught him yet," Harry said, coming down the stairs and joining the throng. "It's been years."

"The case has been mishandled," Leolin said flippantly, meeting Draco's gaze with defiance. "They shouldn't have hired that yank to head up the operation."

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Yes, we all know how easily manipulated American men can be. Isn't that right, Lefevre?"

Leolin wasn't sure if he was making a barb about La Genie or Brankovitch, but she simply smiled either way.

"I wouldn't know," Leolin said. "All men are easily manipulated to me. As a sex, I find you painfully weak."

"Are you kidding me?" Blaise growled. "Stop already. I can't stand to listen to you bicker anymore."

"Lefevre—''

"If you say 'started it', I _will_ kill you," Blaise snapped at Draco.

It was clear Blaise was tense as well.

"We almost ready?" Tieran asked, holding Pansy's hand on walking down the stairs. Like everyone else, they were both dressed in all black.

"As we'll ever be," Harry said, looking drawn.

"Where's Grace?" Pansy asked.

Harry rubbed his eyes.

"She's still sleeping. The baby was really fussing last night. She's exhausted."

"You alright?" Ginny asked, rubbing his back.

"Fine," Harry replied. "I just—it's been a hard pregnancy, and she still has two months to go."

"It wasn't this hard the last two times?" Pansy asked.

Harry shook his head.

"It was a piece of cake."

"She'll be fine," Ieaun assured Harry. "Don't stress, mate."

"I'll look after her," Gen said, descending the stairs still wearing a silk nightie. Her blonde hair was unbound and styled in soft curls. For someone who'd slept terribly and just gotten up, she was annoyingly put together. "I promise."

"That was meant to be comforting and not sinister, right?" Ginny muttered to Leolin, who gave a small smile.

Harry nodded though, seemingly reassured.

"Thank you," he said.

"Of course," Gen purred, coming to rest her head against Draco's jinx-repelling vest. He looked like dashing secret agent in all black.

He brought an arm around her back, though his eyes found Leolin over Gen's head. What was Leolin supposed to make of that?

"Where's Brank?" Ieaun asked. "We should wait for him before we start."

At that the floo flamed and he stepped out, brushing himself off and smiling at Gen. Leolin, he ignored. Thank Merlin; he'd finally gotten fed up."

"Good morning, all," he said. "Everyone ready to be potentially murdered?"

"Stow it," Blaise sneered. He disliked Max more than the rest of them, clearly annoyed about Max's unsavoury pursuit of Leolin. "You aren't funny."

"Just trying to keep it light."

"Well don't," Draco said flippantly. "We don't have time for clowning around."

"Forgive me, your majesty," Max said with a caustic sarcasm. He was still visibly agitated about what had gone down between Draco and Gen the night before, even though it was obvious they had since made up.

"Alright," Tieran said, tossing a small cannisters to each of them. "Inside here is a map." He clicked his on, and a map of the city appeared.

"When we get close enough to the trackers, they will appear on the map. We're going in pairs, and each pair has a different canister with a different target. The only common dot we all share is Pucey," Tieran explained, "But we have to keep him isolated as much as possible. You need to find your target, let them see you and head _away_ from the funeral parade. Pucey we need to get caught up so he and Thivierge can't get near to Audige."

"Sounds easy enough," Ieaun said sarcastically.

"Once we peel Scabior and Rawle, we take out Montague. That just leaves us Pucey, Dolohov, and Thivierge. They are going after Audige, so we need to keep them occupied until the parade makes it to the graveyard. By that time, Audige will have slithered back into his hole. At that time, Lefevre goes in and does her thing."

"She's not going alone," Draco said.

"Fair enough," Tieran said. "You and I will lose own tail and double back to support her."

"I'll go too," Harry said firmly, giving Grace a reassuring nod. "I killed the Dark Lord. I have the most experience with those kinds of duels."

"Please," Draco growled "That was sheer dumb luck."

"Fine," Harry snapped. "Then look me in the eye and tell me that you don't want me to go because you secretly want to shag Leolin."

"We are _not_ going back there," Tieran said sternly.

Max shook his head in disgust, sneering at Draco even as Gen curled against him and her pressed a protective hand to her back.

"Alright," Blaise said sternly. "Who goes with who?"

"Malfoy and I will take Thivierge," Tieran said. "We have to most combat experience, and she's the ones who is most likely going after Audige."

"Harry and I will go together," Leolin affirmed. "We will start with Adrian. He's probably planning on coming after Drake, but once he sees me he won't be able to resist. Once Audige is back in the graveyard, Harry and I will lose Adrian and head for Audige. Draco and Tieran meet us there. Any more than four and Audige will spook and kill us before we can get a word in."

They all nodded their agreement, but both Draco and Ginny seemed discontented with Leolin handling Adrian.

"Zabini and I will take Dolohov. Thivierge is the brains of that duo, but he's the brute strength. We split those two up and she'll be a sitting duck," Max said.

Blaise seemed annoyed that he of all people had ended up with Max. Max didn't seem overly enthusiastic, either.

"KT, Ieaun, and Luke can take Rawle," Harry said. "Tate and Kelly were in the same year at Hogwarts, and I know they hated each other. I'm sure Rawle would love a change to take Kelly down a peg."

"Where is that twat, by the way?" Draco snapped.

"He'll be here," Max snapped back. "Take a chill pill."

"Who does that leave?" Luke said quietly.

He rarely spoke, and Leolin had to admit she sometimes forgot he was there.

"Me and Ginny," Pansy said. "And Montague and Scabior."

"Right," Tieran said, giving his wife a protective look. "You wait until we make contact with Dolohov, Pucey, and Thivierge. Once we have and they know we're there, take Montague out. He'll be perched up high, and we don't want him reporting our movements. Then go after Scabior. He's a wildcard, but he's easy prey."

They all looked around, mutually dreading what was coming next.

"Right," Harry said finally, consulting his wristwatch and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "The funeral starts soon. We ought to head out."

"We're still waiting for Troy," Blaise said in veiled annoyance."

"Let's just go without him," Draco sneered.

"He's here," Max said, and Kelly stepped from the floo.

"Sorry, I'm late," he said almost sheepishly, his eyes finding Leolin for a moment. "Cara and I had a bit of a row. She wasn't too keen on this whole thing."

"She's wasn't wrong not to be," Pansy said. "This is going to be dangerous."

"I don't like this," Gen said, clinging to Draco.

"It will be fine," he said, glancing down at her again. "I promise."

"We should get going," Tieran said. "Here, take these."

He extended earpieces to each of them.

"This way we can communicate," Tieran said. "Gen," he said, handing her a canister. "All the earpieces have trackers as well. You will be able to see all of us on the map, and all the targets. You're running point."

She nodded.

"Right," Draco said, kissing Gen swiftly. "Let's go."

Blaise looked outside and frowned. "Sky's about to burst."

"Audige is almost here," Leolin mused. "I have a feeling the thunder and he are old friends."

"Well better thunder than lightening."

"Better both of them than rain," Ieaun pointed out. "The rain is going to bring fog, and lots of it."

Leolin and Ginny exchanged a look.

"It's not too late to call this whole thing off," Ginny pointed out.

"Yes it is," Pansy amended. "Let's do this and stop Pucey once and for all."

"Now we're talking," Tieran said, bending to kiss her softly.

"Let's go," Draco said, checking his watch. "The parade starts in twenty minutes. We have to stay ahead of it or we'll get choked up in the aftermath."

"Be careful," Gen urged.

Draco nodded, seemingly a little distracted now.

"Always am," he said, and his eyes flitted to Leolin.

She knew better than anyone that he _rarely_, if ever, was.

"I love you," Gen said, and Leolin's heart thumped audibly at the memory of Draco uttering the words earlier. She wondered if he would say it again.

He didn't.

"You too," he replied. "See you later."

She nodded, giving Leolin an extremely cool look before relinquishing her hold on Draco.

"Let's go," Tieran said, and with that they all apparated to the heart of the city. The sky had only darkened overhead, and Leolin shivered; New Orleans' dark magic felt stronger than ever today. They'd all brought skeleton masks, but nobody put theirs on yet.

Tieran drew a canister and shined it at the ground. Suddenly, there were two dots plodding slowly along the streets, slithering slowly towards the main parade route.

"There go Pucey and Thivierge," Tieran said. "We'll wait until you lot are in position then go after them."

Everyone else shone their maps as well.

"Dolohov hasn't made it to Thivierge yet," Blaise said, pointing. "Let's keep them separated.

Max nodded,and they were gone.

"There's Montague," Ginny said.

He was perched near where the parade route bottlenecked, and he wasn't moving.

"He must already be in position."

"He's probably up high," Tieran told Pansy. "Look for him in a tower or taller building of some sort. Wait for our word, but be ready. This is all going to move fast, but it will get easily once we incapacitate him."

She nodded, giving him a final, lingering kiss.

"Let's go, Gin."

They slid on their masks, took hands, and disappeared.

Ieuan and Luke shined theirs and found Rawle at once. He was moving quickly towards the front of the parade. Leolin assumed Audige would be in the vanguard.

"C'mon," Kelly said to them. "We need to get in front of him and drive him backwards."

"Keep in touch," Blaise said. "And keep out of sight as much as possible."

Ieuan nodded, and they disappeared, already masked.

"Right," Tieran said, looking at Draco, Leolin, and Harry in turn. "Let's stick together until we get eyes on Pucey and Thivierge. "They'll be together, but when they see us they'll split up."

They all nodded grimly, and overhead a booming thunder sounded, a violent fork of lightening following. The storm wasn't more than a half mile away.

"Audige is here," Leolin said quietly.

"Let's go,"

They all apparated away, appearing along the parade route roughly across from where Pucey and Thivierge's dots were. They were clearly waiting for Audige.

They picked their way forward, heads on a swivel.

"Be careful," Tieran warned as they moved.

A haunting jazz melody had begun, and all around them witches and wizards in skeleton masks and painted faces thronged around. Dissonent horn whined and deep rumbling drums have the stones quiver in fear. The king was approaching.

"We won't really be able to apparate in and out," Tieran said. "This storm is throwing off too much magic."

They all nodded. Leolin's keen eyes scanned the opposite bank of people, and finally she caught a flash of Adrian's tawny head.

"There's Adrian," Leolin said, indicating across the way to Harry. "We have to go now. C'mon."

She made the plunge forward and catch his attention, but Draco grabbed her arm.

"Wait, come here."

Tieran groaned and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Let go," she said in irritation.

"Be careful, Leolin."

"Let go!" she said, struggling and embarrassed.

"I mean it," Draco said, pulling her closer and giving her a meaningful look. "You need to give Adrian the credit he's earned. He's clever and his ruthless."

"Why didn't you give anyone else this lecture?" she asked, looking at Harry.

"Because you're the most reckless," Draco said, eyes flicking to Harry, who looked annoyed.

"Take care of her," Draco ordered.

Harry rolled his eyes again.

"Pick a side already, Malfoy," he muttered.

Draco's eyes flashed.

"I'm serious," Draco said to Harry. "I will not hesitate to kill you if this goes sideways, Potter."

Despite everything, Leolin's heart fluttered. She hadn't been sure, but when Draco turned back to her, diamond eyes glinting, she suddenly realized what he was trying to say in his twisted, broken way.

_"Come back to me in one piece. I can't lose you now."_

"I'll be careful," she promised. "You be careful as well."

She didn't want to lose him, either.

"Good girl," Draco said, dropping his mask into place.

Leolin nodded grimly to Harry, pushing forward so she could get into position before pushing her mask into her hair and catching Adrian's golden gaze. He drank her in as he always did, and she stood rooted in a fear that was not completely contrived. He looked more fierce than she'd even seem him, and she realized for the first time that Audige ought to be afraid, even if he didn't know it. When he began towards hers, she took off.

She and Harry waded through crowds, masks back in place, dodging artfully through. Even few minutes, Leolin looked back sans mask, Adrian was a ways back, but he hadn't lost sight of her. She felt something magical slithering towards her, trying to wrap around her ankle. It was a tracking charm. She quickly repelled it.

"C'mon," she told Harry. "Let's lose him. "When he starts heading back, we'll reappear."

They tucked down, made a few illogical back pedals before darting into the abandoned streets of eighteenth century Wizarding New Orleans. The cobblestones were worn and the buildings hunched together, huddling for protection. She imagined pirates and bokors chasing each other through these streets, each seeking domination over The Quarter. The rain had finally stopped, but now they stood knee deep in the fog which had followed.

"Can I just say I am not eager to meet this Audige bloke?" Harry said, shining the map and watching Adrian spin in circles, desperate to get his hands on Leolin.

She swallowed her sizzling fears, which had crept up from her stomach and begun burning her throat.

"Neither am I," she admitted. "But at least I have The Boy Who Lived on my side."

He smiled.

"What's the story, anyway?" Harry said, as they traipsed down a deserted avenue, wading through the fog. This was no ordinary condensation. It was resisting them ever so slightly. Audige wanted to prove who was boss.

"With Audige?" Leolin asked, looking skyward as a jagged lightening rod lit up the sky. the aforementioned was summoning a second storm. "I'm not exactly sure. He's nasty; that's all i really know."

Harry shook his head. The menacing storm was almost on them.

"That's not what I meant," Harry continued. "What's going on with you and Malfoy?"

Leolin looked up again. The sky was black, and Leolin shuddered. "He's marrying Gen," she continued. "That's what's going on."

"And yet he's still ordering me to look out of you."

"Well you know Draco," Leolin said, feigning casualness. "He loves giving orders."

"That's really the excuse you're going with?"

"What are you trying to say?" Leolin asked, turning on the map again. She turned around. They needed to find Adrian again.

"I'm saying that you're too good of a person to become the mistress to a married man."

"You think Draco and I are having an affair?" Leolin asked, a little offended.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you aren't," Harry said evenly.

Leolin swiveled, pushing her mask up into her hair so she could look at him.

"I'm not sleeping with Draco," she said truthfully.

"Now tell me neither of you wants to," Harry said, and Leolin fought not to flush.

Luckily, she was spared. The sky finally tore open, and immediately the rain was driving down in steaming sheets.

"We need to go back for Adrian," she cried. "C'mon!"

The rain had dissipated the fog, and they moved quickly and quietly across the worn cobblestones.

Leolin nodded, and they forged ahead, the cobblestones quickly becoming slippery beneath their feet. They caught up to Adrian a minute or so later, but they'd misjudged the distance, and Leolin rounded the corner and nearly crashed into him. His eerie's light eyes glinting in the darkness of the storm, and his tawny hair was plastered to his head. She screamed as he grabbed her, quick as a snake.

"Leolin," he said in a smooth, cool voice. His eyes flashed menacingly. "My angel."

"Let her go, Pucey," Harry said, drawing his wand.

Adrian cast Leolin to the ground with incredible force, drawing his as well. Her head bounced against unyielding stone, and she felt as if she might vomit.

"I see you've brought the cavalry," he said, sneering at Harry. "I'm surprised it's not Malfoy."

Harry glanced at Leolin, still trying to recover on the ground. He threw a hex, which Adrian deflected.

"I'm an Auror-trained wizard, Potter," he sneered, hitting Harry was curse that amounted to a punch to the chest. "You're _pathetically_ out-matched."

Harry groaned but said nothing, firing a second curse as he circled, subtly moving to Leolin. There only chance was the apparate away, dark magic or no.

Leolin had partially risen, still feeling sick. Adrian hazarded a glance at her. Casting a spell Harry deflected.

"You look good on your knees, Lefevre," he goaded, making Harry sneer as he inched closer to her, casting a third hex that missed. "It's like you were meant to be there."

"You're foul," she spat weakly, struggling to stand and ultimately failing to do so.

She wasn't sure she was even strong enough to apparate. This would be a shite time to be spliced. Still, Adrian had that look again that made her feel pathetically afraid.

"Someday soon you'll be on your knees for me," he promised imperiously. "You're going to look so delectable with those cherry lips wrapped around my thick coc—"

Harry hurled a stinging jinx. Adrian was dodged it, but not completely. It nicked it cheek, leaving an angry raised welt. At that moment, Harry grabbed Leolin's wrist and they disappeared in a nasty, jagged crack. The apparation had been painful, as if the magic around them was punishing the use of unauthorized movement within His Majesty's domain.

"Merlin," Harry breathed. "What is _wrong _with him?"

"He hates me. And he's desperate to humiliate me and Draco by sleeping with me."

"That's fucked up," he said sympathetically.

"Yeah," she agreed sadly. "It is."

They'd ended up mere blocks from the cemetery, and they could hear the din dying down.

"It's over," Leolin said grimly. "It's time."

They crept forward, still on alert for Adrian or other others. Finally they arrived at the stone structure Max had described. They traded a solemn look before passing through. The passage was narrow and short, and though it had been not even midday in the Muggle cemetery, it was the dead of night in the Magical graveyard. She had a feeling it always was. It was also uncharacteristically chilly. They cut a path through the rolling fog. Leolin released the cooling spell she'd placed on her jacket, replacing it with a warming spell instead. The chill cut right through, and her teeth began to chatter.

They looked around, unsure quite where they were going. They weaved in and out of mausoleums of various sizes and degrees of lavishness. Finally, they rounded a corner.

"Malifiscent," she breathed. "That has to be it."

It was an imposing two-story structure. The top part resembled a medieval fortress, and the bottom part was a yawning stretch leading to a pair of unforgiving steel doors.

"Should we wait for Tieran and Malfoy?" Harry asked.

She shook her head.

"I don't think we have that luxury."

He grabbed her hand and squeezed.

"Is this what it felt like the last time?" she asked softly. "On the way to the Forbidden Forest?"

"No," he replied. "I had the resurrection stone. my parents were there."

"I'm sorry they aren't here now," she said.

"Me too," he admitted. "But I'm glad you are."

"I love you," she said breathlessly. "No matter what happens."

"You too," he said, looking down at her. For a moment, he looked like the boy she'd fallen in love with ten years ago. Merlin, they had been so impossibly innocent then.

"It's time," he said. "Let's go."

They started off towards the doors, the structure above swallowing them in its hulking shadow.

"Harry? Harry, can you hear me?"

They both froze in fear, but suddenly Leolin recognized Gen's voice in her ear. It was coming from their communication device.

"Genevieve?" Harry said, voice quaking "What's going on?"

Gen sounded fretful.

"You need to come home! Grace is running a fever and she looks dreadful. I think she may need a healer."

Harry and Leolin exchanged a look.

"She keeps saying she's fine," Gen said. "But I think something might be wrong with the baby. Please, I need you to come back."

Harry seemed at war for a minute, but he made his decision quickly, turning his back to the doors.

"Okay," Harry said. "Tell her not to worry. Tell her I will be there soon."

Harry met Leolin's gaze.

"We have to go. Malfoy and Tieran will have to do this alone."

"No!" Leolin said. "We've come this far! I'm not turning back. Go take care of your wife; I'm going for what we came for."

"Leolin, are you mad? No way!"

"You can't make me go," Leolin said. "And I've been in much tougher places than this, believe me."

"Leolin!"

Before he could stop her, she tore through the door, and it slammed shut behind her. He swore, eying the door dolefully before looking over his shoulder.

"Take care of yourself, Lefevre," he murmured, pressing a hand to the cold iron. With that, he disapparated.

* * *

The minute the door slammed, the sconces on the walls blazed to life, illuminating the hundreds of human skulls pressed into the walls of the vault. It reminded Leolin of Catacombs in Paris, an underground quarry built in the eighteenth century to house all the bones the graveyards of Paris could no longer accommodate. She wondered if this similarity was incidental or intentional.

Soon the bones began yielding to cool stone instead, and she knew she was close. She could feel Audige. She arrived several minutes later at a double gate made of iron. She could see nothing but darkness beyond. She steeled her nerves; she was quaking like a leaf. She exhaled a stale breath and pushed the gates open. She remained in darkness for several seconds, audibly panting.

Suddenly the room blazed to life. There was no mistaking it; it was a throne room. The ceiling were high and vaulted, the smooth stone walls covered in brightly-coloured silks. There wasn't a soul in sight. Not but one. In the dead centre was a lavish throne, and perched atop in was Guillarme Audige, King of The Quarter.

He didn't move, and for a moment, neither did she. He wore a solid gold crown that sat tilted forward on his head, and below it was a skeleton mask. His was clearly made of true bone. The skin beneath was beautifully dark, like coffee-coloured silk. Two piercing eyes stared back at her. One was so blue it almost looked white. The other was the colour of his skin, and she could not distinguish the iris from the pupil. He wore a dark suit with a black cravat, and were it not for the mask and the crown, he would not have looked out of place in eighteenth century New Orleans. In his right hand he held a dark septre the length of a cane, and it was adorned with a ruby handle.

She approached and took a knee.

"Votre Majesté , je demande une audience avec le roi du quartier français," she said.

She'd requested an audience. He only sneered, leaning forward on the cane.

"Mwen pa pèmèt franse nan tribinal mwen an," he replied in a deep, slow voice.

Apparently in the King's court, French was not permitted . It spoke to the slow-simmering resentment Haitians harboured towards their distant French oppressors.

"I'm sorry," she tried in English. "I don't speak Creole."

"It's English then," he replied. "Speak."

She nodded and rose, half afraid this was the wrong thing to do. However, he allowed this without comment.

"No one comes to my court without an invitation," he told her, dark eye glinting.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm truly desperate."

He leaned farther forward his hands resting atop the cane. She was sure is wand was inside, if he needed one at all.

"Then it is unlikely you have anything of value to trade," he pointed out. "Desperate men are desperate for a reason."

"No!" she said quickly. "I think I do! I'm here to save your life."

He gave a grim sneer.

"You dare come to my court and say such things?"

"I know who killed Loziéres," she said quickly. "And he means to kill you, too."

"Then I'll break his neck and feast on his bones."

"He serves and powerful master. I know you who I'm talking about."

His eyes flashed. He didn't immediately respond. Instead he drew a slim fag from his coat, lighting it with a snap of his long fingers.

"I don't fear the dead. They have no dominion in this world."

However, there was something complex that had begun to churn in his eyes. It suggested she'd stumbled on something she shouldn't have. She followed the hunch.

"And if his servants could find Jean du Bones? What about then?"

His eyes flashed again, smoke escaping from his parted lips.

"They are free to try. However, that search will always be in vain."

Leolin considered this answered as he inhaled again.

"He's your Master," she surmised. "Bones. And you how to summon him."

His silence was telling. He took another drag and smoke the colour of dark blood slither from his thin lips.

"So," he said in a dangerous voice as his mismatched eyes flashed. "You seek Jean du Bones."

"No," she said honestly. "But I know the man who does, and he's coming for you."

He gave an ivory grin, a stark contrast to his midnight skin.

"Let him come, then."

"Please," she pleaded. "He can't find Bones. If he does—"

He interrupted her, clearing growing tired of her pleas.

"And so he won't. My master's secret will die with me."

"You don't know this man. He'll cleave the answer from your flesh and bones."

He gave a cold laugh that bounded again the stone. Overhead, the thunder gave a sharp, jagged crack.

"I have but one Master. I've never feared a man that walked the Earth."

Suddenly the still air because the quiver in fear. He drew his wand on her, but the ground lurched and his hex misfired. Before either could recover, eight figures appeared at once. Two clamped arms on Audige, dragging him from this throne. A third approached, a knife in hand. Audige gave a thunderous yell, and all three were blown back. The knife turned on its wielder, driving in deep just below the collarbone. Victoria screamed in pain as the blood welled up, and she collapsed to the ground, twitching.

Still, it wasn't enough. Two more figures approached, each firing a powerful crucio. Leolin had a feeling that Audige would have allowed him to withstand one, but two brought him to his knees. Leolin winced. Adrian was one of the most powerful casters she knew, and even Audige struggled to handle so many wizards at once.

Scabior, having effectively casted his own crucio, went to Victoria, staunching the bleeding as best he cpuld. Even still, she was fading fast.

Adrian threw off his mask and advanced, kicking Audige in the face with a steel-heeled boot. Leolin heard a sickening crack. She though at first it had been Audige's jaw, but she realized it had been his mask. The bones clattered to the stone floor. Adrian ascended the steps of the throne, Rawle and Dolohov still holding Ausige's arms. Audige wandlessly cast a final spell, but Rawle cast another of equal power in response, and Audige cried in agony.

Adrian sneered, wrenching the crown from Ausige's head and cast it down. The steel of his boot was now glowing white-hot, and when he pressed it the crown, the soft metal quickly lost it shape and because a hot puddle on the ground. Adrian then slapped Audige across the face, more to defile him than wound him. Finally he nodded to Rawle, who knocked Audige out. Rawle and Dolohov let go, and Audige's unconscious body spilled shamefully down the steps. Adrian stepped almost casually over him, eyes finding Torrii first.

"Get her to Ramsey. _Now._"

Ramsey was Tate's father, and he was the best magical surgeon in Europe. He must have accompanied them to New Orleans for insurance.

Scabior disappeared with an unconscious Torrii in his arms.

In reality, this had all occurred in less than a minute, and Leolin reacted fast. She fired a curse that missed, even knowing it was fruitless. There were three of them and one of her. Adrian immediately flicked a wrist and cast her to the floor. She knew now she had no hope of escape. She only had one hope.

"Gen she cried into earpiece. "Gen _please_!"

"Leolin?" came the reply.

"Gen!" Leolin repeated, Adrian advancing now.

"Where are you?" Gen cried frantically. "Tell me where you are! Are you with Audige?"

"Adrian," Leolin sobbed. "Gen! Genevieve, _please_! Help me! Get Dr—"

Adrian wrenched her to her feet , ripping the device from her ear and obliterating it violently. It lay smoking at his feet. He was staring hatefully down at her, and he looked more fearsome than she'd ever seen him. She tried not to shake, but it was hard.

"Dolohov," he called, still sizing her up.

She had truly never been this afraid.

"Take Audige," he commanded, not turning. "Keep him unconscious but don't touch him otherwise."

Radomir disappeared without comment. Now it was just Tate, Adrian, and Leolin. Adrian was still staring at Leolin; he'd never take an eye off her. Her grabbed her wand and tossed it back to Tate. He then took a breath, seeming to consider what he wanted to do next. Finally he reached forward, making her flinch as he pushed the jacket from her shoulders. She didn't want to cry, but in the end she couldn't hold it back. Her lip trembled as several years escaped from behind her closed lids.

Next he drew his wand, and her chainmail felt away in a cascade of severed links. Her chest was rising and falling so rapidly that she felt dizzy. Now it was just her long sleeved shirt. She knew what he was going to do before he did it. She let out a sob and winced as he wrapped two hands on the collar and ripped the garment easily in two.

He raised his wand now, and with a charm, her cotton leggings unraveled and her boots turned to dust until she stood shivering and ashamed in only her bra and knickers. She sobbed and tried to cover herself, but he peeled her arms away easily. He came nose to nose, pushing so close that the stiff protective vest he wore pressed her breasts painfully into her chest.

She turned her head away, crying outright now. He grabbed her wrists, manacles materializing and binding them. This pushed her chest together wantonly, and he ran a gentle finger across the tops of her heaving breasts, which her bra was now struggling to contain.

"Tate," he called still smirking at the pathetic Leolin as his finger traced down her flat abdomen and trailed across the lace band of her black cotton knickers. "Take Lefevre and wait for orders. I'm going after Malfoy."

He gazed longingly at Leolin a final time, tucking some loose hair behind her ear.

"Remember this," he commanded, rubbing the pad of his right thumb over her full lower lip. "Remember how merciful I was."

He then grabbed her by her manacles and tugged her unceremoniously forward, laughing as she tumbled shamefully to the ground. Tate advanced, pulling her to her bare feet.

Adrian nodded and put his mask back on before disappearing in a swirling crack. Tate sneered at Leolin and did the same.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW. PLEASE.**


	16. Chapter 15: Into the Fire

**Chapter Fifteen: Into the Fire**

_Genevieve felt in a daze as she wandered over to the balcony of Draco's luxurious flat, gazing into the inky dark beyond. It was the first time that Draco had brought her back to London with him to meet his friends, and she knew she should feel happy. After all, she had what she wanted. She had Draco, and they were together and deliriously happy at last._

_Gen had known for the first moment she laid eyes on Draco that she wanted him. Proper as she seemed, she had a reputation for devouring men, and Draco was just her dish. He was handsome and masculine and foreign and dangerous, and she could tell just by looking at him that, like her, he wasn't looking for anything serious. That had been perhaps her favourite part about him. Like Draco, Gen's parents had been far from wedded bliss, and she'd spent her whole childhood watching her beautiful mother cheat on her much-older father. She hated her mother for betraying her father, of course, but Gen had always equated her mother's cheating with her father's inane attempts to keep her happy and faithful. Eventually, her mother couldn't take it anymore and left, and it was from that heartache that Gen's distain for committed relationships was born. Her father had been wholly committed to her mother, and she'd still left. After the anguish of her abandonment, Gen decided that if love had to be pain, it was better to be the cause than the bearer. _

_As a consequence, she never allowed herself to get into something serious, and she left a trail of spurned lovers in her wake. Ironically, they all still chose to remain part of her life, as if hoping that someday she might change her way and finally settle down with them. In high school it had been her cousin Ashley. She gave him her virginity, but she gave him the slip when he began to urge her into something more serious. She'd always protested under the pretext that they were cousins, but that was a flimsy rouse for the truth. Ashley's paternity was the worst kept secret in Charleston. Everyone, even his father, knew he wasn't really a Benton, though no one really seemed to mind. Gen still slept with him when it suited—he was an attentive lover—but in the morning she would always tell him the same thing. 'It's just sex, sugar. Let's not make it more complicated than that.'_

_After Ashley had been Max Brankovitch, who'd she'd met on a rare weekend Boston. Their affair had been torrid but brief. Max could have been perfect for Gen, but in a fucked up way he reminded her of an older brother, and that was admittedly distracting. Of course, this realization didn't stop her from sleeping with him when he came to town whilst making him do all the errands she didn't feel like doing. Still, in time their desire for one another faded, and Max became one of the few genuine friends Gen had in the world. She'd sometimes wondered why Max was such a good friend to her, considering she'd used him for sex and free dinners while they'd been involved, but she was grateful for his friendship nonetheless. Besides, it was him who'd introduced her to Draco._

_The last in line before she'd met Draco was Beau, who was admittedly all looks and no substance. Gen didn't care though. It really didn't matter to her that he was racist and often misogynistic; he had a delightfully filthy mind, and he'd done things to Gen that still made the blood rush to her stomach. She had never much cared for his company elsewhere, but behind closed doors he was almost animalistic in his passion, and that was intoxicating._

_However, something had changed when she met Draco. He wasn't like all the others, and she recognized in him the same damaged child she often caught glimpses of in the mirror. Draco had never discussed his parents in any depth, but she could tell that like her, he knew how cruel parents could be. He kept that part of himself well-guarded, and that only served to draw her in. Though he was always tight-lipped about his past, she found it was easy to tell him hers, and before long she was spilling secrets to him that she'd never told anyone. _

_Besides that, their physical chemistry was something she'd never experienced before, and she felt complete when she was in his arms. Draco began making up excuses to come to South Carolina and see her, though neither of them wanted to admit to themselves that they were dating. That was until about six months into their relationship when Draco'd traveled down from a business trip in New York to spend the weekend in Charleston with Gen. She'd been waiting impatiently for him to arrive—the way she swore she'd never wait for any man—and when she saw him, she felt an elation bubbling up from her stomach and giving her heart buoyancy. __**So**__, she mused, __**this is love**__. In bed later that night, she'd blurted something she hadn't meant for Draco to hear. _

"_I love you."_

_Draco stiffened a little, though his arm remained twined around her._

"_What?" he replied._

"_You heard me," she said, feeling more confident now. "I love you, and I want to be your girlfriend."_

_Draco said nothing for a second, and she realized then he wouldn't, he couldn't, say it back. She understood that; she'd never said it before herself. Finally he spoke._

"_I want that, too."_

_Their relationship had skyrocketed from there, and Gen grew more certain that she loved Draco every day, and up until tonight, she had been fairly sure that Draco felt the same. Perhaps she should have known that there was more to his story than he'd let on. After all, in the eight months since the night she said 'I love you', she'd only heard a handful of stories about his past. She'd met Blaise on several occasions, but tonight was the first time she'd actually seen Draco interact with all of his school friends. She was slowly realizing, with dismay, that perhaps she didn't know him as well as she'd thought. Hell, it was starting to feel like she didn't know him at all._

_She'd never questioned why he had been single when they met. After all, she certainly had been. She supposed she'd arrogantly assumed that he just had discerning taste, and he'd been waiting for the right girl to come along before getting serious. He'd never mentioned his romantic past, and she'd stupidly never thought to ask. She thought before tonight he was an open book. Being among his friends for the first time, she realized he was just the opposite._

"_Galleon for your thoughts," Draco murmured, sliding up behind her and skating his hands up the curve of her hips._

_Gen tensed._

"_What's up?" Draco asked, pushing her blonde hair aside so he could kiss her shoulder. "You seem wound up."_

_Gen knew she had to approach this carefully. She knew she had to be tactful and clever or she ran the risk of him shutting down. Still, it wasn't easy to do, and in the end she did the only thing she could to prevent a tidal wave. She turned to face him._

"_Who's Leolin?" she asked, wishing her voice would stop quaking._

_Draco's face fell. _

"_Where did you hear that name?" he asked coldly, though she couldn't tell if that was directed at her or the circumstance._

"_Everyone was whispering it tonight," Gen said, tears welling in her eyes. "Everywhere I went I heard people saying it behind my back. Who is she, Draco?"_

_Draco drove his hands into his hair, groaning._

"_She's no one, alright?"_

"_That's obviously not true!" Gen said in a desperate whine. "Please don't lie to me." _

"_Just forget it," he snapped._

"_I have a right to know!" she said, starting to blubber a little. "I've told you __**everything**__."_

_Strictly speaking, that wasn't exactly true. She'd decided to leave out the bit about Ashley, especially because she'd been sleeping with while she and Draco were dating but before they were exclusive. Still, though, Gen felt her entitlement rising, and it made her indignant._

_Still, he didn't respond, and this only made her cry harder._

"_Draco—"_

"_Leolin is my ex-fianceé," he bit out, turning to look at her._

_His eyes were burning._

"_You were engaged?" she asked, crushed. She'd always assumed they'd been one another's first and only real love._

_He nodded._

"_How did you meet her?"_

_He clenched his jaw._

"_We went to school together."_

_The pieces were beginning to fall together, and Gen bit her lip as more tears slipped out._

"_Where is she now?"_

_He clenched his jaw again, clearly agitated._

"_I don't know. She left the day of the wedding and no one has seen her since. I think she might be in Switzerland, but I don't know."_

_Gen shook her head._

"_Why didn't you tell me?"_

"_What does it matter?" Draco demanded. "It's over. She's gone."_

"_And what if she was to come back?" Gen wailed. "What then?"_

"_She's never coming back," Draco said bitterly. _

"_But what is she did?" Gen asked, her face a mess._

_Draco looked at her earnestly._

"_It wouldn't matter," he said in a solemn voice.  
_

"_Why not?" she asked dolefully._

_He grit his teeth, as if what he was about to say was physically painful._

"_Because," he said, advancing on her and tangling his hands in her hair as he stared at her intently. "I—damnit. Genevieve, I__—__love you."_

* * *

Gen stood staring at the place on the map where Leolin's dot had disappeared, the blood draining out of her face. She felt like she was going to faint. Leolin's comm had gone dead ten minutes ago, but Leolin's desperate cries were still echoing in her ears.

The comms had been relatively quiet, different groups sporatically checking in. Overall, the mission seems to be going smoothly. At least, as smoothly as could be expected.

Suddenly, she'd heard Leolin's shriek

"Gen!" she screamed. She'd sounded desperately afraid. "Gen please!"

Gen's heart had stopped. Something had gone wrong with Audige, and without Harry, Leolin had been alone.

"Leolin!" she had replied.

"Gen!" Leolin had repeated. It had been distant, as if Leolin was far away from her device. Still, Gen could hear the sheer panic in Leolin's voice.

"Where are you?" Gen cried frantically, already fretting over Draco's reaction. "Tell me where you are! Are you with Audige?"

"It's Adrian," Leolin sobbed. She sounded like she was in pain, and Gen could here a male voice echoing as well. "Please, it's Adrian! Gen! Genevieve, _please!_ Help me! Get Dr—"

CRACK!

Gen had cried out and clawed at her earpiece as a curse sizzled through the connection. She'd given another shriek of alarm as she looked down at the device, which lay smoking on the floor. She'd reached to pick it up, but it singed her fingers. It had been obliterated. Or rather, Leolin's earpiece had been, and the spell had traveled through the connection and burned Gen. She didn't even want to think what that meant for Leolin.

"Oh gods," Gen whispered desperately, biting her lip. Draco was going to be so angry. How would she ever explain this to him?

It had been fifteen minutes now, and she sat, still shaking.

She hadn't meant for this to happen. She hadn't meant to put Leolin in danger. She drove a hair into her hair as she fought off tears and searched for what to do. Her lips had begun to tremble furiously. Still, she had to consider what this might mean for her. With Leolin gone, she and Draco would finally be free. She would finally be able to stop looking over her shoulder and worrying about what he and Leolin might be doing together. She'd been consumed by fear since his trip to London, and that fear was starting to wear away at her. She longed to simply have Draco entirely back to herself, and this might be her chance.

On the other hand, if Leolin died, Draco would surely blame Gen. They would all think she'd done this on purpose. A choked sob welled up. She suddenly wished she'd been nicer to Leolin. She chewed her lip harder, tears tangling in her lower lashes. What if Draco refused to forgive her? He would, she told herself, he couldn't not. He did love her, she knew he did, and with Leolin gone he would need Gen more than ever.

She took a heaving breath. Was she really ready to let Leolin die? She considered, pulling her knees to her chest and tucking her head down. Could she really live with that? Another ten minutes went by, then twenty. Merlin, if she was going to say something to Draco, she had to do it soon. At this point, Leolin could be dead already. Still, she hesitated. It had been thirty minutes now. She tried not to imagine what Adrian was probably doing to Leolin now that he'd caught her, though it wasn't particularly hard to guess what it was. The thought made her shudder. She had to call. She couldn't let Leolin die, even if some part of her dark heart wished Leolin would. She reached for the communication device but her hand hesitated over it. Ten more minutes passed before she reached for it again. She had to say something, didn't she? Twenty more minutes. Leolin had been gone a full hour now. Gen had to call. Still, she couldn't seem to make herself—

Suddenly, all the dots on the board began to quiver, and like a candle being extinguished, they all disappeared at once. Gen began to grow fretful again. This couldn't bode well for Leolin.

"Gen?" a disembodied voice called from the earpiece. The connection was damaged and weak, but Gen could still hear Draco well enough.

She crawled over to the mangled device, which was now cool enough for her to touch. She picked it up, and odd mix of terror and relief flooding her body. Draco was hers now. He would understand. He would forgive her.

"Drake!" she said, beginning to sob outright.

The guilt was welling up now, like blood beneath a scab.

"What's going on over there?" Draco asked. "I lost Pucey on the map, but he's right on my tale. I'm flying blind."

Gen said nothing, trying to get her heaving sobs under control.

"Darling, are you alright?" Draco said with concern. "What's going on? Why are you crying?"

"Drake," she cried, her guilt welling up. "I'm s-s-sorry!"

"What are you sorry for?" he asked. "It's not your fault they've disappeared. I just need to know Pucey's last location. He could be on me at any second."

"No," Gen continued. "I'm so s-s-sorry. I tried to stop them!"

"Gen, you're scaring me," he said, his voice hardening with worry. "What's going on?"

"Leolin!" she sobbed. "She's g-g-g-gone. Someone obliterated her earpiece and t-t-t-tracker."

"And Potter?" Draco demanded.

"He's here," Gen admitted, her voice quaking. "I called him because Grace was sick-k-k-k. She's been terribly sick all morning. They're upstairs with the h-h-healer now."

Silence reigned.

"Drake," Gen sobbed. "I swear, I tried to help her. You _have _to believe me. I would never do that to her, to _you. _Never."

That, Gen assured herself, was true. She was just about to call Draco and tell him about Leolin. She wasn't _actually_ going to let Leolin—

"Drake?"

More silence. He must have immediately relayed this information, because a minute later a furious Ginny apparated onto the porch, her eyes positively mad with grief as she made for Gen.

"You bitch," Ginny choked through the stricture in her throat. "You hideous, horrible _bitch."_

"Gin!" Pansy cried as Ginny drew her wand and hurled a curse at Gen.

It missed, but only by a milimetre. Despite Pansy's frantic protestations, Ginny advanced. She wasn't likely to miss again.

"Ginny, _Merlin_!" Pansy said, grabbing her friend's arm. "Stop!"

Ginny ignored Pansy as if she wasn't there. Her eyes were trained on Gen, who continued to back out of Ginny's range.

"It wasn't my fault, I swear," Gen said miserably.

"Bullshit," Ginny seethed, struggling against Pansy as tears welled in her eyes. "Just admit it, Genevieve: you saw your opportunity to get rid your competition and you couldn't bloody resist."

"No," Gen said, tears of her own streaking down her china doll cheeks. "That's not true. I admit hate Leolin, but I would never try to kill her!"

"How long?" Ginny snarled "How long did you wait before you called Drake? An hour? Two? I swear to fucking Merlin Genevieve, if any of those boys lay a _finger_ on Leolin, I will kill you."

"She should have come back with Harry," Gen reasoned. "She shouldn't have gone out alone like that!"

"How dare you blame her!" Ginny sobbed, mad with grief and fury now. "Cru—"

"Ginevra, _enough_!"

Blaise and Tieran had arrived now, and Blaise had Ginny around the waist, hauling her backwards.

"Let me go!" Ginny said, pounding on his chest. "She turned Leolin over to Adrian!"

"Hey," Blaise said, grabbing her cheeks. "Listen to me. Draco will bring her back. You know he will."

This forced a lump to form in Gen's throat. She knew he was probably right, but it still stung. She wanted to see Leolin safely returned, of course she did, but she didn't want Draco to be the one to do it. She knew if he went after her, it would be the death knell for _their_ love and the renaissance Draco and Leolin's.

She shook her head fiercely, searching the room for an ally even knowing she had none. Everyone was giving her stone-cold stares. There were two more pops, and Ieuan and Luke appeared. Ieuan looked almost as mad as Ginny, though he said nothing. She knew he'd never liked her.

Gen turned to Blaise, who was the only one who didn't openly despise her.

"It was just a terrible coincidence, I swear. Please Blaise, you _have _to believe me."

"I don't _have_ to do anything," Blaise said hatefully, still cradling Ginny. "And Ginny's right. You don't know Adrian like we do. You have no _idea _how much danger you've put her in."

"I didn't mean to put her in danger! You can ask Harry!" Gen said. "Grace is sick. She needed him."

"Where is Harry?" Tieran demanded, his expression cold as well.

"Upstairs," Gen said shakily. "Grace needed a healer."

There was a final pop, and everyone turned to see Draco sweep into the room.

"Drake," Gen cried, never so relieved to see him. "Merlin!"

He gave her a look he'd _never_ given her before. It was almost as if he was looking through her. She made to speak again, but he held up an imperious hand to demand she remain silent.

"Drake—" she stubbornly began again, but his diamond eyes had flitted to the latest newcomer.

"Is everything alright?" Harry asked, looking drawn. "I heard yelling."

Draco advanced quickly, punching Harry squarely in the jaw.

"You pathetic little cunt," he said with deadly venom. "How dare you."

"What the fuck!" Harry cried, massaging his jaw. "What are you on about?"

Draco grabbed him roughly by the collar.

"Leolin," Draco said in a deadly voice. "You just left her to go after Audige alone? Now Adrian has them both! I hope you're happy."

All the blood drained from Harry's face.

"You were supposed to have her back!" Draco said in disgust, shoving Harry with force. "You were supposed to look out for her for me!"

Harry's face grew resolute.

"Grace needed me here!" Harry said. "I'm not going to apologize for that."

"And what? You were somehow incapable of bringing Leolin with you? Tieran and I could have gone after Audige!"

"I tried!" Harry cried desperately. "I begged her to come back, but she refused. There is no dissuading her when she's made up her mind!"

"Then you force her to come! Hell, you imperius her if you have to!"

"_That," _Harry said hatefully, pointing an accusatory finger in Draco's direction. "Is why you were _never_ good enough for her, Malfoy; you never could muster of the decency to give her the respect and credit she deserved."

"How dare you criticize my relationship with Leolin!" Draco roared, and Tieran had to step between them to keep Draco back. "She was my entire existence. Don't for one _second_ pretend you understood my love for her."

Gen couldn't help bow her head at this. It felt like she was watching a train wreck she was utterly powerless to stop.

"Is that why she ran out on you?" Harry demanded. "Because you were just such a perfect mate?"

Draco lunged, and Gen stomped her foot.

"Stop!" she said. "Please! This isn't helping Leolin!"

Ieuan glared at her.

"Don't pretend you care about Leolin," he said coldly. "As per, you are worrying about you."

"Stop, _all_ of you," Blaise commanded. "We're going after Leolin. Now."

"No, I'm going alone," Draco said.

"Like Hell you are," Tieran snapped. "We have to fan out and find her. Her and Audige both. We've wasted too much time already. Let's not waste any more."

Blaise nodded in agreement.

"Where do we start?

* * *

Leolin eyes fluttered open and she gave a low groan. There was a sharp and pulsing throb in her left temple, and it felt like someone had filled her head with spoiled pudding. She tried to raise her chin, but she was extremely groggy, and the movement caused the pain in her temple to intensify. She remembered Rawle's fist swinging down, and after that everything went black. The blow must have knocked her out. She also thought she might have also been dosed with some sort of mild poison. She felt lethargic, and her brain was moving slow. Her neck ached from the weight of her head as it hung forward against. From her current position, she could see thatno one had cared to give her any clothes after Adrian had torn hers off, and she was still shamefully half-naked. She tried to raise her head again, but when she heard voices floating from the corridor beyond, she decided to remain still and simply listen.

"Any sign of Malfoy yet?" Dolohov said in a throaty growl.

"No," Scabior replied. "Pucey's still out hunting for him. He and Potter both."

"Bet he can't wait to come back and play with his new toys," Dolohov said.

Scabior gave a nasally laugh.

"Do you mean Lefevre or Audige?

Dolohov laughed,too.

"Both. Have you seen Lefevre? He stripped her down to her sodding knickers."

"I don't know why he bothers," Scabior said. "She's about one tenth as fit has he thinks she is."

"Yeah, but she's Malfoy's little plaything. I don't think Pucey can resist watching Malfoy go mad over all this."

"I guess," Scabior replied. "Though I'd just as soon have Malfoy's American. She has these firm, perky little tits I just want to bite."

"Maybe someday you will."

"What's going on with Audige?"

"He's still out. As soon as Pucey get's back, we're going to make him sing."

"But he's only half the solution," Scabior point out. "Maybe if Flint would pull his bloody weight we'd be farther along."

"Once we get Audige to spill, finding them will be easy."

_Them? _Leolin mused _Did that mean they were looking for more than one vessel? _

"I hope you're right," Scabior said.

"I am," Dolohov said in a rough voice. "Now what are we going to do with the girl?"

"I'll watch her until Adrian gets here," Scabior said flippantly.

"Keep a close eye on her," Dolohov demanded.

Scabior laughed.

"I can handle one silly bint," Scabior said, sounding a little insulted. "And besides, I know where Tate hit her. She's going to be weak when she does wake up."

"Fine," Dolohov said. "Just don't underestimate her."

"She's barefoot in knickers," Scabior sneered. "How dangerous can she be?"

Leolin listened as Dolohov's footsteps retreated, and she remained still as Scabior slipped into the room. Her mind was already sharpening, aided in large part by the oxygen rushing to her brain. She had no intention of sitting around and waiting for Harry or Draco to rescue her. Besides, she had no guarantee that Gen would pass on her message. For all she knew, Gen was the only one who was even aware she was missing. Either way, she had to figure out a way out of this on her own.

Adrian had obliterated her communication device, and the last she knew, Tate Rawle had he wand. What else did she have to defend herself with? She remembered the stiletto. She tipped her head back slightly. She could still feel it nestled among her dark hair.

How could she get it? She considered her options. There was really only one way, and it made her heart sink. Why couldn't anything ever be easy? First she would have to devise a way to get Scabior out of the room. After that, she would have to wandlessly summon the knife to her palm. From there, she would be able to cut the rope around her wrists, though that wouldn't be easy either. She was just lucky she was dealing with Scabior and not a more formidable wizard. Someone like Rawle would likely have bound her wrists with more than just Muggle rope.

Leolin's mind raced ahead. After she cut the rope—she didn't even want to think about what she might have to do after.

She heard the sharp clap of Scabior's boots on the stone floor as he approached her, and she kept her head bent. She would need to bide her time and keep him from getting suspicious if she wanted even a prayer of getting out before Adrian arrived.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Scabior mewed, crouching down and lifting her chin with his finger so he could look her in the eye. Her wand was tucked in his front pocket.

The sharp movement made her hiss in pain, and he only laughed. He looked a great deal like his father, whom Leolin had encountered only briefly in the Battle of Hogwarts. Nic had his father's lanky build and dark, beady eyes, though there was an intelligence in his that his father's had lacked.

"Malfoy's going to be mad Tate roughed your face up," Scabior said, giving a mock pout. "So is Adrian. I'm not bothered, though. You're really ent my type."

She only sneered in response. Scabior continued.

"Adrian is always going on about you, but I dunno, you're rather plain, ent you? I'd take Malfoy's yank over you any day."

"Why's that?" Leolin croaked, her throat dry. She had to keep him talking until she could find a way to get him out of the room.

"Because you're just a cold English bitch," Scabior smiled. "And I've had plenty of those in my day."

"Draco would kill you for even trying," she said in reference to Gen.

"Would he?" Scabior sneered. "I was under the impression that you'd rather usurped his affection."

Leolin gave a grim smile.

"Why don't you do me a favour and tell Jaime Quinn he doesn't know what he's on about," she said with derision. "There's nothing between me and Malfoy anymore."

"Adrian'll be happy to hear it. He's not really one for sharing his toys."

"Fuck off," she demanded, feeling sick.

Talking about this reminded her of Lucius and Cristian had done to her, and it made her feel cheap and used.

"You do have a decent body," Scabior continued, cocking his head to the side and examining her. "I will give you that."

Her ankles had been tied to the legs of the chair, leaving her legs partially spread. Her cheeks flamed in humiliation when she saw where he was looking .

"It's a shame you're wearing them knickers, though," he added casually. "I bet your cunt is a lovely shade of pink."

"You're a pig," she spit, trying to remain calm. She couldn't let him keep getting under her skin.

"Oh relax," Scabior said in a mild voice. "I ent going to bloody touch you. It's Beauchene I'm after, I already told you"

"Over Draco's dead body," Leolin bit out.

"All in good time," Scabior replied.

Something about the way he said it, so matter-of-fact, made her blood run cold. She supposed that some part of her had always known that Lucius planned to have Draco killed when the time was right, but it was still chilling to hear the words spoke aloud. Scabior did not fail to see her concern, and he smirked.

"That's touching," he said, sick grin widening. "It really kills you to think about Adrian slitting his throat, doesn't it?"

"If Pucey really thinks he can kill Draco, he's more than welcome to try," she snapped. "He'll never succeed."

Scabior shook his head, though.

"You're wrong about that," he said with confidence.

"Pride goeth before the fall, Scabior."

"Tell that to Pucey," Scabior said casually.

"I mean to," she said.

"He'll be thrilled," Scabior said, a sick glimmer in his eye.

Leolin rolled her shoulders in irritation, which caused a sharp ache to radiate down her back. Her strength was slowly returning, but she gave no physical evidence of the fact. She had to bide her time and wait until she was ready to start conjuring. If she played her hand too early, she could miss her only chance at freedom. She had to get the timing right. If she was still here when Adrian arrived, her race would be run. She knew Adrian; the first thing he'd do was spoil Leolin, knowing Draco would be driven mad by the idea of Adrian between her thighs. Just the notion of such sexual humiliation made her throat ache.

"Why does Adrian even want me so much?" Leolin asked, trying vainly to keep Scabior talking.

He shrugged.

"He's the new Lucius, I suppose. Guess he wants to live in his footsteps."

Leolin flushed involuntary, which produced a toothy grin on Scabior's face.

"Oh, you thought no one knew?" The grin widened. "Ent you naïve! The only person that doesn't know about your little romp with the minister is your poor, stupid boyfriend Draco."

She grit her teeth and he laughed.

"It's sorta funny, if you think about it. The last Malfoy to fuck you was Lucius."

Leolin sneered, longing for the knife. Scabior, who was delighted by her reactions, continued.

"Maybe you two will have a repeat performance when—"

He stopped abruptly. She perked up, sensing he was about to spill something important, and immediately he shut up, though he sought to cover up his blunder with another sinister grin.

"Oh you mean if you actually succeed in your miserable plot to bring Tom Riddle back?" she asked, unable to mask some of her old fire. "That's seems terribly unlikely, don't you think?"

There was a flash in her eyes that confirmed she was right. It was a small victory, and it left her feeling a bit shaky, but at least now she was sure of the truth. She decided to test her luck.

"If only Adrian could summon Jean du Bones," she said in mock wistfulness.

"We have Audige now," Scabior reminded her.

"And how long will that last, I wonder," she goaded. "They don't call 'King of the Quarter' for nothing, Nic."

"If he's so high and mighty, why did it only take us less than a minute to take him down?"

"Yes, eight against one. What a brave bunch you lot are. How's your little friend Torrii?"

"Shut your whore mouth, Lefevre."

"Did I strike a nerve? I thought she was Adrian's plaything, not yours."

He responded was a hard blow across the face. She was going to have one hell of a bruise.

"So," she said. "What are you going to do when you bleed Audige dry and find out that Bones is a ghost story for children? Can't imagine the minister is going to be to thrilled with that. But then, that's your humiliation to bear, not mine."

He gave a self-satisfied smirk.

"You and I both know that ent true. Bones is real, and Audige is going to be the one to summon him for us."

_This was good_, Leolin thought. She hadn't expected to get this much out of him. It would be useful if she ever got out of here.

"Still though," Leolin said, fighting off another wave of nausea. "Audige is only half of the puzzle, isn't he? You still need whatever Marcus Flint was looking for in Greece."

"I dunno what you're talking about," Scabior said, trying to act casual.

"No," Leolin said, smiling a little. "I'm sure you don't."

He decided to change tactics. Instead of responding, he slapped her across the face, and the sharp head turn made her dizzy.

"Didn't mummy ever tell you it's rude to eavesdrop?" Scabior demanded.

"What is it you're looking for?" she asked. "I know there are more than one."

He scowled nastily.

"Shut up, you slag."

"If only Draco's stepfather knew where Herpo's vessels were," Leolin said, "Then you lot would really be in business."

Scabior's smile widened at something she said, and it was admittedly unnerving.

"Herpo's vessel is a myth," Scabior said. "And there is only one of them anyways."

"It is a myth," Leolin conceded. "Who knows what the truth is? You lot certainly don't. You can tell Adrian I said that."

Scabior continued to smile his knowing smile. Was he bluffing, or was she wrong about something? Her gut told her it was the former.

"It's fascinating, you know," he commented, trying to steer her in another direction. She decided to play along.

"What is?"

"Watching your mind work. You're wrong about everything, of course, but it's still amusing to watch you try."

"In that case, riddle me this: if you aren't looking for the vessel, what are you doing stealing lekythii and loutrophori?"

"What the bleeding hell is a loutrophoros?" he said evenly, still smirking.

"You know," she said. "For a stupid man, you certainly don't play stupid very well. You know damn well what a loutrophoros is. In fact, I'm willing to bet you were the one helping Flint knick them. You are the sort that would push over priceless statuary just because you could."

"You one to talk, Genie," he said, trying again to avoid her probes. "You're a renowned criminal, ent you?"

"You're avoiding the question again," Leolin pointed out. She had him right where she wanted him. He was guaranteed to react in one of two ways. Either he would lose control and reveal something he wasn't supposed to, or he would get frustrated and leave. Either way, she gained something she wanted.

"Well?" she repeated.

"You want to know why we're in New Orleans?" Scabior asked, rising out of his chair. He leaned over to whisper in her ear, and she turned her head away in disgust.

"To catch Audige," she said.

"It's not just that. We're here because you lot are," he murmured. "You dunno it yet, Lefevre, but you lot are like rats in a maze. You might feel free, but I promise you that there ent a place on this earth that you lot can go that Lucius doesn't have a finger on you."

"Is that so?"

He looked triumphant.

"I only wish you'd picked a better spot," he said. "I'm bloody sick of this weather."

She said nothing and he looked satisfied, though she could tell she'd riled him up. He rose away from her, making for the door.

"Well, I'd love to stay in here and chat, love, but I unfortunately have duties."

"I bet," she replied, her old fire now at almost half force again. "Herpo's vessels aren't going to steal themselves."

He was growing agitated.

"You best hold your tongue, Lefevre," he demanded, turning his back.

"Or what?" she croaked.

He whirled around, eyes no longer playful.

"Or I'll cut it off and shove it up your twat," he sneered.

"If I find the vessel first," she goaded. "What will you give me for it?"

He gave a grim smile.

"Find it and I'll let you know. Or is it them? Now sit tight and wait for me, will you?"

With that he turned around again, passing through the door and slamming it shut behind him. For a second she thought he might forget to lock it, and her heart leapt. However, she heard the telltale click a few seconds later, and she gave a disappointed exhale. She was hoping she could simply slip out unnoticed. Instead, she would have to wait for him to come back, and be ready for him when he did.

She took another deep breath, trying to clear her mind. However, it was harder that it seemed. Her thoughts were a buzzing, chaotic jumble. It was hard to focus through the pain in her temple, which had bled down into her cheek and jaw, and she still felt woozy and nauseous. Worse still was the internal pressure. She knew she didn't have long—minutes at most—and she didn't want to waste time.

She closed her eyes, trying visualize what was going on inside her mind. It was a windstorm of thoughts and fears, and the cacophony and mess made it impossible for her to perform the sort of magic necessary. She needed to sort through the madness, to cut through all the bullshit so she could access her strength of mind.

She began sorting through things, trying to put them in categories. Scabior first. What had she learned from him? What could she be sure he'd confirmed? They were trying to resurrect the Dark Lord, and Adrian was going after Bones to help him do it. That she already knew, but every reassurance was helpful. Herpo's Vessel. They were looking for Herpo's Vessel. Wait, was she sure of that? Somehow that part still bothered her. If they sought the vessel, what did they need Bones for? Could it only be wielded by a Necromancer? Or were they simply trying to cover all their bases, to seek the vessel and Bones in the event that one was a myth?

She wasn't sure, but she filed this piece of information away regardless. It would be useful to her soon, she was sure. What else did she know? Lucius meant to kill Draco. Her heartbeat throbbed at his, sending an unpleasant pulsation of pain to her temple and down her jaw.

When? Probably not until the dark lord returned. At least not until Lucius had consolidated his power base. As much control as he had amassed as minister, Leolin knew it was a house of cards, poised to crumble at the slightest disturbance. Lucius wouldn't strike at Draco until he knew he could succeed. She was aware of her throbbing heartbeat again. As soon as Lucius found Bones, Draco's time would be up.

She squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't think about that now; that was a fear best fretted over at a different time. Reluctantly, she set that realization aside as well, putting it in a safe like Draco had taught her and locking it away.

As she did, she could feel a wave of relieve showering over her, and the stricture in her chest loosened as she took another deep breath. She ignored the itching curiousity to look inside the vault she'd just locked, pushing the sensation to the back of her mind instead. She made sure not to go too far back, though. She didn't want to forget it was there. When she got out of this, she needed to remember the stakes; nothing motivated Leolin quite like her love for Draco.

The sorting process had calmed her considerably, and the clutter of her constructed mindspace was already lessening. She took another deep breath. She was ready to begin. She closed her eyes, imagining the gleaming stiletto wound in her dark hair. The instrument was fine Spanish silver, and the handle had been inlaid with exquisite gold filigree. The undulating shape of the blade was based on the Indonesian Kris knife, and it too had been beautifully embossed. The smith who'd fashioned it had designed the instrument to look like a snake, an illusion that was enhanced by the two emeralds that had been inlaid into the hilt to look like gleaming eyes.

Leolin imagined running her thumb over the emeralds, just as she had many times before. She imagined the weight of the instrument: pleasingly heavy but still graceful. She'd never used it, of course, but it cut through the air quickly when swung. Severina, who'd given Leolin the stiletto as a gift, had assured her that it cut through flesh just as easily. This thought made Leolin's head pound uncomfortably again, and the throbbing pain erased the dagger from her mind's eye.

"Damn," she swore quietly, trying to begin again as quickly as possible. Her demons were knocking again, and it was hard to stay focused long enough to imagine the blade.

She kept picturing Gen's face, and hearing her voice on the other end of the receiver as Leolin cried to her for help. Had she told anyone Leolin was missing? Before she could stop herself, Leolin imagined Gen lying in Draco's arms, her eyes screwed up and her head thrown back in pleasure. It was difficult to remain properly motivated when she remembered where Draco's love currently lay. Would he try and come for her even if Gen did tell him?

Leolin tried to banish the thought, but it was difficult. She could hear footsteps echoing down the hall again, and she imagined Scabior coming back.

"Go away!" she hissed at the image of Gen, trying to focus.

The tread was closer now. It was definitely Scabior. Leolin pictured the blade, though she could only ever see it for a moment or two before Gen's face reappeared.

She doesn't change anything between us, Leolin could hear Draco saying to Gen. She means nothing to me now.

"Damnit," Leolin pleaded with herself, trying to summon the blade to her palm.

Scabior was thirty seconds from the door, tops. She was sweating from the stress of it all, and she tried to picture herself holding the knife. Gen was still there, though, still clinging to Draco. Jesus, Scabior was just outside the door; Leolin could hear him drawing his wand.

She was beyond desperate, knowing that if she couldn't do it now, she would never have another chance. The next time Scabior returned and unlocked the door, he'd surely have Adrian with him.

"Ready or not, princess," Scabior called.

Frantic, Leolin squeezed her eyes shut, imagining herself with the knife again. She could see herself now, just as clearly as if she was looking in a mirror. However, before Leolin could utter the words, Gen appeared again, her smile cruel.

_Your loss is my gain, sugar._

Leolin could feel the image of herself melting into the shadow of Gen's towering presence, and in desperation, she did the only thing she could think of; she drove the imaginary blade directly into Gen's heart, causing the latter to shriek. _Accio!_ She thought savagely as Gen's blood flowed over her hands.

The knife dropped into her palm just as Scabior swung the door in.

"Miss me?" he asked, kicking the door closed with a heavy combat boot. He'd been wearing a dark trenchcoat, and he threw it over the chair before rolling up her chair. She bit her lip, silently slipping the blade along the rope and beginning to cut. He was acting the way people did when they were gearing up for a fist fight. It was as if he didn't want to get blood on his nice coat.

"More than you know," Leolin croaked, her heart hammering in her chest.

She doggedly kept sawing. The hemp wasn't overly thick, but the position of her wrists made cutting awkward. It would probably take her a full minute to free her hands. Based on the quizzical scowl Scabior was giving her, she doubted she had that long.

"Oy," he said, frowning at her. "What you done to your hair?"

"Sorry?" she replied, trying to remain as calm as possible.

"It were up, last time I was here. Now it's down."

"What are you talking about?" Leolin repeated stupidly.

She'd worked her right hand free, and making it easier to cut the rope. Still, Scabior began advancing.

"Don't be stupid with me, girl," Scabior snarled. "How'd you get your hair down?"

"I haven't touched it! You're mad!" she said.

"Don't lie to me, you bitch! How'd you do that without a wand?"

"If I could do magic in here," she reasoned, "Why would I waste time on a charm to let down my hair?" Leolin said, breathless with fear. Her left hand was nearly free.

"You tell me," Scabior said reaching her at last.

He slapped her just as she cut through the last of the rope. She nearly dropped the knife from the force of the blow, but managed to hold on. Shaking now, she transferred the stiletto to her right hand. She was left-handed usually, but if she wanted a clear shot at his main artery, she would need to be flexible. She thought about what Severina had said about the knife and tightened her grip.

"Well?" Scabior demanded, cocking his head to the side as he got up in her face.

She could practically see the blood pumping along his carotid. She wondered if flesh was a yielding as people said.

"Answer me!"

"Because of this," she rasped, grabbing him by the collar of his pinstriped shirt with her left hand and jerking his head sideways. Closing her eyes, she raised the knife and jammed it into his neck.

He gave a horrid, wet screech as she was sprayed with his blood. It was in her hair and eyes, dripping down her cheeks and into her mouth. She couldn't help the scream which had torn from her throat, and she screamed again as she watched him crumple, his eyes glassy and empty.

She shook violently as she looked down at his corpse, which was still gushing blood onto the floor. Leolin had never really considered the smell of blood before, but now that Scabior had shed five pints, it filled the room. It was metallic yet oddly cloying, and Leolin gagged.

Salazar Slytherin, what had she done? She couldn't stop looking at Scabior's body, a new swell of panic cresting every time she did. She'd never killed someone before. Even in the Battle of Hogwarts, she hadn't killed anyone. Hell, she'd only been fifteen; she'd barely been part of the bloodshed at all.

Now she'd killed someone. She looked at Scabior again, trying to remember that he was vile and he would have done the same to her, or worse. That didn't suppress the panic. Leolin knew she needed to go, and now, but she was remained rooted to the chair, baptized in Scabior's blood. Merlin, what had she done?

She squeezed her crimson-stained lids shut. She could only afford to let the fear in for ten seconds. She would allow herself to panic for ten seconds, and when the time was up, she had to move.

One.

She felt her hands quaking as she wiped the blood her face.

Two.

She blinked several adrenaline-fueled tears out of her lower lashes, and she could feel them running down her cheeks.

Three. Four. Five. Six.

She looked down at Scabior again, watching the blood as it oozed out in an obsidian pool beneath his head, like a dark halo of sorts.

Seven. Eight. Nine.

She closed her eyes; she was a murderer now. She would never be able to undo that fact.

Ten.

She opened her eyes again, forcing herself to look at Scabior a last time. Her wand was still peeping out of his pocket, and she grabbed it and pointed it at her feet, freeing her binds.

She rose to find she was unsteady on her feet, and she waivered a little as she fought to remain upright. Her head was pounding again, and she felt nauseous. She still had Scabior's hot blood in her mouth. She spat, leaving a small puddle of red on the grey slate floor.

Still shaking slightly, she stepped over Scabior's corpse, bending to retrieve his wand and her knife, which had clattered to the floor after she'd stabbed him. Blood had seeped into all the microfine lines of the engraved blade. She doubted she'd ever be away to get it all out. She drew the broad side of the knife across her thigh, laundering some of the excess carnage. She might have to use it again.

Finally seeming to realize herself, she looked down at herself, her bare skin covered in Scabior's blood. Suddenly she couldn't bare to be in her knickers and bare feet one second longer. She threw Scabior's forgotten coat over her shoulders, grateful it wasn't covered in blood. She then looked down at him, biting her lip. She did't really have a choice. If she wanted shoes, she was going to have to take them off his corpe. She bent down, trembling as she yanked one off. She thought for a moment about taking his socks as well, but the though of touching his quickly greying flesh was too much. She wrenched the second boot off and slipped them on her feet. They were naturally too big, but she quickly used a spell to shrink them.

The coat smelled like Scabior's noxious pomade, and she tried not to inhale the scent too deeply; it made her manic. Finally she took a deep breath, brushing her matted hair back before tucking her own wand into the coat's left pocket before raising Scabior's wand. Hers wouldn't do for opening the door.

"Alohamora," she whispered, and she heard the lock click.

Stealing one last glance back at Scabior's form, she silently slipped from the room, shutting the door soundlessly behind her. She felt additional wetness on her cheeks, and she raised her hand cautiously to her face. They were involuntary tears, inspiring mostly by the horror she'd just ingested. Hurriedly, she wiped them away.

She cautiously started out down the corridor, trying to remember how she'd gotten in. It felt like so long ago, and with her pounding headache, everything in the past day felt fuzzy. She thought it might be left, and started off.

However, she heard voices after several seconds, and she hurriedly ran right, rounding the corner and laying flat again the stones. There were two figures approaching from the left. She dared not look, but she thought she recognized voices. One, she was sure, was Micky Travers. The other sounded like Will Rosier, but she couldn't be sure.

"Where is she now?" Rosier was asking, they were walking slowly, but Leolin bit her lip. They were headed her way, and she didn't have more than ninety seconds until they were where she was. Behind her was a dead end.

"In here," Travers said. "Adrian was about to piss himself when he caught her with Audige. He has such a stupid weakness for her."

"I don't know why," Rosier said. "I think she's bloody average at best."

"So do I," Travers agreed. "Her tits are too big for her frame, and she always has this arrogant little look on her face. It makes me want to knock her teeth out."

How could Leolin take them both out without raising an alarm? Merlin, how could she take them both out without getting recaptured? She had no idea. She gripped her wand and tried to think.

"What Adrian like about her some much, then?"

"They never liked each other, even in school. Now I think he gets his rocks off thinking about how crazy it would drive Malfoy."

"Has Malfoy shown up yet?" Rosier asked.

They were closer now, having already passed her cell door. They must have been on a patrol, which meant they would definitely find her. Merlin, they would be so angry when they found out that Scabior was dead.

"Not yet. Pucey's out hunting for him now. Give him time, though. He'll be here one way or another. Adrian will either nab him or he'll double back for Lefevre."

Suddenly, Leolin felt someone behind her, but before she could scream, they put a hand over her mouth.

"It's me," a voice breathed in her ear, and Leolin sagged against Draco, relieved. He wrapped a protective arm around her stomach and pulled her flush against him. Around the corner, the voices continued.

"What makes you so sure Malfoy's coming? If I were him, I would go snooping in Adrian's affairs, even for a juicy twat like Lefevre's," Rosier pointed out.

"Stun on three," Draco whispered, his lips brushing the shell of her ear.

"Oh, Lefevre knows her business well enough."

"One."

"And Pucey's is confident she has him back on the hook again."

"Two."

"That's right where we want him."

"Three."

Draco released Leolin and they both leaned out enough to cast their charms. The others crumpled at once. Leolin immediately sprang out, snatching their wands before taking their memories. When it was done she turned to look at Draco, who was watching her with bright eyes.

"How did you—" she began numbly, but he cut her off by pushing her against the wall and kissing her fiercely.

His hands tangled in her hair as his tongue ravaged her mouth. Despite what she'd endured, Leolin felt a relief flooding her senses, and she melted into his form, gripping his collars and bowing her back so her body was glued against his. Finally, they ran out of breath, and Draco relinquished, dropping his forehead to hers.

"Leolin," he breathed reverently, stroking her hair. "You were supposed to be careful. Why can you never just do as you're bloody told?

She responded by curled against his strong chest, her eyes slipping closed.

"You scared the hell out of me. I thought you were—" he began, and she nodded.

"I know," she croaked, leaning back to look at him.

He bent to kiss her softly again, first on the lips, then the cheeks, jaws, and eyelids.

"What happened to you?" he breathed, taking in Scabior's coat and worn boots before drinking in the bra and knickers beneath. "Are you alright?" he asked, examining the ugly bruise at her temple before cupping her cheek and bending so he could look her in the eye. "Whose blood is this?"

"It's not mine," she murmured, and she realizing she was shaking a bit again. "Nic Scabior is dead," she finished after a moment.

She looked up at him, allowing her expression to convey the fear and sorrow of what she's done.

"Come here," he breathed, pulling her against him again. "It's alright. You did what you had to."

"Have you ever killed someone before?" she whispered.

"Yes," he replied softly.

"Does this feeling ever go away?" she asked.

He considered a moment.

"You learn to live with it."

She nodded, and he bent to kiss her gently again.

"What about Audige?" she asked suddenly.

"He's safe. Blaise and Tieran already got him. What happened to your clothes?"

"Adrian," she admitted softly, feeling ashamed. "I was at Audige's court when that lot showed up. He just couldn't resist this golden opportunity to humiliate me. He told me I should be grateful he didn't strip me naked."

Draco looked furious.

"I'm going to rip that bastard's beating heart out of his sodding chest."

"Please," she said in a quiet voice. "I don't want to talk about him right now."

He nodded, warm hands finding her trim waist as he bent to kiss her again.

"Audige," she repeated when they finally pulled away again. "Bones is his master. He's the one, the only one, that knows how to summon him."

"I know," Draco said. "And we already have him somewhere Adrian will never find him."

"Then we did it," she breathed in a daze.

He nodded, a smile ghosting his lips.

"Because of you. Leolin," he breathed, kissing her neck as he pulled her closer. "You never cease to amaze me."

She stood on tip-toes, threading her hands through his silky hair and kissing him again. He slid his tongue into her mouth as his strong hands bled to her arse, pushing her closer. He dropped his forehead to hers.

"We have to go," he breathed.

He pulled away, tugging her hand. However, she didn't follow.

"Drake, wait," she insisted. "What now?"

"With Audige?" he said grimly. "We convince him to tell us the secret then we destroy whatever it is Adrian's looking for."

He tugged again and she resisted, shaking her head.

"No," she said. "With me and you. With you and Gen."

Draco gave her a sobering look.

"Drake please," she said. "I need to know. Are you going to break it off with her?"

"Leolin," he said, growing more agitated. "We don't have time for this. I didn't come all the way over her to watch you die in the corridor."

"I need to know," she said softly. "Does this mean..."

She trailed off, unable to say the words. He gave her a sparkling look.

"Leolin, I—"

Just then, Leolin's eye caught a flash of movement over Draco's shoulder. Dolohov was creeping up behind Draco, his wand raised. Leolin had only a second to react. She grabbed Draco's shirt roughly and jerked him to the left.

"Drake, behind you!"

"Sectumsempra!"

"Avada Kadavra!"

Dolohov slumped to the floor, dead.

Draco's keep his wand trained on Dolohov to ensure he wasn't breathing. When he had confirmation, his head whirled to Leolin, brow furrowed.

"You alright?"

"Fine," she replied.

She suddenly realized Scabior's coat was wet, and quizzically she touched the growing stain. What was that? She raised her sodden palm to the level of her eyes, and when she saw it was crimson, she grew unsteady on her feet. Draco saw it, too. They met gazes, and his eyes were wild with panic.

"Drake," she said numbly as an exquisite pain bloomed across her abdomen. "I think I—"

Her feet would no longer support her, and he caught her just before her head slammed against the slate floor. He flicked open his floo.

"Blaise!" he cried.

"What's happening to me?" she asked.

"It's—" Draco's voice was tight. "Just hold on, okay? You're going to be all right. "

"Draco?" Blaise's voice was floating disembodied from the floo. "We're on our way to you now. Is Leolin with you?"

"I'm bleeding," she said weakly.

"I know," Draco said, trying to hide his panic. "But it's going to be okay, I promise."

He put a hand over the wound, and she cried out in pain.

"Blaise!" Draco said, voice quaking a little. "Hurry up! Leolin's—Leolin needs a healer."

Leolin's head had already grown heavy. She knew she was bleeding out. She looked up at Draco. He knew it, too.

"Drake," she said, reaching a hand to touch his cheek. "I—"

"No," he said firmly. "No grand declarations. That's what people who are dying do. You're not dying, so just shut up. It's—it's going to be fine. I'm here with you, and everything is going to be fine. You'll see."

"Drake," she repeated, insistent despite her exhaustion. "You should know why I left."

"It doesn't matter right now," Draco said, cradling her face with one hand as he put pressure on the wound with the other. She was too weak to do it anymore. "It can wait."

"No, it can't," she said. "If I die—"

"That's easy, then," Draco said. "Don't die."

Leolin closed her eyes and licked her lips. The pain was dragging her under, and she'd lost too much blood. She could feel herself flitting in and out of consciousness.

"You know that I love you, right?" she croaked, letting her hand fall away from his cheek. "I never stopped."

He said nothing, only clenched his jaw. Leolin had only seen Draco cry once before, but she knew he was fighting not to cry now. That made her throat tight as well. She didn't want to die, either.

"Yes," he said at last. "I know that."

She nodded and closed her eyes.

"Good."

"Leolin!" he said insistently, holding her a little closer. "You can't fall asleep. You have to stay with me."

"I'll try," she murmured, forcing her leaden lashes up so she could look at him.

"No try," he demanded, a solitary tear sliding down his cheek, cutting through the grimy mess her bloody handprint had left. "Promise me."

"No try," she repeated, even as her vision began to blur around the edges. "I…promise…"

"Cal," he said, but he sounded far away. "Callie, please. Hang in there. Stay with me."

Leolin could no longer keep her eyes open, though she could still hear Draco.

"Lai," he said, voice cracking. "Leolin, I'm begging you. Don't go. Please, don't go. Don't leave me. Not now."

Leolin wanted to speak, to open her eyes, to kiss him, but she was falling away at last.

She could hear shuffling feet now, and six or so others voices.

"What happened?" Blaise was saying.

"Get Snape!" Draco cried. "Someone get me Snape! And help me get her up!"

Leolin felt the final bits of her conscious mind crumbling, and the last thing she remembered were Draco's lips gently again her own.

_"I...love...you..."_


	17. Chapter 16: Say Something, I

**Chapter 16: Say Something, I'm Giving Up on You**

"_Hello?" Leolin called setting down her wand and pulling off her coat. "Severina? Sei qui?"_

"_I'm on the balcony," Severina called. "Come join me."_

"_There you are," Severina purred when Leolin emerged onto her large terrace._

_Severina was sitting at the table, bouncing her eight-month-old Isadora on her knee._

"_Mira, Isa," she told the baby. "¿Quién es eso?"_

"_It's done," Leolin said cryptically. "We were in and out with no alarms. Tomorrow is Monday, so the Borghese probably won't realize they've been robbed until Tuesday, at the earliest. I'm sure Teller will call me in to consult, but I've already set up a convincing false trail for he and the aurors' office to follow in Tel Aviv. The piece will be long gone before he realizes that's a dead end."_

_Leolin flopped down, rubbing her eyes. Severina frowned sympathetically._

"_You looked tense, tesora," Severina observed. "Here, hold the baby."_

_Leolin smiled, accepting Isa gladly._

"_Hello, mon petit bebe," she to Isa. "Comment ça va?"_

_Severina smiled._

"_Between, you, me, and her papa, she will speak four languages before she can walk."_

_Leolin smiled, stroking the baby's cheek._

"_Good," Leolin said dryly. "She's going to need it if she wants to be a criminal like her madrina."_

_Severina laughed heartily._

"_At the very least, it will make her an accomplished socialite."_

"_And beautiful," Leolin cooed, tickling Isa's round stomach. "__**Smeriglio**__, look at those eyes. They're gorgeous. She looks like you, Ri. Both the girls do."_

_Severina smiled._

"_I think she looks more like Xavy. She has his perfect lips. Now my Angie, she looks just like me."_

"_Non," Leolin said. "I think Isa's going to grow up to be her mama's twin, too. People are going to think you three are the Borgia sisters." _

"_I hope they will be more well-behaved than their mama," Severina said. _

_Leolin shook her head._

"_You know she won't be," Leolin said, laughing a little and bouncing a babbling Isa. "She's going to be just as wild. Angie maybe less so, but Isa is going to be a handful, I can already tell."_

"_I only hope in her foolishness she stumbles on loyal friends, as I have."_

_Leolin said nothing, only smiled and extended her hand, which Severina squeezed gratefully._

"_She will always have me," Leolin said softly, kissing Isa's soft head._

"_I'm grateful for that," Severina said seriously. "I thought when I found Xavy that my family was complete. It was only after I met you that I realized there was always una sorella missing."_

_Leolin's cheeks flooded with colour._

"_Thank you," she murmured, kissing the baby's head again. "It feels good to be part of a family again."_

"_What about your own family?" Severina asked pointedly. "Your parents? Are you ever going to go home to see them again?"_

_Leolin looked down, her grip on Isa tightened a little._

"_Someday," Leolin lied. _

_Who was she kidding? She could never go home. She knew that, and on some strange level it felt like Severina knew it, too._

_They were silent for a few minutes, and Leolin could feel Severina scrutinizing her. She needed to change the subject before Severina dug her claws in. However, it was too late. Severina was on her before she could speak again._

"_Why don't you have a boyfriend?" Severina said frankly. "Ilario has been asking about you again."_

"_Who is Ilario?" Leolin asked._

"_Xavy's sexy banker friend from Siena. Why don't you let him take you out and make you happy, cara mia?"_

"_I'm only twenty three," Leolin defended, trying to laugh it off. "I'm not ready to settle down."_

_Severina wasn't fooled._

"_You would have been married three years already if you hadn't left Inglaterra. Do you realize that?"_

"_Did you consider that's why I left?" Leolin countered, growing visibly nervous. _

_Severina had been inching closer to the truth for months, and Leolin was terrified she might actually discover it. If she did, Leolin would have to face her demons at last, and she wasn't ready for that._

"_No," Severina said simply. "Because that's not why you left."_

"_How do you know? You weren't even there."_

"_I know," Severina said evenly. "Because I've seen you and Draco together. I know how much you loved each other."_

_Leolin stood abruptly, needing somewhere to pace._

"_Don't mistake Draco's adoration for me with true love. Those were Draco's feelings you saw, not mine. My sentiments never ran as deep."_

"_For a thief," Severina said calmly. "You are a terrible liar, Leolin Lefevre."_

"_Sev, I—" she began, but Severina cut her off._

"_I saw you, Leolin. The night of the gala. I saw your face when Draco and I walked in together."_

_She looked remorseful but resolute, and her candor was wearing away at Leolin's resolve. Leolin turned her back and continued to rock the baby._

"_I know how much you loved him. How much I think you still love him."_

"_Things changed," Leolin said desperately. "My feeling's changed."_

"_So you decided to leave?" Severina said._

"_I wanted a fresh start," Leolin said. "I needed—to get away, to get out of the UK start something new on my own."_

"_And so you called your loathsome cousin to help you?" Severina asked, clearly not impressed by Leolin's lies. "Why him?"_

"_I wanted to slip out quietly," Leolin said in agitation. "I wanted someone who wasn't at the wedding to come get me."_

_Severina gave a sad smile._

"_That's how I know you're lying about something," she said in a soft voice._

"_What do you mean? No, I—"_

"_I know you think because we weren't friends yet that I don't know how you would have thought back then, but you're wrong. You were still my Leolin. You still had that same brain I love, and so I know where you would have gone if you were in trouble."_

"_What are you talking about?" Leolin demanded._

_She could she the tidal waves' shadow looming over her, though she had nowhere to run from it._

"_If you just had cold feet and wanted to get away, you wouldn't have called Cristian. Cristian's vile and repugnant, and when you came to me in Valencia you were practically his slave. Now, if things were as simple as you said, you would have gone to only man besides Draco you've ever loved."_

"_I've never loved anyone else," Leolin said at once, though she could see where Severina was going with this._

"_Yes you have," Severina said. "Kelly Troy. You were able to convince Draco you didn't, I know, but I know you did. If you needed help, he would have been there. That tells me that you were in more trouble than you'd like to admit, and you called Cristian because he was the only person with the skills to help you disappear."_

"_Ri, please—"_

_Severina wouldn't relent._

"_What happened, tesoro? Whatever it is, you can tell me."_

_Leolin held Isa, who was falling sleep, a little tighter in her arms._

"_Leolin," Severina said gently, rising to rub her friend's back. "Dimmi."_

_Leolin turned, her face the very portrait of anguish._

"_It was awful," she bit out._

"_What was?" Severina said soothingly, gently taking the baby so Leolin was free before settling her in a chair. "dimmi, cara mia. Let it out."_

_Leolin buried her face in her hands, shaking her head._

"_I didn't want to go," she admitted at last. "I loved Draco. I love him still."_

"_Then why did you?" Severina urged._

_Leolin shook her head._

"_I had to!" she snapped. "Lucius—made me."_

"_How?" Severina said, frowning. "What happened?"_

_Leolin shook her head again._

"_Did he threaten you?" Severina asked. _

"_It was worse than that," Leolin said, her voice quaking with unnamed emotion._

_Severina was looking at her quizzically, and Leolin sighed. This was Severina. If there was anyone that Leolin could trust to midwife this secret into the world, it was Sev._

"_He came to my room looking like Draco," Leolin said, bowing her head. "And he—we—"_

"_Oh Leolin," Severina said softly, coming to hold her friend._

"_That's not the worst of it," Leolin said numbly. "Do you know what the Le Fey curse is?"_

_Severina nodded._

"_Then you know how it's made."_

_Severina covered her mouth, and Leolin nodded._

"_Lucius threatened to give some to Blaise Zabini if I didn't agree to leave. Then he made he sign a contract saying I would never contact any of them ever again and threw me out."_

_Severina cradled Leolin's head as she let it hang loosely towards her chest._

"_That's why I don't have a boyfriend," Leolin said tightly, tears welling in her eyes. "Because I'm still desperately in love with Draco."_

_The tears began to swell in earnest now._

"_And now I can never go back," she whimpered. "And I can never see my family."_

_Severina touched Leolin's forehead with her own._

"_Oh Tesoro," she said, tears in her eyes as well. "Oh my beautiful girl. Me despiace. I'm so sorry. Is there nothing you can do?"_

"_No," Leolin said in a hollow voice. "It's over. I lost."_

* * *

When Leolin opened her eyes, she saw only white, and she feared for a moment that she was dead. She blinked slowly several times, and even that hurt tremendously. However, things became clearer with every sweep of her lashes, and a face began to materialize. She assumed it was Draco at first, but as things became clearer she groaned, a disgusting pit forming in her stomach.

Gen sat in a chair next to her bed, and it was clear she'd been there for some time. She was currently slumped, sleeping.

"Are you here to smother me with a pillow?" Leolin said hoarsely. "I assume you feel compelled to finish what you started."

Gen sat up at once, smoothing her hair and giving Leolin an odd and unnerving look. Leolin recognized after a minute that it was some mix of relief and sympathy. That made her throat ache. Things must have been desperate if Draco was allowing Gen to sit vigil at her bedside.

"Despite what you think," Gen said, her eyes just a touch more hateful now. "I would never wish death on you. I'm the one who saved you life."

"Saved my life? How do you figure?" Leolin said, trying to sound venomous. In reality she just sounded frail. She'd never felt so weak in all her life.

"You told me to get Draco," Gen said. "And I sent him to you. You're welcome."

"And just how long did you wait before telling him I'd gone missing?" Leolin demanded bitterly. "I was there for _hours_ before Draco showed up. Do you mean to tell me you flooed him straight away and it simply took him that long to find me?"

Gen's flushed cheeks indicated that Leolin had been right, Gen _had _waited hours to call Draco. Leolin felt so angry she thought she might throw up.

"I knew you hated me," Leolin said hoarsely. "I guess I didn't realize just how much."

She could tell Gen was truly hurt by this accusation.

"Despite what you think of me," she said tightly. "And how I _do_ admittedly feel about you, I wouldn't want to see you fall in Adrian Pucey's hands. I know what he wants to do to you. I wouldn't wish that on any woman; not even you."

"Then why did you wait?" Leolin pleaded, tears in her eyes. "If our places were reversed, I wouldn't have left you there alone, even if I thought it would cost me Draco."

"I'm sorry," Gen said, and Leolin couldn't decide if it was truly an admission of guilt or if she was just so messed up that she was getting paranoid. "I wished this hadn't happened to you."

There were tears in her eyes as well. Leolin laid back. She had to admit to herself that despite all Gen's other failings, she didn't seem capable of murder, even by way of non-action.

"Where is everyone?" Leolin said at last.

"You're little murder spree has really caused some problems, so everyone's running around putting out fires."

"And they left you in charge of me?" Leolin asked weakly.

"I volunteered," she said in a soft voice, as if she was embarrassed.

"Why? Because you felt guilty?" Leolin said venomously, the paranoia flaring again.

Gen bowed her head.

"Grace was really sick, I was worried half to death about her. I—I never dreamed Harry wouldn't bring you back with him. I was terrified when they obliterated your tracker."

"How can I believe that?" Leolin demanded. "How can you _possibly _expect me to believe that after everything you and I have been through the few six weeks?"

Gen shook her head.

"Even half-dead you're a bitch," Gen sneered.

"Was this supposed to be your version of an apology?" Leolin asked. "Because it was bloody bollocks."

"I'm not sorry," Gen said. "I didn't do _anything_ wrong. I'm only sorry that it wasn't enough, but I'm _not_ going to apologise for something that isn't true."

"Fine," Leolin whispered. "You're a bloody angel. Satisfied?" Leolin said, trying to sit up. However, a searing pain shot down into her lower abdomen and into her legs and she fell back, heaving.

Gen watched her movements keenly, as if some part of her wanted to advise Leolin to keep still.

"You shouldn't move around," she said at last. "You'll only do more damage, and between you and me, I don't think you want that." Gen paused, eyes glittering with something between malice and pity. "The damage might be permanent already."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Something about the way Gen said permanent scared Leolin. Gently she made to touch her stomach, but it hurt too badly, and she pulled her hand away, wincing.

"I don't envy you," Gen continued quietly, a genuine and doleful pity in her voice. "Things like this can really change the trajectory of a woman's life."

"What does that even mean?" Leolin snapped again, trying in vain to remember just what had happened to her.

She remembered Scabior clearly, and Travers and Rosier, but everything after Draco kissing her was foggy. Had he told her he loved her, or was that all in her mind? She could have sworn it was real, but the fact that Gen was still here made it seem less plausible. All this thinking was making her feel nauseous, and she just wanted to sleep.

"Get out," she said tiredly to Gen.

"I have to stay," Gen said. "Doctor's orders."

She gestured to a device next to Leolin, were a white ball floated in a tank of effervescent water. Leolin had no idea what it was for, but she's seen them at St. Mungo's before.

Leolin closed her eyes, an unease creeping up her spine. She felt like she needed to cry, but she really didn't fancy doing it in front of Gen.

"This didn't have to be so unpleasant, you know," Gen said softly. "If you had been nicer to me, we could have been friends. I told you that the first night we met, and I genuinely meant it."

"Piss off," Leolin said coldly. "I don't owe you anything, least of all my kindness."

"I'm not your enemy," Gen said, her voice oddly meek again. "Your enemies are the one that put you in this bed. Remember that."

Leolin, who had been rubbed ragged by the whole affair, found herself biting out something she'd inwardly promised she'd never admit out loud.

"You stole my life," Leolin said with venom. "You stole the _love_ of my life. How could you ever be anything other than my enemy?"

Gen smiled grimly.

"Finally, we can be honest with each other," she said, her eyes chilly even as she continued to smile.

"I didn't realize that what our relationship was missing," Leolin said, closing her eyes. Her wound was aching now, and it was all she could do to keep the feeling at bay.

"When you two went to London," Gen demanded softly, her voice tight. "Did you sleep with him?"

Leolin didn't open her eyes.

"Shouldn't you be asking Draco that?" Leolin grit out. The pain was coming in waves now, which made it hard to breathe normally.

"He said nothing happened," she admitted.

"And you don't believe him?" Leolin asked.

"I have to be sure," Gen said.

"And you expect me to put your mind at ease?" Leolin asked. "Dream on, you little snake."

Gen watched Leolin struggle before tapping her wand against a wire. She then shook her head and stood.

"It was you that gave him up the first time," Gen pointed out sourly. "You have no right to begrudge our chance at happiness now."

Leolin grit her teeth against the pain and shook her head to indicate she really didn't give a damn about Gen's happiness.

"Though I suppose it really doesn't matter now, anyways," Gen said, shaking her head again as she looked at Leolin's bandaged wound. "You can't give him to one thing he's always wanted most."

She stood, and despite the pain, Leolin grabbed her wrist.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Leolin demanded hotly. "What is it that you think Draco wants most in this world?"

"Why should I put you mind at ease?" Gen said. "Now let go of me."

Leolin did what she was told, if only because she didn't have the strength to hold Gen there.

"I'll tell the others you made it through the night," Gen said, sounding bitter. "I'm sure everyone will be jumping for joy."

"Get out," Leolin hissed.

"With pleasure," Gen said.

With that, she swept out of the room, slamming the door behind her. However, it only remained shut for a moment of two before Blaise slid in, his eyes trained on her.

"Leolin," he breathed, relief flooding into the creases on his worried frown and making them disappear. "Thank Merlin."

He came to her side, sinking into Gen's unoccupied chair and touching her cheek.

"Thank Merlin," he repeated, sounded almost choked up. "You've been out for almost twenty-four hours. We were worried you might—"

She nodded at his implication before swallowing heavily. She didn't want to think about that.

"Where's Draco?"

"He went to fetch your parents. They got hung up in customs by the American Aurors, but Draco and Brankovitch are smoothing things over."

She nodded grimly, and Blaise took her hand.

"How do you feel? You put up a hell of a fight."

"I'm in a lot of pain," she admitted, and he nodded. "What happened to me?"

"Dolohov hit you with a sectumsepra," he admitted.

"I remember that vaguely," she said. "I remember the blood."

She swallowed heavily and he nodded.

"You're body's been through a pretty big trauma; you lost almost four pints."

"Was Snape here?" she asked weakly. "I remember Draco saying his name over and over."

Blaise's jaw tensed.

"No," he said at last.

She gave him a quizzical look and he frowned, looking down.

"That was Snape's spell that Dolohov used on you. Draco wanted him to come and fix you up, but Lucius caught wind of all this and snarled him up at King's Cross. He couldn't get here, so we had to improvise. You're going to see him as soon as you get home."

"How bad was it?"

Blaise grimaced.

"It was touch and go for awhile," he admitted." But the healer said that if you could make it through the night you would live." He squeezed her hand. "We knew you would."

"Is Ginny here?"

"She will be," Blaise said. "She went with Draco."

"Blaise?"

Blaise turned to look at the newcomer in the doorway.

"Come in."

A young girl no older than twenty-one or twenty-two slid in the doorway, a clipboard held tight to her chest. She was wearing a healer's white coat, and her auburn hair was pulled away from her face in a long, neat ponytail. Behind her dark-rimmed glasses were serious-looking blue eyes, and they surveyed Leolin critically as she approached.

"Who are you?" Leolin demanded.

The girl adjusted her glasses somewhat nervously.

"Your healer," the girl said, adjusting her glasses again before setting down her clipboard.

Leolin looked at Blaise quizzically.

"It's alright," he said. "We can trust her. Lyra's been a friend of my family for ages, and she's a healer student in Atlanta. She was the only person we had this side of the Atlantic."

"You're still in school?" Leolin asked, feeling sick to her aching stomach. "I mean, you're not even a real healer yet?"

Lyra and Blaise traded a glance. Finally, Lyra's blue eyes dragged back to Leolin..

"I'm in my residency," Lyra explained. "I'm almost done."

"She was one of Snape's top students," Blaise explained. "Aside from him, she's the most equipped person to handle this sort of thing. We're lucky she was stateside. You probably would have died otherwise. And she took a great risk coming here. Her dad and her brother both work at the ministry. If Lucius found out she helped you, they could both be in danger."

"In that case," Leolin said, feeling someone sheepish. "Thank you."

Lyra nodded, readjusting her glasses again. Leolin could see now she was nervous, and she felt for the poor girl. Would she risk her family's lives to help a complete stranger? She honestly wasn't sure.

"May I?" Lyra said to Blaise, indicating she needed to move closer to Leolin.

"Of course," Blaise said.

Lyra stepped up, gently lifting Leolin's shirt to reveal a jagged, angry scar. With a feather-light touch, she prodding Leolin's lower abdomen, biting her lip as Leolin winced in pain.

"It's healing, albeit slowly. When Professor Snape sees you, he can speed up the process. I'm afraid he wouldn't tell me the counterspell, so I had to improvise."

"And the scar—" Leolin said, feeling a bit embarrassed for even asking, but even in the face of death she was vain.

"Once the wound is properly healed, we can clean it up. It won't go away entirely, but it will be a lot less visible."

"What about permanent damage?" Leolin asked. "Gen said something might be permanent."

Lyra and Blaise traded a worried look, and Lyra sank down in the chair and reached for Leolin's hand. Leolin looked at it wearily for a second before accepting the gesture.

"The cut was deep," Lyra admitted. "And it—" she paused, looking down for a second. "It severed the top wall of your uterus."

Suddenly Leolin's ears were buzzing so loud she could barely hear, and her mouth was bone dry. She thought back to what Gen had said about what Draco wanted most in the world, and she felt like her heart was dead and rotting in her chest.

"Are you saying I can't have children?" Leolin asked hoarsely.

She thought of Maximilien and Henri and Amelie's new baby, and her heart ached.

"I repaired the damage," Lyra said. "But the reproductive system is very fragile. A trauma like this can prove irreparable."

"How certain are you?" Leolin croaked, inadvertently squeezing Lyra's hand a little tighter.

"It's hard to say," Lyra admitted. "A specialist would be able to tell you more."

"But in your opinion," Leolin said, grasping at straws. "In your professional medical opinion, will I be able to conceive and carry a child?"

Lyra readjusted her glasses and sighed. "The damage was—extensive."

"Does that mean no?" Leolin whispered, looking at Blaise in a dull panic. He looked grief-stricken for her sake.

"I'm sorry," Lyra said. "But in my professional medical opinion, no, you will not be able to have children."

Leolin swallowed hard, forcing the lump in her throat back down into her chest. Perhaps this was her penance for her hesitancy to want children.

"I'm so sorry, Lai," Blaise breathed sympathetically.

Leolin nodded dazedly.

"I know this is a shock," Lyra said gently. "But try to just relax. Stress can be really detrimental to the recovery process."

Again, Leolin nodded, the buzzing in her ears louder now. She knew she needed to cry, but she didn't want to do it in front on anyone else.

"Can—" she began hoarsely. "Can I please be alone?"

"Of course," Lyra said sympathetically. "Just tap this wire if you need anything."

Leolin nodded gratefully, returning the soft smile Blaise gave her with as much vigour as she could muster. He bent to brush a kiss on her forehead.

"I will send Ginny in as soon as she's back."

"Thank you," Leolin whispered and Blaise nodded before ushering Lyra out.

When she was alone, Leolin bit her lip, bitterly wishing she could travel in time. Yesterday she had been convinced her predicament couldn't get any worse, but she realized her perceived low point has actually been a false bottom. This was the cruelest outcome she could have imagined. In some ways, it would have just been easier to die.

She had thought at first she needed to cry, but she could feel herself simply ingesting the grief instead. She felt it slipping down her throat and pooling in the forgotten corners of her dark heart. How could she even win back Draco's love now? How could he possibly want her in this state? She was damaged goods, even more than she was before.

"Knock, knock," someone called softly, and Leolin looked up, a small warmth blooming in her chest when she saw who it was.

"Kelly," she breathed hoarsely as he emerged more fully, an obscenely large bundle of yellow roses in his arm.

He gave her a soft but incredibly warm smile.

"I heard Malfoy was out of the house, so I figured it was my only chance to see you."

He set the rose gently down on her bed and sank into the chair.

"I'm so happy you're here," she choked, touching his cheek gently.

Seeing the sadness in her eyes, he did something unexpected. Curling a hand softly around the back of her neck, he leaned forward and kissed her. Some part of Leolin registered that there were a thousand reasons she ought not to kiss him back, but the solace she'd always found in his embrace came rushing back, and she brought her other hand to his opposite cheek, deepening the kiss. Finally, he pulled away, resting his forehead on hers instead.

"I'm sorry," he said abruptly, licking his lips. "I probably shouldn't have done that."

"No," she breathed in response. "You shouldn't have. But I needed that. Thank you."

He leaned back, eyes studying her intently.

"How are you?" he asked. "You look amazing, all things considered."

''You're a bloody liar," she said weakly, laying back on the pillows. "I look like shite."

"Not possible," he said, smiling. However, the looked dimmed somewhat. "You had everyone in a panic yesterday," Kelly said seriously. "I've never seen Malfoy so worked up."

The mention of Draco made Leolin's heart clench painfully. She wondered how he would react when he heard the news about her condition. Perhaps he already knew and was putting off their confrontation.

"Well you know him," Leolin said. "He'll use any excuse to fly off the handle."

"Especially when you're involved," Kelly said purposefully.

They were quiet a minute as his insinuation hung in the air. Finally, Kelly spoke again.

"What's you two's story these days? It's somewhat hard to follow."

Leolin looked down at her hands. Even if she was able to show Draco the truth about the wedding, how could he ever want her now?

"There isn't one. He is engaged, and I'm well shot of him."

"Well I suppose I should state for the record that he wasn't much of a fiancée yesterday. I think Genevieve could have left and Draco wouldn't have noticed."

"He needs me, is all," Leolin said dully. "I think I may be the only person who can find his stepfather."

"I agree he needs you, but not for the reasons you think."

"Kel—" she began, but he shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he said, taking her hand. "It's really none of my business. I just want to look out for you."

"I appreciate that," Leolin said sadly. "You're a good friend."

He smiled.

"I endeavour to be, yeah."

She nodded. Kelly had always had a talent for making situations less bleak, this one included.

"How do you feel?" he asked finally.

"Like hell," Leolin admitted, pulling up her shirt to show him her scar.

He winced involuntarily.

"Merlin," he whispered. "Are you alright? There's no permanent damage or anything, is there?"

She looked down.

"I—it's too early to say," she said, biting her lip.

"It's bollocks this happened to you," Kelly said.

Leolin shrugged, bowing her head again.

"It's my own fault, really. I should have gone back with Harry when I had the chance."

"Maybe," Kelly said. "But if you had then you wouldn't be who you are."

"And who's that?" Leolin said resignedly. "A bloody stupid idiot?"

"I was going to say brave," Kelly laughed.

"I'm a Slytherin," she said. "I should know better than to pull stunts like that. That's for you lot."

"I think you're more Gryffindor than you know," he said, touching her cheek and laughing.

"Spare me," she said softly. She'd yet to muster a smile, but her eyes sparkled.

"Good thing Malfoy didn't hear me say that," Kelly said, studying Leolin's face again. "You're his little Slytherin princess."

"Not any more," Leolin said softly. "That was a lifetime ago."

"So it was," Kelly agreed, and they lapsed into nostalgic silence. Finally, he broke it by speaking. "I'll have been married three years in August."

Leolin nodded, her dark blue eyes dancing across his face.

"You have no idea how happy I am for you," she admitted, though some forgotten part of her heart ached a little at the news. "What's she like?"

"Cara?" he asked. "She's brilliant, apart from being Scottish."

He smiled.

"Where did you meet her?"

"At a Portree press event. She's a top buyer for Quality Quidditch."

"She sounds lovely."

"She is," Kelly agreed. "I'm happy," he said at last, looking at her candidly. "There was a period when I wasn't sure I would be, but now I am."

"And I'm happy for you," Leolin affirmed. "You of all people deserve it."

"Can I tell you a secret?" Kelly said.

"Of course," Leolin replied. "I love secrets."

"We're trying for a baby."

Her stomach clenched, and she fought savagely to smile. The best she could muster was a small turn of her lips, which felt heroic, given the hempen knot swelling in her throat.

"That's amazing," Leolin croaked, clearing her throat. "You're going to be the most amazing dad."

Kelly smiled.

"I hope so."

"No, you will," Leolin said softly. "I know you will."

He seemed to read some of the sadness in her eyes, though he didn't quite know what to make of it.

"It will be you sooner than you think," Kelly said. "Especially if bleeding Brankovitch has his way."

She made a disgusted face and he laughed. There was a knock at the door, and they both turned to look.

"Shit," Kelly said good-naturedly. "Hope that's not Malfoy."

"It isn't," someone called from the other side of the door. "And what you just said about me, Troy."

"I'll see you soon," Kelly said, kissing Leolin softly on the forehead.

She nodded.

"Thanks for the flowers," she said. "They're lovely."

"So are you," he said candidly, and she felt a small pit forming in her stomach.

Kelly strode out, holding the door for Leolin's next visitor.

Leolin had never seen Max's face so serious, but he was frowning deeply as he strode in, coming to her side at once.

"Jesus," he murmured. "You scared the fucking shit out of me."

"Sorry," she murmured, no longer having any energy to smile.

"Thank Merlin you're all right," he said softly, sounding more sincere than she'd ever heard him.

All the flirtatiousness and hunger had bled from his face, and he looked handsome and stern.

"You had everyone worried sick. I thought Malfoy was going to tear his damn hair out."

"I made it," she said hoarsely. "Surprise."

"Has the healer been back to see you?" he asked. "What did she say?"

"She said—" Leolin began, choking a little on her words. "She said I'll be fine."

"That's a relief," Max said. "It was really touch and go last night."

"That's what Blaise said," she admitted.

"I should have known that you would pull through," he said. "You're a fighter."

"And don't forget it," Leolin said.

"I haven't," he said, laughing almost sheepishly. "You kinda scare me."

"I'd kick your ass in a fight," she croaked. "You know I would."

"How can you be half-dead and still funny?" he asked.

"Don't be obsequious," she scolded softly. "That wasn't funny at all."

"Alright," Max said. "But still, you seem like your old self."

"I don't feel it," Leolin admitted.

"You almost snuffed it," Max said. "Don't be too hard on yourself."

"Charming as usual, Brankovitch."

"It was a compliment," he defended and she simply nodded.

"Of course it was," she said, licking her lips. "Where are we, by the way?"

"Funny you should ask," Max said. "This is my actually my house outside Atlanta. I like to have at least one place that I can keep off the grid, so it's a good place to lay low."

"Why lay low?"

Max wrinkled his nose.

"Pucey's got someone in the AAO, and he's set them on your trail. You're the prime suspect in a double murder."

"AAO?" She asked, her heart rate elevating again.

"American Auror Office," he confirmed. "Pucey's contact has been advised to turn you over to the British authorities. The Americans are holding out for now, but we need to get you back to London."

"What am I supposed to do?" she asked, feeling panicky as she tried to sit.

"No," don't sit up," Max said as Leolin winced. "I have it under control. I have a contact in the AAO, and I called in a favour with her."

His floo began softly billowing smoke, and he reached into his pocket and retrieved it.

"This all feels like it's happening so fast," Leolin said, shaking her head. She didn't want to deal with strangers right now. It was too much.

"I know," Max said sympathetically. "And I'm sorry about that. But I'm afraid Uncle Sam waits for no one. Anyways, She's just going to ask you a few questions. She's been prepped, so all you need to do is tell her that you were there but didn't see anything. She won't push you on it. Do you think you can do that?"

"How do you know you can trust this woman?" Leolin asked with suspicion.

Max clenched his jaw, a secret in his eyes.

"We go way back," he said.

"I'm sorry," Leolin said tiredly. "But that's not good enough for me," Leolin pressed. "I need specifics."

"Liv is—she was—Amelia's best friend, so we've been—close for a long time."

"Who's Amelia?" Leolin asked.

"She was my fiancée," Max said tightly.

"The healer?" Leolin asked.

"Yeah."

"And you trust her best friend. Don't you think that's a little thorny? What if Amelia is just having you on?"

"She isn't," Max said dully.

"How can you be sure?" Leolin pressed.

"Because Amelia committed suicide five years ago," Max said.

"Oh," Leolin said, feeling ashamed that she pushed. "I'm sorry."

Max came to sit back down again.

"Do you know why I'm so committed to this?"

"No clue," she admitted.

"Because of Amelia. She was one of the muggleborns those Deatheaters tortured at the World Cup a while back. What they did to her drove her crazy, and eventually she couldn't take the guilt and she jumped off a bridge."

"I'm sorry," Leolin repeated numbly.

"That's how I know I can trust Liv," Max said seriously. "Because we both loved Amelia and we're in this together to honour her. So when I tell you we can trust Liv, I mean it. Now, do you trust me?"

Leolin considered then nodded, still reeling from all this information.

"Good," Max said, touching her cheek.

He then stood and got on the floo.

"We're ready for you," he said before clicking it shut. He turned back to Leolin. "This is going to feel really formal and official, but don't freak, alright? Just say what I told you and nothing more."

"Alright," Leolin said as another woman strode into the room, her dark Auror's jacket freshly pressed.

Despite her stark uniform, she had a sweet, almost angelic face with spring green eyes and a dusting of freckles over the bridge of her nose. Her amber-coloured hair was cut into a long bob, and it seemed somewhat at odds with her severe uniform. She was graceful in her movements, like a dancer, and there was something almost hypnotic about watching her walk.

She glanced at Max but didn't greet him, her eyes now skirting to Leolin as she approached. She had a briefcase with her hand, and she carefully set it down before smoothing her pencil skirt and sitting down. She neatly tucked one ankle behind the other then looked up at Leolin.

"Leolin, I'm Olivia Westmoreland. I'm with the AAO."

Leolin glanced at Max, who stood in the corner, arms crossed.

"Lovely to meet you," she said stiffly.

"Now Leolin," Olivia said, raising her handsome laurel wand to record for the record. "As you may or may not have been aware, two men, who have been identified as Nicolas Scabior and Radomir Dolohov, were found murdered in the Rue de la Mame yesterday evening. Were you aware of that?"

Leolin glanced at Max, who shook his head.

"No," Leolin said.

"But you were there?" Olivia pressed gently, her sparkling green eyes dancing across Leolin's face.

"Yes," Leolin said.

"And can you tell me what happened, for the record?"

Olivia was looking at her expectantly, and Leolin said nothing.

"Leolin," she said reassuringly, turning her recording off for a moment, "You should know that whatever you tell me will be accepted as the truth. So if you tell me that you weren't involved, the AAO will have no reason to suggest otherwise."

Her words were full of meaning, and Leolin understood her perfectly. She need only lie, and the AAO would temporarily be off her back.

"Alright, Leolin, tell me what happened."

"I have no idea," Leolin said, trying not to remember it. "Nic Scabior tied me up and left me in a room and I managed to escape. I never saw either him or Dolohov."

"And who performed the Sectumsempra curse on you?" She asked.

Leolin blinked, remembering the look on Dolohov's face as he raised his wand.

"I have no idea."

"Very good," Olivia said, setting down her wand. "Now," she said, throwing a wary glance over her shoulder at Max. "I'm afraid it's routine for the AAO to placing a tracking charm on you for the duration of the investigation. We may need to interview you or have you testify, and for that you are unfortunately required to return to New Orleans.

"Liv," Max groaned. "C'mon! You're killing me here!"

"It's policy, Brank!" she snapped, clearly torn. "I will be in major trouble if I don't do this! If I get fired, you lose your foothold in the AAO."

"And what about her?" Max asked, gesturing to Leolin. "She needs to get back to London for proper treatment. Look at her, for Merlin's sake."

"Thanks," Leolin said blandly.

"I'm sorry," Olivia said, a small pleading slipping into her voice. "It will only be worse if I don't do this."

"What about I supposed to do now?" Max snapped. "Malfoy is going to absolutely flip his shit when he hears all this."

"Is that your boyfriend?" Olivia asked Leolin.

"Ex-fiancée," she said.

Olivia nodded her head sympathetically.

"Look, I'm sorry Max, but this has to be done. Leolin, give me you arm, if you will."

"Liv!" Max said. "This is fucking serious!"

"You don't think I know that?" she snapped at him. "I just knowingly allowed false testimony. What else do you want from me?"

"I want you not to put that fucking tracker in her arm!" he said.

"I have to," Olivia said. "If I don't, a team of aurors is going to burst in here and have her held in contempt. Is that what you want?"

"What do you suggest, then?"

Olivia considered.

"Isn't you curse-breaker friend live down here somewhere? Call him."

"Who are you talking about?"

Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Your friend from Golden Gate? The gorgeous, douchy one. Foxy, or whatever you call him."

"Ren?"'

"Whatever," Olivia said flippantly. "Isn't he a curse breaker?"

"Yeah," Max said slowly. "But don't these charms require the unlocking agent to be lifted? I don't suppose Ren's going to have one of those lying around."

"This is a very simple tracking charm. If he's as good at his job as he obviously thinks he is, this shouldn't be too much trouble for him. I'm sorry; that's the best I can do."

Max nodded grimly.

"Alright, you're right. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Olivia only shook her head and turned to Leolin.

"Leolin, if you would, please give me your arm."

Leolin did as she was told, and Olivia pointed her wand at the think vein pulsing through the crook of Leolin's left arm. A white light shoot out, and it was following by a nasty sting spidering up the vein of Leolin's arm.

"Merlin!" she cried, involuntarily jerking her arm back. "That fucking hurt."

"Sorry!" Olivia said sympathetically. "I forgot to warn you."

Leolin flexed her arm several times, wincing as she did so.

"Okay," Olivia said, standing. "I've done by part. It's nice to meet you Leolin. I'm sure I'll see you again soon."

Leolin nodded, flopping back onto the pillow and cradling her arm to her chest.

"Thanks Liv," Max said. "I owe you one."

"You owe me about a million," Olivia countered. "But you're welcome anyways. Good luck with Felix."

He smiled.

"I _knew_ you knew his name!" Max grinned. "Should I tell him you say hello?"

"Tell him I still need my underwear back," Olivia curtly, and with that she strode out.

When she was gone, Max's eyes fell on Leolin.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine," she grit out. "I just feel weak."

The poison in her heart was beginning to bubble up again, and she didn't know how much more poking and poking she could take before she completely lost it.

"As soon as we get this tracker out of your arm, you can rest. Deal?"

"Yeah," she said softly. "Deal."

They sat in pensive silence for an hour or so, and Leolin decided she liked the Max Brankovitch underneath the arrogant, boastful Quidditch star. He was deep in thought, his dark brow furrowed over his storm-ridden eyes.

"What was she like?" Leolin asked finally.

"Who?" Max replied, emerging from his reverie and lifting his chin from where it had been resting on his fist.

"Amelia."

Max looked down at his hands but said nothing, and Leolin wasn't sure he was going to respond. Finally, though, he looked up and spoke again.

"She was—brilliant. She was seriously the most amazing girl I've ever known."

"How did you meet her?" Leolin asked, wanting to be transported away from her current pain.

"Olivia and I went to college together up at Scamander in Boston, and Amelia went to Mohegan in upstate New York. She came down one weekend to visit Olivia and I instantly fell in love with her."

"I'm sure she felt the same," Leolin said, and Max gave a sad but handsome smile.

"Hardly. She told Olivia she thought I was a shallow, arrogant meathead, and that all I really wanted was to sleep with her."

He shrugged, the smile brightening a little as he thought about it.

"And was she right?" Leolin said evenly.

"I don't know, I guess. I was paying someone to take my exams because I was always gone with quidditch, and I admittedly chased my fair share of skirts. I wasn't really looking for anything—long term."

"You? I can't imagine," Leolin said dryly, and he gave her a sheepish smile.

"Anyways, she came to visit a lot, and every time she did I was doing everything I could to impress her."

"And eventually she came around?"

Max laughed.

"Hell no. The more I tried to win her over, the more she fucking hated me. Eventually I got tried of the rejection and left her alone, and she honestly seemed relieved."

"So how did you end up getting her to agree to marry you?"

"After college I signed with the Finches, Olivia went to law school, and Amelia got into healer school. Liv and I fell a little out of touch, and even when I did see her I was too afraid to ask about Amelia. Then like two years later I got hurt during a match and was rushed to the hospital, and of all the residents I could have gotten, I got Amelia. I think she was annoyed to see me at first, but I was really hurt, and I didn't have time to pull all the punches I normally would have. I realized she was nicer than she let on and she realized I wasn't as shallow as I seemed, and we really started hitting it off."

"So she was a ball-buster?" Leolin asked.

Max laughed.

"Oh my gods, yes. She really kept me honest; that was one of the things I loved most about her."

He looked away.

"I don't think I will ever forget the way it felt when I got down on one knee and she actually said yes. It was—"

"—transformative," Leolin supplied softly, thinking of her own engagement. "I know."

He nodded sadly.

"What happened at the World Cup?" Leolin asked.

Max clenched his jaw.

"It was my fault," he said softly. "Kelly and Mullet and Moran and all them were going out to celebrate, and I wanted to go, too. Amelia said she was too tired and I should go without her. I told her she shouldn't be saying alone, and she hit me with a stinging jinx and said she'd do more if I didn't go and enjoy myself. That was so quintessentially Amelia to do something like that. She was brilliant and independent and so full of fire."

He bowed his head and grit his teeth.

"Lucius Malfoy and his thugs came in while she was sleeping and imperiused her. I think—I think they were looking for me. Who better to humiliate than a muggleborn quidditch star?"

"That's not your fault," Leolin told him softly. "That's on them."

"They raped her," Max whispered. "She never admitted it to me, but I could see it in her eyes. Eventually the shame of it all got to be too much for her, and she started totally falling apart. I tried to help her as best I could, but I just—I couldn't—"

Max bowed his head.

"I know you think I'm a cad," he whispered. "And maybe I am. But she made me want to be better. For her I _was _better. I'll never forgive myself for losing her."

"Max," Leolin said softly. "There was nothing more that you could have done."

He finally looked at her.

"I shouldn't have gone out that night. If I'd been there—"

"They might have gotten away with it, anyway," Leolin said, grabbing his hand and squeezing softly. "And she's here," she said, pointing to his chest. "She's invisible to everyone else, but she'll always be here with you."

"Do you really believe that?" Max asked.

She nodded solemnly.

"I do."

Just then the door opened again and a handsome man swaggered in, grinning at Max. He was moderately tall, though not nearly as tall as Max, and he was of a more willowy build. His long, narrow face that was finely tailored, and his nose cheekbones and jaw were sharp but sleek. The stubble on his cheeks was obviously carefully maintained, as was his tawny hair, which was a meticulously crafted tousle.

His eyes were an extremely dark brown, almost black, and when he looked at Leolin, she felt as if she were falling into them. He wore a slim-fitting light gray blazer with a soft jumper and a white collared underneath. His pants were a boastful cranberry, though they fit him well. The shined shoes on his feet were both well-made and highly polished, and the only person Leolin knew with a watch more extravagant than the one of the man's right wrist was Draco.

Leolin couldn't decide if she was charmed or annoyed by the man's bravura, though she met his winning smile with a grim look.

"That was fast," Max said appreciatively. "I just owled a few hours ago."

The man gave an amiable shrug.

"I was in the neighborhood, and I was hoping I'd run into Olivia. Is she still here?" the man said, his English flavoured by a foreign intonation.

"You just missed her," Max said. "But she told me to tell you to give her underwear back?"

"Well you can tell her not a chance. I won them fair and square in a strip poker match."

He winked at Leolin.

"Ugh," Leolin said aloud, unable or unwilling to hold back her disgust.

"You must be Leolin," the man said. "You're as gorgeous as Max described."

Leolin only scowled in return, sickening by his tawdry attention and simply unable to stomach her rising Parisian distain.

"Quebecois?" she said haughtily in reply.

The handsome man only smiled, seemingly un-phased by her tone.

"Spoken like a true Parisian snob," he said jovially. "Is it really such a problem that I am from Québec?"

"Who are you?" she said in reply, narrowing her eyes.

He was right, of course. Like all French nationals, she didn't trust French Canadians. To her way of thinking, they were constantly masquerading as something they weren't, and that both agitated and unsettled Leolin.

Admittedly, this would have been less of a problem on any other occasion, but after all the ills she'd suffered, she was rubbed raw, and all of her prejudices had bubbled to the surface.

"Felix Chaisson," he said simply. "I'm the one who's going to spring you out of tracker jail and send you home to London. Pleased to meet you."

"No one calls him Felix, though," Max explained. "Not since we were about fifteen."

Leolin looked at him dubiously as he cleaned her arm, preparing to insert a needle.

"What do they can call you?" she demanded.

Felix smiled. "Ren."

She frowned.

"Short for…?"

His smile widened.

"Renard."

"Alright, no!" Leolin exclaimed weakly, pulling her arm away from him. "Definitely not."

"Oh come on, Lefevre," Max said. "Relax."

"Excuse me if I don't trust a guy whose nickname is 'the fox'," she grit out. The sudden movement was causing her head to spin. "That's the ponciest thing I've ever heard."

"Look, Felix and I go way back. As far back as you and Weasley and Zabini and all these people, and I trust him. Don't you trust me?"

She said nothing, and Felix laughed.

"You _don't_ trust me?" Max said, sounding a little hurt.

Felix laughed again.

"This all seems indicative of a larger problem, Brank," Felix said, eyes glittering.

"Stay out of this, foxy man," Leolin snapped.

"Leolin," Max said more seriously. "Listen to me. If we want to get you out of the States, we _need _his help. Now do you trust me to see this through or not?"

"Fine," she said, frankly exhausted from her outburst.

She lay back against the pillows, offering her arm resignedly.

"Dare I ask where you two met?" she said.

Felix and Max traded a smirk.

"We went to the same boarding school in San Francisco," Max said. "Back then Ren was just the skinny poor kid with the weird accent."

"That's what makes me so charming," Felix said, teeth glinting. "I had to work for all of this."

He drove the needle into Leolin's arm, and she winced.

"Why do you have to draw blood?" she demanded. "Olivia just did a charm."

"How did she look?" Felix asked, ignoring Leolin's question.

Max smiled grimly, watching Leolin's blood fill the vial.

"She's pretty as ever," Max said.

"Is she still single?"

"I think so."

Felix laughed quietly.

Leolin closed her eyes and grit her teeth. This was the last thing she wanted or needed right now. She wished they would both go away.

"You never answered my question," she said, feeling a little faint from the draw.

"What was that it again, my little Parisian princess?" Felix said.

"Why are you drawing blood?"

"Tracking charms are easier to cast then they are to undo," Felix explained calmly. "The charm adheres to your red blood cells. That way the AAO can track every drop you shed, just in case. Anyways, I have to disassociate the charm from the cells before I can draw it from your body."

He stood and shrugged out of his jacket before rolling up his sleeves before drawing out a small cauldron and a series of vials. He lit a fire under the cauldron with his wand and added ingredients, an easy grin on his face as he worked. Liv had been right; he seemed to know his business well, and his fingers were dexterous and adept.

"So, Leolin," Felix said casually as he stirred the potion. "Max says you're in some sort of tug-of-war with Genevieve Beauchene. How's that going for you?"

"Put a sock in it, Chaisson," Max demanded, but Felix only smiled

"I would tread lightly, if I were you," Felix warned. "She's a real hellcat when backed into a corner.

Leolin closed her eyes again, thinking about what Gen had said. _You can't give him the one thing in the world he wants most._

"We're not in a tug-of-war," Leolin said softly. _Not anymore, anyways. _

By that time the tonic was done, and Felix offered it to her. He seemed to have sensed a shift in her behaviour, and he stopped teasing at once, plunging them into a tense, icy silence instead.

"Here," he said softly, offering her the cup. "It's best if you put it all down in one go."

She nodded, accepting the small glass from him and doing as he said.

Now that he wasn't smirking arrogantly, she could see concern shimmering in his deep, dark eyes. As he continued to look at her candidly, she could see the skinny, insecure boy he used to be hiding just below the surface. Perhaps she liked him after all. At the very least, she was grateful.

"Now what?" she said, offering the glass back.

"Brace yourself," Felix said.

Max came around and offered Leolin her hand, which she squeezed.

As painful at the tracking had been going in, it was a thousand times worst coming out. Felix's seemed to be tugging on his wand, as if the tracker was resisting him. Finally he seemed to wrench it free, and the pain ceased.

Leolin collapsed back onto the pillows, heaving and sweating.

"Are you alright?" Felix asked. "I know that can be—less than pleasant."

"Thank you," she said. "for helping me."

Felix nodded, the smile returning.

"For you, anything."

"We'll let you rest," Max said, clapping Felix on the back.

They headed for the door, but Leolin called his name and he turned back.

"Max," she said softly, and he looked hopeful. "When Draco gets back—"

His disapproval was palpable.

"Don't worry," he said grimly, clearly displeased with the way Draco must have been treating Gen. "When Malfoy gets here, this will be his first stop."

"Thank you," she said softly, and he nodded.

They made to leave, but the door swung open before they could.

"Mon dieu," Felix blurted appreciatively as Severina swept in the room. "Who in Merlin's name are you?"

"I'm married and dangerous," Severina shot back. "that's all you need to know."

With that Max and Felix disappeared, and Severina came to Leolin's side.

"Scoot over," she said gently, coming to lie in Leolin's bed next to her.

"Sev," Leolin croaked.

She lay her head on Severina's chest as the latter softly smoothed Leolin's hair from her face. "You're here."

"Of course I am," Severina said soothingly. "I left the minute Ginevra flooed me. I'm only sorry I wasn't here sooner."

"You're here now," Leolin said, melting into Severina's embrace. "That's all that matters."

"Dimmi, cara mia. What happened to you?"

"It's too hard to explain the whole thing now, but I got hit with the sectumsempra."

"I don't know what this is," Severina said. "But when I talked to Ginny, it sounded serious."

"It's a cutting curse," Leolin said simply. "I almost bled out."

"Are you alright now?" Severina cooed.

Leolin didn't say anything, her lip trembling as she fought to hold herself together.

"Leolin?"

"No," Leolin whimpered. "I'm not."

"Che cos'è?" Severina said in alarm.

Leolin nestled closer and began to sob.

"Sev," she said sorrowfully.

"What is it, cara mia? You know you can tell me anything."

"The curse hit me low, and it was so deep that it destroyed the—" Leolin paused take a shuddering breath. "It destroyed the top wall of my uterus. The doctor told me—I can't have children."

Severina laid her head atop Leolin's as the latter curled tighter into a ball, her dark emotions feasting on her.

"Oh Leolin," Severina whispered through tears. "Oh my darling."

"How could Draco ever love me now?" Leolin said softly. "I can't even give him children."

"Don't say that," Severina demanded. "He loves you; you will find a way to be happy."

"I've never felt farther from him," Leolin said numbly. "I've never felt more alone."

"You're not alone," Severina said. "Xavie and I and Ginny and Blaise and your parents are all here, and we love you as you are. So does Draco, I promise you. Capisce?"

Leolin nodded, and Severina seemed to sense Leolin didn't want to talk anymore, because she simply held Leolin in silence until she fell away into troubled sleep.

She woke to find Severina rising off the bed. She blinked several times before realizing there were more people in the room. She looked up and her heart beat faster.

"Mamun," she said softly. "Papa."

"I'm going to give you some space, tesoro," Severina said softly. "But I will see you later."

Leolin nodded, squeezing her hand a final time. When she was gone her parents swelled closer, both kissing her at once.

"Oh my gods," Ariadne sobbed. "Leolin, don't ever do that to me again."

"I'm sorry," Leolin said dolorously, said voice breaking. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"When I got that call from Draco," Ariadne said. "My heart stopped. Oh my gods, I'm so happy you're alright."

"Leolin," he father croaked, tears on his cheeks. "My little girl. You have no idea how good it is to see you."

Amelie and James remained back a ways, but Leolin opened her arms to them.

"You have no idea how it feels to see you all," Leolin said. "I was scared I wouldn't get the chance to tell you how much I love you."

"Non," Amelie said. "You are our strong Leolin. We knew that you would make it through. We knew you wouldn't give up."

"Thank you," Leolin breathed overwhelmed.

However, she had very little time to think about it, because suddenly Draco emerged, Henri in his arms. Leolin heart felt so full insidious darkness that it might burst. Despite his own twisted upbringing, Draco was clearly born to be a father. Henri clung to him desperately, and Draco ran a soothing hand up and down his back, whispering quietly to him in French.

"Regarde, Henri," he said softly. "C'est tes sœur."

Henri looked at her keenly, squirming to be let down. He fussed to be put on the bed, and he crawled next to her.

"Laylon," he said quietly.

It was as if he knew what she'd been through.

"Allo," she breathed through tears. "How are you, peanut?"

He didn't say anything.

Everyone watched with tears in their eyes, and Amelie couldn't bite back her sob. Adrien put a comforting arm across her shoulder.

Draco's eyes were on Leolin now, and they were burning brightly.

"C'mon," James said gently to Henri. "Let's go downstairs and play with your brother."

Henri held his arms up, and James scooped him up.

"We'll be right back," Ariadne said, smoothing Leolin's damp hair back to kiss Leolin's forehead.

Leolin nodded wordlessly. The minute the room was clear, Leolin spoke.

"Drake," she said desperately.

Wasting no time, he came to her side, wrapping an authoritative hand around her neck and kissing her fiercely. It would be impossible for Leolin to compare Draco's touch to anyone else's; it was transcendent. Kissing him was always like coming home, and she couldn't get enough of his hands as they scraped across her skin and tangled in her hair. Everything was forgotten as their lips and tongues moved in desperate harmony, and for that moment, Leolin could set aside her troubles.

However, all too soon, that moment ended, and Draco pulled away, frustrated.

"Damnit," he cried, standing up and pacing back several steps. "What am I doing?"

"No," she whispered, "Don't stop. Please."

"Leolin," he choked, his eyes glittering like diamonds in the late afternoon night. He made to touch her and then recoiled, almost as if she'd burned him. "Fuck," he seethed. "I can't do this with you again."

She bowed her head.

"Did Lyra tell you?" she asked quietly. "About what the curse did to me?"

Draco looked almost mad now.

"You think this is about what happened with the sectumsempra?" he demanded angrily.

"Isn't it?" she whispered desperately.

"No!" Draco practically sneered. However, she realized after a minute he was fighting not to cry. "Merlin, Leolin I—" he paused, his eyes brimming with a snarled, conflicted emotion she couldn't name. "This isn't about—" he clenched his jaw. "Leolin," he said somewhere between anger and anguish. "That doesn't matter to me."

"That's not true," she said sorrowfully. "I know you know much you've always wanted a family."

He shook his head, his face an odd portrait of both frustration and pity. "It isn't about that."

He'd come in closer again, reaching to touch her cheek but stopping just short of contact. She leaned into his outstretched hand, her eyes pleading. He gave in and brushed a hand down the soft skin.

"Then why are you mad at me?" she asked, her voice somewhat hoarse again. "Yesterday, I thought—" she broke off.

Somehow she didn't have to courage to admit she thought he'd said 'I love you'. Perhaps she was worried she'd imagined it, and he would simply throw the whole delusion back in her face.

He seemed to think better of what he was doing and retracted his hand.

"Talk to me," she breathed. "Let me in."

His face remained stony, as his eyes skidding gracefully across the planes of her face.

"Tell me the truth," he demanded abruptly "Tell you why you left me. I—I can't wait any longer. I _need_ to know."

She closed her eyes.

"Will it change anything?" she asked.

He said nothing in response, and she let out a stale breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"Drake," she said, her tone desperate. "Please, I can't."

"Stop saying 'can't'!" He demanded, turning and pacing several steps. He turned back "Why can't you?"

He advanced again, something new glimmering in his eyes.

"Are you under a gag?" he breathed, eyes alight. She couldn't see how desperately he wanted to believe she was. "Is that why?"

Leolin felt a sickening word bubbling up in her throat before she could stop it.

"No."

It had been involuntary, and it burned on her tongue. Her eyes were pleading, and she hoped he would read them and know that wasn't true. However, he turned away instead.

"Then there's nothing stopping you," he said imperiously.

"I—" she fumbled. "Please Draco, don't do this to me."

"If you _ever_ cared for me," he said, his voice now oddly tight. "You'll stop playing games and tell me the truth."

"Someday I will; I'll tell you everything," she begged. "Please, you have to let that be enough for now."

He groaned in anguish, jamming the heels of his hands into his eyes to stop the tears.

"It isn't!" he cried at last. "You _know_ it isn't. You can't honestly expect me to give up everything I've built on your word alone. Don't you see your word means nothing?"

"Do you not love me?" she demanded, anguished.

"How could I?" he sneered. "I don't even know you. When I look at you, all I see are your secrets and lies."

"Draco," she pleaded, rising to unsteady feet. "Don't give up on us. I'm begging you."

"Tell me why you left," he repeated, his resolve faltering. "Please, Leolin, _please._ I'm begging you."

"Drake—"

"This is your last chance," he warned.

She said nothing, only bit her lip. Her wound was throbbing again, though it was admittedly nothing compared the sickening ache in her chest.

"Well?" he said

"I—" she choked. "I—" the gag was tightened around her throat, and it was so tight and her face started to turn a little blue. She'd pass out if she kept trying to fight it. It was stronger than her and she knew it.

She bowed her head, knowing her race was run. Slowly, she shook her head. He nodded, clenching his jaw.

"Fine," he said, his voice chilling and drenched in bereavement. "Then we're done here."

"Don't go!" she sobbed. "_Please_!" I love you! I always have and I always, always, _always_ will."

He looked anguished. When turned to the door, she felt the same piercing agony she had the morning of their wedding.

"Don't do this," she whispered. "Don't give up on me. I know things are bad and broken and desperate, but please, you can't give up."

He turned.

"I've not giving anything up," he said, voice hollow. "That's the point, Leolin. I've spent five years rebuilding the life you burned to the ground. Why should I give that up now?"

"You know why," she said softly. "You've always known."

He'd come back and they were toe-to-toe now. He looked down at her, eyes full of light.

"Last chance," he breathed, looking almost as if he meant to kiss her.

He touched her cheek softly, pressing his forehead to hers. He had tears on his cheeks. She knew that he yearned to believe her, but the damage her departure had caused was not so easily undone. His gaze begged her to justify her wrongs.

"Why did you go?"

His lips were practically brushing hers.

"Because I had to!" she burst.

"Why?" he whispered softly. "_Please_ Leolin, just tell me why."

She tried to say more, but the words were snuck in her throat. She was choking on them again.

He took a step back, letting his hand drop. He was looking at her as if he didn't know her.

"I'm done, Lefevre," he said in a stony voice, retreating to the door. "I'm done."

A/N: Thank you WhiteRoseQueen for **Lyra, **ShellySadistic for **Felix**_**, **_and NocturnalHealer for **Olivia**

**REVIEW.**


	18. Chapter 17: Aching Wounds

"…we never get over our great losses; we absorb them, and they carve us into different creatures." –Gail Caldwell

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen: The Aching Wound**

_Gen chewed her lip nervously as she waited for the potion to be ready. Oh gods, let it be purple, she thought. She wasn't ready for—yet. She knew Draco wasn't either. She looked at the instructions for the at- home test, whose box was lying on the counter next to her cauldron. _

"_Wait until the potion begins to boil, then add the hair," she read aloud to herself. "Wait ten minutes for the test to complete itself. Purple is negative; Gold is positive."_

_She chewed her lip again. The clear liquid was bubbling now, and she felt so nervous she wanted to vomit. Quickly she sprinkled the soft lock of hair she'd cut into the cauldron and stirred. The potion because to shimmer at once, and she stepped back._

_She couldn't sit there and watch it. It was too nerve wracking. She checked her watch. It was only four thirty. Draco would be home until five. Merlin, she should have just waited for him like they'd agreed that morning._

_She paced for several minutes and finally she made a decision and went to the cabinet. She really couldn't put off a glass of wine, even if she was—you could still consume in moderation, couldn't you? She poured a small glass and through it back in one go. She should have just gone for the vodka._

_She checked her watch again. It had been almost 11 minutes. Her heart hammering in her chest, she leaned over to peer into the cauldron. The potion inside was a deep, dark purple._

"_Oh my stars!" she cried happily. "Negative!"_

_She laughed out loud in relief before going to the liquor cabinet and fetching the gin. She poured herself a strong drink and laughed. They'd dodged the bullet. She smiled. It was a beautiful sunny day out. Now she could go to the deck and enjoy it._

_Changing quickly into her swimsuit, she grabbed her drink and headed up, lying by the pool and closing her eyes. Soon enough her floo smoked with a message from Draco._

_Where are you?_

_On the deck, she replied._

_A minute or two later, she could hear his tread on the stairs, and she took a large swig and stood up, beaming._

_The minute he appeared, still dressed in his waistcoat and tie, she leapt into his arms, kissing him with abandon._

"_It was negative," she breathed between kisses. "I'm not pregnant."_

_He laughed against her lips._

"_Thank Merlin. I got no work done today; all I could do was worry about it."_

_She shook her head happily. He kissed her again, this time more heatedly._

"_Is it too ironic to celebrate with a shag?" he asked, huskily._

"_Who cares?" she whispered back, nipping at his full bottom lip. "I __**love **__irony."_

"_So do I," he agreed, and he carried her to the bedroom with no further discussion._

_When it was over, they lay sweaty and satisfied, and he gave an unprompted laugh._

"_Please Merlin tell me you took the potion today."_

_She laughed, too._

"_I did. I vow to never miss another day for the rest of my life."_

_Draco smirked, rolling onto his side and resting his head on his palm as he surveyed her. She responded by tracing the falcon tattoo on his left side. He'd never said what the significance of the two bird tattoos was, but the falcon was her favourite._

"_Never?" he said smoothly, leaning down to kiss her neck. "Not even intentionally?"_

_She looked up at him, eyes sparkling._

"_What do you mean?" she asked coyly._

"_You've never said either way," Draco said._

"_Said what?" she pressed. She didn't want to play her hand until she was sure what he was talking about._

"_If you wanted children," he said at last, diamond eyes glittering._

_She nodded, considering. Before Draco she hadn't really thought she did, mostly because the idea of a monogamous relationship hadn't appealed to her. However, now that she'd been dating Draco for a year, it'd begun to seem more appealing._

"_Yes," she said softly. "I suppose I do."_

"_With me?" he pressed._

_She shook her head and looked at him as if he was crazy, which made him laugh._

"_Certainly not!" she said, as if scandalized. "But definitely with my other boyfriend…"_

_He bent to kiss her possessively, smirking at having reduced her to a pile of putty._

"_Of course with you," Gen said softly, raking a hand through his hair. "We would have beautiful blonde babies."_

_He nodded, smirking._

"_Yeah, we would."_

_She looked up at him, and it seemed to hit her that she was actually talking about this._

"_I've never talked about this with anyone before," she whispered, touching his cheek. "Have you?"_

_He flexed his jaw muscles almost involuntarily, and she let her hand drop._

"_Of course you have," she said, sounding hurt. "With her."_

_It had been almost two months since Gen had found out about Leolin, and though Draco had refused to discuss the matter further, her spectre appeared often._

"_We didn't have immediate plans," Draco lied. "We'd just discussed it."_

_He could still remember the negotiation he and Leolin'd had in the shower the morning after they'd gotten back together. Leolin had agreed to start trying to day she turned 24. He quickly did the math. That was this September. He imagined her pregnant and glowing for a moment before mentally slapping himself._

"_Do you miss her?" Gen said after a beat._

_She was often trying to weasel information out of him, and usually he just simply refused to answer. He clenched his jaw again._

"_Why would I miss her?" he asked coolly. "I have you."_

_She considered this, not fooled by his diplomacy._

"_That didn't answer my question," she pointed out at once. "Do you miss her, Draco?"_

"_No," he lied again. "Of course I don't."_

_Every day with Gen admittedly did make him miss her less, but he had to admit to himself he still had occasional dreams where they were together, and he secretly woke up wishing he could fall back asleep and resume them._

_Gen seemed satisfied with the lie though, and she smiled, leaning up to kiss him._

"_I love you," she said, raking her long hairs through his hair again._

_He awarded this with a crooked smile, and he bent to kiss her in lieu of saying it back._

_He pulled away again before smirking and biting his lip._

"_I have an idea," he said, rolling on top of her again. "Why don't we practice making more babies?"_

_She laughed._

"_I am still allowed to get scared of the word baby when we're naked together?" she asked._

"_Relax," he said, pulling the sheet down to reveal her nakedness. "It will be like a scrimmage," he breathed against her lips, still laughing, "skins v…skins."_

"_You've convinced me," she laughed, kissing him soundly again as he set to it._

* * *

Leolin stared out the window of her old bedroom in London, watching as the trees lining the stately boulevard below bent slightly in the summer wind. It was July, but this was England, and it had rained almost all night, leaving the morning air damp and chilled. Despite the nipping breeze, the window was cracked. Leolin liked the cold these days. Her wound, though healing, often left her feeling uncomfortably flushed, and the cold breeze was refreshing. She told a deep breath in, liking the smell of grass and rain.

"Leolin darling, are you awake?"

"Yes," she called, turning slightly towards the door to her bedroom. "Come in."

Ariadne slipped through and came to join Leolin at the window, softly stroking her hair.

"How are you?" she asked gently.

"Leolin shrugged.

"Still in pain," she admitted. "It's not unbearable, just a constant ache."

Ariadne ran her hand in soothing arcs across Leolin's back.

"Severus just owled. He's on his way over here. You'll feel much better after you see him."

Leolin wrinkled her nose. It was odd and uncomfortable to imagine Severus Snape anywhere by Hogwarts, and it was doubly so to imagine him in this room.

"Can we just stick to Professor Snape please?" Leolin said, wrinkling her nose.

Her mum shrugged.

"He wasn't Professor Snape when I knew him."

"I find it uncomfortable that you were schoolmates with everyone in the world ever."

"Not to exaggerate," Ariadne said, smiling.

Leolin didn't return the gesture, though her expression remained neutral.

"What was he like back then?" Leolin asked.

Ariadne shrugged.

"Quiet. Brilliant. A bit lonely, I suppose. Even in Slytherin he didn't have many friends; not that it seemed like he wanted many, really. He was quite close with Lilly Evans when we were younger, but that all came crashing down when she starting dating James our seventh year. I think deep down he was madly in love with her, and he couldn't bare to watch her with someone he hated as much as James."

"What was he like?" Leolin pressed as Ariadne sat on the edge of the bed. She sighed, considering.

"James? He was hard to dislike, from my prospective. He was generally outgoing and friendly to everyone, though looking back he was downright cruel to Severus. He was pretty arrogant, though. He and Sirius both. They strutted around like they owned everything, and that got tiresome at times. They had Remus to keep them in line, though, and he was sweet and humble in a way they never were. Together they made of the beating heart of Gryffindor, and there were very few people, Slytherins excepted, who didn't like them."

Leolin nodded, feeling a dull ache in her throat. She hadn't known Harry's dad and she's barely known Professor Lupin, by she felt oddly hollow to think they were dead. Then again, they were both survived by their sons, and the lived on through them. She touched her stomach, feeling utterly dead inside. Her genes would die with her.

Ariadne noticed Leolin's movement and stood, pulling Leolin's hand away and once and holding it softly between both of her own.

"I know this is the last thing you want me to say right now," Ariadne said gently. "But it's going to be alright, lapin. I admit I can't imagine how this must feel, but—you're going to get through this, and when you do you'll see this isn't the end. When the time is right, you'll have options.

Leolin closed her eyes. She didn't want options. She didn't want alternatives. She wanted exactly what Sev and Amelie and Grace had; she wanted what Ginny and Pansy and _Gen_ would have; she wanted a baby of her own.

"Now's not the time to worry about this," Ariadne said reassuringly. "Let's get you healthy first, then we will face this together."

Leolin nodded.

"I know," she admitted.

Ariadne didn't even realize how deep that truth ran. There was a war coming. As soon as Leolin was recovered, she knew she'd be expected to rejoin the fight.

She mind flitted to the gag, remembering it choking her. She had been stricken by the thought since she arrived back how, and she grew continually surer she was right, much as she hoped she wasn't. Her fear was this: the gag was nothing like she'd imagined it to be, and all the work she'd done up to this point was actually useless.

She thought about the prospect again, biting her lip. She pictured Draco, and it became even harder to think about the gag. Her love for him had grown so thorny, and between the brambles of her imprisonment, his distrust, Genevieve, and her barrenness, he felt painfully far from her. She had no strength to fight Lucius now, but she knew that Draco's resolve to marry Gen would grow the farther he got from the truth.

Besides, she could see Gen's next play before she'd even made it. She'd stop taking the potion and surprise Draco by announcing their beautiful, happy accident. Leolin knew she would, and when she did Leolin knew the damage to her and Draco would be irreparable. Without the truth and with the responsibility and joy of fatherhood looming, he would turn his back permanently.

The doorbell rang, and Ariadne stood.

"Come downstairs, lapin."

Leolin nodded, following her mother dutifully with head bent. When they arrived on the foyer, they both looked down into the spacious living room to see Severus Snape standing next to James near the door, appraising the space with a disinterested gaze. He was dressed as always in all black, and he wore a long coat button nearly to his neck with his typical white shirt, black cravat, and stiff black collar underneath, though he was without the black robe he wore at school. He wore the same dark spats, which shined dully.

Ariadne smiled at him before taking Leolin's hand and helping her down the stairs. Stairs were still hard for Leolin and she felt weak as she reached the bottom. James immediately opened his arms to her as Ariadne made to greet Snape, and she went to him at once.

For an adult who already had three loving parents, Leolin had embraced her new stepfather wholeheartedly. Having grown up largely away from Adrien, Leolin admittedly loved having James around all the time. They'd already established the tradition of doing the crossword on Sunday morning, and he was excellent silent company, which was something she craved after the attack. She lay her head on his chest as her smoothed her hair back reassuringly.

"Ariadne," Snape drawled as Ariadne stepped forward.

"Severus," Ariadne replied, stepping forward and shocking the hell out of Leolin but brushing a salutatory kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for coming."

He accepted the gesture with ease, and it seemed to so odd to Leolin that he would observe such a genteel practice.

"Forgive me for not coming sooner," he said in an even tone. "I have been—preoccupied with the minister."

"We're happy you're here now," James insisted, wrapping his arm a little tighter around Leolin.

It was then that Snape finally looked at her.

"Leolin," he said in apparent greeting, and she blinked.

He'd never used her first name before, and it sounded so foreign in his voice.

Leolin let go of James and stepped forward.

"Professor Snape," she said simply. "Thank you for coming."

He nodded tightly.

"Forgive me," he said somewhat softly. "I fear the sins of my youth have once again reared their ugly heads. It is so unfortunate that you were caught in their snares. I wish to extend my apologies, inconsequential as they are."

Leolin stood dumbly for a second, not knowing quite what to say. She'd forgotten for a time why it was that she needed to see Snape so desperately; sectumsempra was his own invention. Had he not been a deatheater as a young man, she would still be able to have children. His candor has made her throat dry, and she blinked several times before looking to both of her parents. Their eyes were sorrowful but full of love.

"It's not your fault," Leolin said at last, bowing her head. "I was reckless."

Snape said nothing.

"Are you still in pain?" he asked, and she nodded, as Ariadne ushered her forward.

"Yes," she said numbly.

"How much?" he asked as she sat down on the couch. He sat on the couch opposite, obsidian eyes intense.

"Moderate," she said. It was hard to say, really. The physical and emotional pain seemed linked. The latter made the former seem so much more acute.

"And the wound?"

Leolin swallow and lifted her shirt to reveal the angry red mark, and Snape clenched his jaw.

"I can heal the remaining damage today. That should eliminate all the pain."

"What about—internal damage?"

Snape's eyes found her, and suddenly she felt ashamed for asking.

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked down, ashamed. Sensing her unease, Ariadne touched James's arm.

"We'll give you some space," she said. "Just call if you need anything."

Leolin nodded, swallowing hard.

"I'm afraid I'm not a healer," Snape said finally. "For me to discuss the internal damage you suffered would only be—misleading. I'm sorry."

She nodded tightly.

"Of course," she said, looking into her lap.

"I know your situation is delicate, but there are still several individuals at St. Mungoes that can be trusted. Your mother will know who they are. When you're healed and rested, I would suggest you visit one of them."

She nodded again.

"Thank you."

"I'm sorry I cannot be more helpful," he said stiffly. "And I'm sorry I never shared the counter-curse. I was ashamed of what I'd created; I regret not sharing the truth with Miss Rosamund when I had the chance."

She licked her lips. All this candor made her stomach ache. Besides, it was too painful to imagine that if Lyra had had the correct incantation, none of the damage would have been permanent.

"We all make mistakes," she grit out softly, hoping she could hold back any tears. It would only embarrass them both.

"This shouldn't be painful," he told her. "If it is, tell me at once and we will rest."

She nodded a third time.

"Understood," she said.

He drew his wand, which she realised she'd never seen before. It was comely and made of polished blackthorn, and even at distance she could tell it was extremely unyielding.

"When you're ready, Miss Lefevre," he said, and the familiarity of the address had a calming effect.

"I am," she affirmed.

He nodded, raising his wands and closing his eyes for a moment.

"Vulnera sanentur," he murmured quietly, his wand directed at her wound. "Vulnera sanentur. Vulnera sanentur."

She closed her eyes and grit her teeth. She could feel the lingering dark magic being drawn out, and it was unpleasant but bearable. As he'd said, there was no pain.

Finally he stopped speaking, lowering his wand. All the pain in her abdomen had ceased, and she felt oddly hollow. Now her emotional anguish had no companion, and it made her chest ache.

"How do you feel?" Snape asked.

"Stronger," she said. "less sick."

He nodded, drawing a dark vial from his sleeve.

"And the scar?" he asked. "I'm afraid I can't erase it completely, but the dittany will lessen its appearance tremendously. It's not necessary for your healing process, but if you like—"

"Yes," Leolin said firmly. "Please."

He nodded and she lifted her shirt again. She realised too late he would be forced to touch her, and she felt wildly uncomfortable. She looked away as he placed a cool palm to her stomach and began with the dittany. It burned her skin, and she grit her teeth, trying to forget his hands and the potion alike.

Finally, he sat back and she opened her eyes, looking down at the scar and tracing it with her finger. It was raised a few centimetres from the skin, but it was smooth and clean, so much less ugly than it had been. Hastily she pulled her shirt back down, and only then could she look at him.

"Thank you," she said softly, blushing again.

He only nodded.

"You're still weak," he warned. "I'm sure the healers have told you, but this kind of trauma shocks all parts of the body. Just because the wound is healed doesn't mean you are recovered."

He pulled another small bottle from his sleeve. Where was he hiding them?

"This is papaver lacrimae. It's a very powerful sendative and painkiller. Sleep is key at this stage in the recovery process. If you're having trouble, this will help you sleep soundly. However, it is highly addictive and wildly powerful. Two drops in your tea is the absolute maximum you should ingest daily. I wouldn't take it every day; it's best to only take it when necessary. Do you understand?"

She nodded, squeezing the bottle tightly in her palm.

"Yes, professor."

He rose.

"If complications should arise, tell your mother she can contact me at Spinner's End.

Leolin nodded numbly. The idea of Snape owning a house near London felt so absurd and out of place.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He nodded.

"Take care of yourself, Miss Lefevre. We have just the one lifetime."

This made her throat ache. She felt a strained kinship with him in that moment. They were both destined to die without children.

He turned towards the door, but a thought occurred to her and she called him back.

"Professor?"

He turned.

"I know this is an odd question, but what do you know about magical gags?"

His lips tightened slightly.

"I do not profess to be an expert," he said carefully. "But I will say this: they are one of the more nefarious components of magical law."

She nodded, and she could tell from his penetrative gaze that he likely knew why she was asking. Her mother was right about him; he had an uncommonly quick mind.

"If I was curious to learn more—" she began carefully, and he nodded.

"If you were," he agreed. "I suggest you read _The Strictures of Wizarding Law_ by a man named Bachardus Fletcher. I would venture to guess any questions you may have on the subject would be answered there."

She nodded carefully.

"Thank you, sir."

"Tell you mother and step-father goodbye," his said in an even tone.

"I will," she said.

He gave a terse and final nod.

"Until next time then, Miss Lefevre."

He opened the door, and with a swish of his dark coat, he was gone.

Three weeks later, Leolin sat brooding in her new apartment in Belgravia, a posh part a London halfway across the city from her mother's home in Bankside. The apartment was all glass and she could see through sides of the city from where she sat on her leather couch, coffee mug cradled in her hand.

On the glass coffee table in front of her lay a stack of letters, which had now been reduced to a makeshift coaster.

She'd read them all anyways, and she had no immediate plans to reply, so a coaster was as good a function as any.

The bottom one was from Effy and Swish.

_Talked to Sev and she said you've been in a terrible accident. Are you back in London? Let us know. xx_

Severina was next, written in her flawless script.

_Tesoro, write me back. Xavy and I are sick from lack of contact. Your mother tells me you've moved to your own flat. When can I come to you? I'm worried._

The top one had just arrived the day before yesterday; it was from Ginny.

_Lai, I hope this finds you well. I can't tell you what torture it was in South Carolina after you left. America is doubly as bleak without you. We've just arrived back in London, and I'm desperate to see you. Your mum said you've been to the healer, but she didn't elaborate. Either way, I'll come by at your earliest convenience._

Leolin bit her lip before taking a heady gulp of her coffee. It had two drops of the papaver tincture. It was as powerful as Snape had promised, and this cup of coffee would keep her blissfully numb all day. It was just as she liked it. It relaxed the mind to virtual uselessness, and under it's effects she could ignore her faded troubles.

It was true what Ginny had written. She'd been to see the healer the day after Snape came to the house. She'd been shuffled discreetly through an unassuming side door, after which a portly nurse in butter yellow scrubs had accompanied her to the maternity ward. It made her stomach ache and ache and ache, but she bit her lip and said nothing. Lyra and Snape had both admitted they weren't experts; that meant there was still hope.

She sat with her mother for a long time in silence before a dazzling man in his mid-thirties strode in, shutting the door behind him before smiling warmly at her.

"Leolin?" he said, extending his hand. "I'm Langdon Blackburn."

She nodded tightly and shook it.

"Nice to meet you."

She'd never met the man before, but his much younger brother Geoffrey had been a classmate of hers at Hogwarts. Even if he hadn't, the Blackburns were St. Mungoes royalty. Langdon's father Camden was the director of the hospital and an accomplished surgeon, just as his father Thrush had been before him.

"Now," Langdon said gently. "I've already spoken to Lyra Rosamund and she's filled me in, but if you're willing, I'd like to hear your version."

"I don't know what I might add," Leolin said. "I was hit with the curse and began bleeding immediately, at which point I passed out. I woke up weak and in a lot of pain, and Lyra came and patched me up."

He nodded sympathetically.

"And you've since visited Professor Snape, is that right?"

"I have," she said. "He finished the healing and cleaned up the scar."

"May I?" Langdon asked, putting on gloves.

Leolin nodded and raised her shirt to show him the shimmering scar.

He ran finger along it appreciatively.

"It's healed beautifully," he said. "This is lovely work that Professor Snape has done."

She nodded numbly, wishing he would get to the point.

"Now," he said as she lowered her shirt. "Let's talk about the real issue, shall we?"

"Please, she nodded."

He sat down on a low stool and slid towards her.

"I've reviewed your charts," he said. "And the good news is that it missed your small intestines. If it hadn't, the sepsis would have killed you."

She nodded numbly.

"That's good."

"It's very good," he affirmed.

It didn't feel particularly good to her.

"What about the other damage?" Leolin asked quietly.

She and her mother traded a look, and Ariadne squeezed her hand.

"That's what we're here to find out," Langdon said calmly. "Now, if you would lie on the table for me, we can take a look."

She nodded and climbed up, reaching for her mother's hand again.

"This will be cold," Langdon said, lifting her shirt again and drawing his wand. "But in no way unpleasant beyond that."

"Alright," she said meekly, closing her eyes.

She saw her two futures running parallel in her mind, and she tried to start down one and not the other. She imagined lying on this same table, sweaty and happy with a tiny blonde baby in her arms.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yes," she croaked.

He pressed the tip of his wand to her abdomen, and he was right; it was cold. This went on for what felt like forever, and his wand moved seamlessly as his eyes glided across the screen above her head. Finally, he pulled his wand away and removed his gloves. She sat up slowly, unable to look at him. Finally she was forced to, and immediately she bit her lip.

"Leolin," he said softly. "The damage to your uteran wall was extensive, and that comes with complications. This was a great trauma to the uterus, and though we've repaired the damage, there are repercussions."

She bowed her head.

"This kind of damage coaxes the uterus into a state which is extremely hostile to fertilisation. The organ itself also suffered extensive damage, which will make it impossible for a fetus to properly develop. I'm afraid, given all this, that you are no longer able to bear children.

She felt the first tear fall, and he touched her knee gently.

"You are an incredibly brave woman, Leolin, and Professor Snape tells me that you were wounded in the service of the greater good. For that you should be commended. I know this is a terrible shock for you, and I would suggest that you begin seeing someone to help you cope. I would be happy to refer you to someone, though seeing as your father is a psychologist, he would probably be better suited to find you a match."

Leolin quietly leaned onto her mother's shoulder, and Ariadne held her.

"I am also going to prescribe Rentenam, which is a drug that will help contain the trauma and aid in your recovery."

"Contain it?" Leolin asked meekly, wiping her tears.

"Yes."

"To where?"

He looked solemn and sympathetic.

"The site of impact."

"You mean my uterus."

"Yes," he said after a minute.

"What will it do to me?" she asked.

"It helps the uterus power down naturally."

Leolin bit her lip, looking at the bottle. The pills were the seal on her fate as a barren woman. She looked at her mother for support, and Ariadne accepted the bottle.

"Can we go?" Leolin asked quietly.

"Of course," Ariadne said as they rose.

"Thank you, Langdon," Ariadne said. "It's nice to know we can still trust someone."

Langdon nodded.

"You can always trust me. Please owl if you ever need my help again."

"We will," Ariadne agreed.

"Thank you," Leolin whispered softly, though she felt anything but grateful. "I needed to know."

"You courage is admirable, Leolin," Langdon said softly. "You will move past this in time. Don't rush it."

She nodded.

"Thank you," she repeated, and with that they had left.

No longer able to stay in her childhood bedroom, Leolin had found a flat and moved in several days later in the face of vehement protestations from Ariadne.

"Leolin, you still need to rest and recover!"

"I can do that at my own flat," Leolin said. "Please, I just need some bloody space."

"Leolin—"

"Mum!" she cried exasperatedly. "For the love of Merlin, please stop. I'm an adult and I need to _be_ an adult again. I can't handle any more coddling. The wound is healed and I've been to the specialist. Now I just need to get my strength back, and I need to do it on my own."

Her mother had made no more protestations beyond that, and Leolin had moved away without another discussion.

Despite what she'd told her mother, she'd yet to begin taking the prescribed pills. They were too final, and she couldn't bear to face their outcome. At least without them she could pretend this was all some nightmare.

The pills sat on the coffee table and she stared at them as the papaver haze descended. Underneath was copy of the book Snape had recommended. She'd poured through it, and she could see the shape of things with absolute and deafening clarity now. It only made her feel disgusted.

When the papaver effects reached full potency, she stood, grabbing the pill bottle and headed to the washroom. She flipped up the seat of the bog and unscrewed the lid before pouring the twenty or so pills into the water. She then flushed it, screwing her eyes shut as their spun down the drain.

She went to her cabinet next, which had been stocked for her by the decorator she'd hired to prepare the apartment. There, towards the back, was a potion pack. She drew the thirty small vials out carefully before releasing the whole apparatus and watching it smash magnificently on the floor. The ruby liquid spilled everywhere, as was the glass. She whipped her wand and the carnage flew into a compact ball, which Leolin threw away.

What a relief, she thought dully. She would no longer have to remember to take it each day. Feeling grimly satisfied at having done anything, she padded back into the airy living room, crying out when she saw someone sitting on the couch.

"Merlin!" Sweeney said sympathetically, rising at once. "Sorry, love! I didn't mean to startle you."

"Swish," she said tiredly. "You scared me out of my pants. How did you get in here?"

"Sorry," he repeated. "I—ah—circumvented your door lock. Don't worry, I will upgrade it before I leave."

She nodded then turned to sit back down, taking another swig of coffee. He surveyed her. She'd dropped ten pounds or so, and her dark hair only made her skin seem paler, and her sparkling blue eyes dull and flat.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He seemed somewhat surprised at this question.

"I hadn't heard from you. I assumed you didn't get my owl—"

"No I did," she said. "I'm sorry I didn't respond. I've been busy."

"Don't be sorry," Sweeney said, though it was clear she wasn't busy at all. "I know you've got a lot on your mind."

She nodded, throat tight.

"Did Sev tell you what happened to me?"

"What do you mean?" he said diplomatically, and she appreciated his loyalty.

"It's okay," she affirmed. "It's not a secret."

"Sev said it wasn't for sure."

Leolin shook her head.

"No, it is now. I went to St. Mungo's a few weeks ago."

"Merlin," Swish breathed sympathetically. "I'm so sorry, Nay."

"The doctor says I'm lucky," she whispered. "If it had been any higher I would have died. I should be grateful."

"It's okay if you aren't," he said truthfully, and she nodded.

"Thank you."

She strayed to one of the glass walls, putting her palm to the cool pane. It had been cloudy for weeks, and today a tremendous thunderstorm was rolling in from the west. It would hit soon.

"How are things out there?"

"Bad," he replied grimly. "New Orleans really shook the hornet's nest. Malfoy's just come back from America, and things are happening fast now. It's coming, whether or not we're ready for it."

"What's coming?" she asked dully, watching the clouds roll in.

"War," he admitted softly. "No one's quite ready to say it out loud, but the board's been set, and all the pieces are moving into position; there's no going back from here. Potter and his godfather are working to reestablish the old Order, but they're not gained much ground. Even with Potter, Black can't seem to convince anyone to stick their necks out, even a little. The minister has been flexing the muscles he has free, and it's the ordinary people who are feeling the squeeze. Besides, at this point, it's only a Black and few others left. Most of the original Order is dead."

"Audige?"

"Hasn't said a word yet. Not a syllable. I think he might be gearing up to do something nasty."

"That's—unfortunate," she breathed.

"It's a powder keg," he correctly solemnly. "Malfoy, Peakes, and Zabini devised this makeshift prison for him, but you can sense him wearing away at it. I think we might have been wrong to cage the beast."

"We didn't have a choice," she pointed out.

"I know," he agreed.

Silence reigned for a frigid minute.

"Everyone's been asking for you," Swish said gently at last. "They're worried about you."

"Then you can tell them I'm fine," Leolin said simply. "Because I am."

She didn't care if Sweeney could tell she wasn't. She just wanted to be alone.

He nodded.

"Right, well you're probably anxious to talk about the genie evidence, but I've afraid I have bad news."

She lay down.

"I know you couldn't find it."

"I couldn't," he admitted. "I'm so sorry, Nay. I looked everywhere. I swear it wasn't in the manor."

"It's not your fault," she affirmed softly, watching the clouds again. "I know it wasn't there."

He frowned in incomprehension.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because Lucius destroyed it. Besides, it doesn't matter."

"Sorry?"

"I said it doesn't matter," she repeated. "I was wrong about the gag; it wasn't what I thought."

"I don't understand," he admitted. "What do you mean?"

She sighed, shaking her head. Every time she thought about it, she felt like a fool.

"Lucius knew when he dragged me in that he would need to use La Genie later as a cover for stealing those loutrophori. If he'd sent me to Azkaban for it, he would have no cover for his thefts."

"What does that mean?" Swish said, frowning.

"The Genie evidence was just bait," she said, trying not to sound too sorrowful. "It was just—leverage. He knew it would scare me into doing what he wanted. That's why the Genie evidence wasn't bound into the contract; it was a rouse."

"To what end?" Sweeney said. "What was it that he wanted from you?"

"Lucius knew if he distracted me with the La Genie I would get flustered and agree to his terms." She looked down. "He knew he could ensnare me in a physical gag, which is far more effective then even a threat of prison could ever be."

"What do you mean, a physical gag?"

She bowed her head.

"I tried to tell Draco the truth in New Orleans and I literally couldn't. That's a physical gag; you _physically _can't speak of anything mentioned in the contract."

"Alright," Sweeney said calmly. "So _you _can't tell him. That's easy enough to circumvent. One of us will do it for you."

"You can't!" she burst, growing agitated.

She'd been down every avenue in her mind, and she knew they all eventually led to the same bleak road.

"Why not?" he asked, clearly trying to be patient in the face of her worsening mood.

"I did some research on physical gags," she explained. "That isn't how they work. The barrier isn't between me and Draco," she said in agitation. "It's between Draco and the information. It doesn't matter who tries to tell him; As long as the binding stands, he can neitherhear nor see the truth. Not from me, not from you, not from anyone. It wouldn't matter if you screamed it at him or shoved him face first into a pensieve; under the terms, he is literally barred from the truth."

He shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around this influx of new information.

"How can that even be?" he demanded, trying to soften the growing edge in his tone.

Leolin ran a hand through her limp hair, sighing.

"The contract is altering his perception of reality," she explained. "It's warping his ability to read and comprehend the information he receives. Normally he would be able to read between the lines and see this for what it is, but—the gag is like a sickness: it's crippling him; he just doesn't know it."

"What does that mean for you, then?"

"It just means that I'm right back to where I always am: under Lucius's thumb. I thought this time I could stay one step ahead of him." She shook her head in defeat. "I thought after _everything_ I've been through that somehow I would find a way past him and his scheming. But I—couldn't." she hung her head. "It was a fixed game from the jump; I never actually had a chance to win."

"But now you know," Sweeney said encouragingly, kneeling down and taking her hand. "Nay, you finally have all the right cards in hand. You just have to buckle down and play them to win."

Leolin looked up and shook her head before retracting her hand.

"No."

"No? No what?"

"I'm done," she breathed. "Gen can have Draco, and Lucius can have me, for all I care. I'm not going to play his stupid game anymore."

Sweeney frowned sympathetically.

"You don't mean that."

"Yes, for the first time I do."

"What about Draco?"

"What about him?" she demanded coldly.

"Are you really willing to give up on him?"

"I don't have a choice! Haven't you been listening? It's over. I've lost!"

"You broke the first gag."

"That was before."

"Before what?"

"Before this!"

She lifted her shirt to reveal the thin but visible scar.

"How much more am I expected to lose before I finally admit defeat?" she demanded angrily.

He hung his head.

"That's your decision to make, of course. I wouldn't presume to make it for you."

"Good," she said shortly, straying to the glass wall again. "Is that all?"

He watched as she sought to dismiss him, though he resolved not to be so easily sent away.

"No," he said resolutely. "I couldn't find the evidence on La Genie, but I did find this."

He held up a long, thin canister. She recognized it as a transportation device for a painting.

"And what is that?" she said, feigning ignorance.

"You know what this is," he countered. "I know you do."

"You've opened it, then?"

"Not yet," Sweeney admitted. "It's been sealed with some major protective spells."

"Where did you find it?"

"It was buried deep in the vanished objects cache Lucius had in his office."

"And you stole it?" she demanded coldly. "Talk about kicking the hornet's nest, Swish."

"I left a very convincing copy in its place."

"What makes you so sure it's the painting from Sebastian's office?"

"Feel it for yourself," he said, tossing it to her.

The minute her fingers brushed the canister, she could feel the secret inside straining to get out. Sweeney was right; there could be little doubt that this was the painting.

A small part of her yearned to break the seal and look at it up close. However, she contemplated the look Draco had given her in Atlanta, the desire quickly fading to bitterness.

"What do you expect me to do with this?" she asked simply.

"You can't be serious," Sweeney demanded, his patience waning at last. "This is huge and you know it. This could be the key to finding Herpo's vessel."

"Then I'm happy for you," she said, turning her back to him again.

He grit his teeth angrily.

"You're giving up on this as well?"

"That's not my fight anymore, Swish," she said doggedly. "What happens with it no longer concerns me. Take it to Draco; he should know what to do with it."

"You would turn your back on us?" Sweeney demanded. "Leolin, we need you. _This cause needs you._ You can't abandon us now."

"I can do as I please," she countered. "Don't presume to tell me otherwise."

"I know how you must be feeling—" he began, and she wheeled on him.

"No you don't!" she demanded. "You have _no idea_ what this feels like! I have spent the last five years in agony being away from Draco, and now, despite _everything_, I still can't have him. Even if I could, I can never be a mother! You could never know what I'm feeling right now! How dare you even try!"

"Leolin, please," Sweeney said. "This is all of our fight. We need you._ Draco_ needs you. Don't give up on us or on him."

"Draco's lost to me, Sweeney," she spit. "Why can't you see that? As for your fight, I have no interest in it. I've given up enough."

"That's the thing," Sweeney said softly. "There is no such thing as enough in war. My whole family died in the first war; I know what it's like to feel lost and angry and sad. But we've been called, Leolin, and you most of all. Please, don't abandon us now."

"Get out" Leolin seethed, wiping an errant tear off her cheek.

"Leolin—"

"Get out of my fucking sight," she demanded hotly, and he shook his head in anger.

"You're making a mistake," he bit out. "And you're a fool if you think you have nothing more to lose. Lucius will take everything from you whether or not you fight. Think about that as you abandon your friends."

She turned her back to signal she would hear no more, and he stood a moment before shaking his head and storming out.

She turned to the window again. The dark cloud surrounded her now, and she watched as a fork of crooked lightening lit up in the distance. The booming thunder following not two seconds later. Two miles, she mused. The storm was nearly there.

She turned away as another thunder boomed. This time even louder. Rain began to pummel the glass, and she felt an odd unease encroaching on her peace. It was fear, she decided at last. Fear for the storm. She didn't fear the rain, though, nor the thunder; she was afraid of the storm she'd sworn not to face.

She grew agitated as another deafening crack of thunder sounded. It reminded her of the sound of the cracking defenses at the battle of Hogwarts. Just then her door burst open, and she screamed at the intrusion.

"Severina," she said, heart hammering. "What are you bloody doing here? And perhaps next time you would do me a favour and knock first."

Severina ignored her, dark eyes flashing dangerously.

"How dare you," she hissed at Leolin. "How dare you be so flippant with your responsibilities."

"Stay out of this," Leolin warned.

"The war's almost here. You can't just ignore it."

"Can I not?" Leolin demanded. "Don't presume to tell me what to do," she spit.

Severina shook her head in disgust.

"I know you're hurting, and for that I am sorry. But you don't realize how bad things are out there. Your friends need you, Leolin. _Draco_ needs you. He'll never admit it to himself or anyone else, but he's falling apart without you by his side."

Leolin shook her head.

"Draco's lost to me."

"Only if you're truly unwilling to fight for him."

"There is no more fighting to be done!" Leolin screamed. "It's over. He'll _neve_r know the truth!"

"I don't believe that," Severina said fiercely. "He loves you still. è ovvio."

"He left me half-dead in Atlanta," Leolin pointed out. "He and I have already passed the point of no return."

"You couldn't be more wrong!" Severina said. "I've know you've lost something dear, but if you would only step back you would see that your race isn't run yet."

"No!" Leolin repeated angrily. "How many times do I have to be forced to my knees before I give up?"

"Fine," Severina said tightly. "Do what you think is best with Draco. That doesn't excuse you from the fight."

Leolin gave her a cold look.

"There is no fight without him."

Engaged, Severina grabbed her by the arm, shaking her. She was a beautiful and terrible sight, dark eyes flashing wildly and shimmering teeth bared.

"Do you think your duty can be so easily circumvented? We've all made sacrifices, Leolin. That doesn't excuse us from our responsibilities."

Leolin shoved Severina's hands off roughly before lifting her shirt to reveal her long, thin scar.

"Have I not sacrificed enough already?"

"We've all sacrificed," Severina repeated stonily.

"You?" Leolin burst coldly. "You haven't given up _anything_! You have a family and children; you have no _idea_ what it's like to be me! I have nothing left."

"Don't you dare tell me I haven't given things up," Severina spit. "My brother _died_ following Adrian's goons to Istanbul. Xavier's little sister's gone missing. Lyra Rosmund, the girl who saved your life in Atlanta? They arrested her family, and she's been dragged back to London to testify. She lied for you on the stand, Lefevre, and now Adrian's trying to hold her and her entire family in custody, so don't you dare presume to say you're the only one!"

"I don't owe you anything," Leolin spit out, even knowing that was a lie. "Get the hell out."

"How can you say that to me?" Severina cold with a cold fury. "I thought we stood for the same things. I thought you were a woman of principle."

"Principles mean nothing!" Leolin roared. "Duty and honour mean _nothing_. Wake up, Severina! This isn't an epic poem; this is real life. Look what happens to people who do the right thing! They're always punished! They sacrifice everything and get only suffering in return. Meanwhile, Lucius Malfoy and his thugs live like kings! There is no justice in this world, and to sit around and pretend there is fucking naïve and foolish."

Severina shook her head.

"You can sit around and mope here if you like, but _don't _delude yourself into thinking you're the only person who's lost something. We've _all_ lost something, we'll _continue_ to lose until we stop this madness."

Leolin only clenched her jaw.

"When did you grow so cold, tesoro?" Severina demanded softly. "Where is the godmother of my girls? My beautiful, terrible partner is crime?"

"That girl is dead!" Leolin screamed, tears in her eyes now. "I've been kicked to my knees more times than I can count, and every time I lose something more dear to me," she paused to take a shuttering breath. "I won't give any more ground."

"What ground is it that you're afraid to give?" Severina demanded. "You seem to feel you've nothing left to lose!"

Leolin paused, eyes full of tears. The anger had bled out of her face, and she looked pale and frightened.

"I've seen how this ends, Sev," she whispered softly, a tears skidding down her cheek. "I won't stand on that battlefield and watch one of you die."

"So you would sit at home and leave us one man weaker?" Severina demanded, face full of anguish.

Leolin sank onto the couch and put her head in her hands, sobbing in a way she hadn't since her wedding day. Severina sank beside her, gently touching her back.

"If I lose one more thing I'll go mad," Leolin whispered softly. "Try to understand."

"I do," Severina breathed. "More than you know. But you have to stay the course, Leolin. It's the only way."

Leolin took a great shuddering breath and fell into Severina's lap, who stroked her hair soothingly.

"I'm sorry," Leolin said. "I've been weak."

"Non," Severina said. "You're not weak; you've just had to be strong for too long."

Leolin took another shuddering breath, her head buried in Severina's neck.

"I only beg you to be strong for a little longer," Severina said.

"I can't face Draco after what happened in Atlanta," Leolin said softly. "I won't be able to handle it."

"Then I'll go in your place, cara mia. Let me be your voice for a while. I only ask you do what you can. Don't give up on the gag or the painting, and be kind to yourself. When you're ready, you can rejoin us."

"What about Audige?" she asked. "Swish said things are coming apart at the seams."

"I have something that will bring him to heel," Sev said grimly. "He doesn't frighten me."

Leolin bit her lip, and Severina dropped her forehead to meet Leolin's.

"I know it feels like your life is over, tesoro, but it isn't; it's just beginning. Stand with us and fight for the life you deserve."

Leolin nodded finally.

"Alright," she agreed solemnly. "I'm with you."

"I can't promise you won't have to sacrifice again," Severina said, and she stood. "I can promise you will regret it if you don't. Now, I have to go and tell the others," she said. "Take care of yourself, cara mia."

Leolin nodded again, standing too.

"Tell Swish I'm sorry," Leolin said meekly. "I was really unkind to him."

Severina gave a half smile.

"He told me it was already forgotten," Severina said, her smile widening. "That was just before I stormed over here."

Leolin gave a soft smile as well, the first since she'd returned home from St. Mungos.

"Keep the faith, tesoro," Severina said softly, kissing her forehead. "I'll see you soon."

Leolin nodded, straying to the window again as Severina slipped out the door. The sky was still dark, but the rainclouds seemed to have passed, and she could see, far in the distance, several slivers of glimmering light.

* * *

It had been four weeks since Leolin had seen Severina, and slowly she was building towards her old self again. She'd still not seen anyone but Severina and her mother, but she'd been a counselor like Langdon had suggested, and it surprised her how much it helped. She kept details vague, of course, but giving voice to her fears, particularly about motherhood, was oddly cathartic.

She'd also taken up yoga, and she rented a small studio space in Victoria where she could go and practice in peace. Silly as it sometimes seemed to her, the yoga provided a clarity that she had not enjoyed it some time, and she came home from each session feeling more powerful, both mentally and physically. That was not to say that her sorrow was totally forgotten, because even time she thought about Draco and Atlanta, she still felt a sickeningly ache deep in the pit of her stomach.

However, she took strength from Severina, who had promised to shield and protect her until she was ready to publicly join the others in the fight. In the meantime, she and Sweeney had begun discussing how to break the curses surrounding the painting, and she quietly threw herself back into the search for answers.

She had not yet touched the gag, though she continued to promise herself she would. At first she grew frustrated at her own weakness, but she began seeking to accept and respect her own feelings, and that made it more bearable. As long as she was breathing, Severina had once told her, there was more right with her than wrong with her. She knew she would start when she was ready, and when she did, she wouldn't give up until s he saw Draco freed from the ignorance Lucius had shackled him with.

Currently, Leolin lay on the floor of her darkened studio, sweating clinging to her chest, stomach, and arms. She'd turned the heat in the room up with a flick of her wrist, and it felt good to sweat out her worries. She lay on her back for a long time, listening to her own heart beating. When she rose, she did so slowly, wiping her arms and face before looking in the mirror and screaming.

There was more than one set of eyes looking back at her. Immediately she spun, but there was no one behind her.

She turned back.

"Surprise," Adrian said, approaching the glass partition as his gold eyes glittered against the eerie whites of his eyes.

He looked fierce, as fierce as he had the last time she'd seen him in New Orleans. As always, he was dressed all in black. His tawny hair was pushed dashingly off his brow, and his customary badge was clipped to his low-slung trousers.

An artic shard of fear slithered down her spine at the realisation that he'd likely come to question her about Audige. The fact that she didn't know the location of his prison cell could very well save her life.

"How are you doing that?" she demanded quietly, not quite brave enough to meet his gaze again.

She reached a hand to touch the mirror then recoiled, thinking better of it.

"Don't tell anyone," he whispered dramatically, teeth flashing. "But I can do _magic_."

He raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes as he said the word magic.

"What do you want?" Leolin sneered, already backing towards the door.

"There's no point in trying that," Adrian said in an even tone, prowling from mirror to mirror like a jungle cat and seeming almost bored. He was like a leopard in a cage no longer suitable to confine him. "Obviously it's not going to work."

She tried anyways, and the handle singed her. He watched greedily as she nursed her blistering left hand before appraising her.

"You look remarkable, considering you almost a few months months ago."

"Is that what you heard?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from quaking. "I'm afraid the story's been greatly exaggerated in the retelling."

"Nice scar," Adrian shot back, eyes nasty as they arched up her bare stomach. "Did Radomir give you that?"

"Yes, right before Draco killed him."

Adrian eyes glittered hatefully.

"How..._fortunate_ your Draco was there like always to swoop in and save the day. Did he kill Nic, too?"

She approached the glass. His feline formed was quivering with pent-up aggression, and even though the mirror she could feel it ready to burst forth.

"No," she said in a soft but resolute voice. "That was me."

He clenched his jaw, and she smiled grimly.

"Didn't think I had it in me?" she asked.

He smiled back, though his gaze was incredibly nasty.

"You'll pay for that in time, " he saying, pressing both palms to the invisible barrier between then and coming nose to nose with her. "Make no mistake about that."

She recoiled, stumbling several steps back and eliciting a grim, satisfied expression from him.

"What do you want, Adrian?" she repeated, her mouth dry as she watched him slink gracefully back and forth.

"What do I always want? To talk, of course."

She shook her head, but he cut her off.

"Where's Audige, Lefevre? Give him _back to me_."

"I don't know," she choked honestly.

He growled his frustration and all the mirrors began to tremble at once. She backed away but it was too late; he'd somehow materialised in the room. She turned to make a break, though she admittedly wasn't sure to where, and he grabbed her by the swishing ponytail, yanking her around and pushing her against the wall.

"Don't toy with me, you insolent little brat," he sneered, slapping her smartly with the back of his right hand. "Where is Malfoy hiding him?"

"I already told you!" she said, holding her cheek. "I don't know. I haven't seen any of them in months; not since New Orleans."

"Don't make me hurt you," he warned.

"Adrian," she said, trying and failing not to grow increasingly fretful. "I truly don't know."

He struck her again and she crumpled a little. When she straightened, he slammed her back against the brick so hard it made her dizzy.

"Then I should punish you for not knowing," he breathed against her neck.

He was surveying her, sizing her up, and she could tell by his hungry gaze what he was longed to do to her. He forced a hand against the small of her black, crushing her hip against him.

"Don't," she bit out, turning her head away fighting hysteria back down her throat. "Please."

"Don't what?" he goaded, rotating his hips ever so slightly. "No need for false modesty, Lefevre. I've heard you beg for this more times than I can count. Perhaps I'll finish what I started with you in New Orleans. Merlin, I can't tell you how many times I've pictured you naked and writhing underneath me."

"Stop, Adrian, please!" she said, forcing her palms to his chest and vainly trying to dislodge him.

"Then give me Audige!" he growled, annoyed but unmoved by her struggling

"I don't have him!" she said. "You have to believe me! I have no idea where he is!"

She could feel his form tensing for the fight, and he struck her a third time for good measure even as he let her sink to the ground at his feet like a cowering slave.

"Yes," he said, crouching to her level and brushing the cool, flat face of the insignia ring on his left index finger down her contused cheek. Her lip had split open as well, and his gold eyes drank in the ruby red blood staining her otherwise pale lower lip. "Perhaps you don't know after all. I'll simply have to be patient, then. You lot won't be able to contain his power forever. When he escapes, I'll find him."

He rose, pacing away several steps in contemplation.

"Is that all you wanted?" she asked meekly, gingerly prodding her busted lip.

He turned on her.

"No, it's not. The minister wants you to do something for him."

"I'm sure he would," she said shakily. "But you can tell him my days of running errands are over."

"He said you'd say that," Adrian said, wheeling on her. She could see his desire to fuck her fading into a more sinister need to beat her senseless. "He also told me I could use any means necessary to coerce you."

She backed away from him in fear, but he was slinking back towards her again, teeth bared.

"Are you going to play nicely?"

She sneered but didn't respond, making for the door again instead. "Crucio," he sneered, and she crumpled immediately.

She screamed in pain, curling tightly into a ball as he kept his wand trained on her. Finally, just when she felt she could take no more he relented.

He crouched down to survey her as she laid heaving and twitching.

"What about now?" he asked again, tucking a damp strand of hair behind her ear. She turned her head away from his touch, but she finally nodded.

He straightened and began pacing around the room.

"All that really wasn't necessary, you know," he said hatefully. "What I need from you is painfully simple."

She said nothing, only remained quietly on her side as he continued to make lazy circles.

"What is it?" she finally asked.

"All you have to do is—stir the pot a little."

She shook her head to indicate she didn't understand.

"I'm sure New Orleans was a huge shakeup for poor Draco. After all, from what I hear, you _did _almost died in his arms. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like quite enough to dislodge Genevieve, so now I'm asking you to stir the pot a little."

"Why does Lucius hate her so much?" she asked. "Why does he want he gone so badly?"

"Let me worry about that," Adrian snapped. "You just do as you're told."

"Stop talking in riddles," she demanded. "Just tell me what you want me to do."

"Hmm," Adrian said, drumming his fingers against his perfect lips and pretending to be deep in thought. "How to put this delicately? Ah _yes_, that's right." He turned his cruel, searing gaze on her again. "I want you to go to the Em on a night you know Draco will be there wearing some incredibly revealing outfit and I want you to dance on tables and fondle strangers until he is so jealous he can't see straight."

"That's not going to get you what you want," Leolin said, struggling to her feet. "That would only make him hate me more."

Adrian shook his head.

"You forget I know him, too. I was with him the night you brought Kelly Troy to the opera all those years ago; he was with your lovely friend Severina and he was still going out of his head. Besides," he continued, eying her as if she were an expensive cut of meat. "You obviously have no idea the effect you have on men. Trust me when I tell you this will drive him wild."

"Fine," she spit out, feeling cheap and sick to her stomach. "Anything else his majesty commands?"

"Not for now," Adrian said, dragging his knuckles down her cheek as he licked his lips. She could tell he was dying to kiss her, and she slapped his hand way, breathless. He responded by clamping a hand across her throat and squeezing, his pearly teeth bared in a feral sneer. He was applying a tremendous amount of pressure, and she could feel herself turning blue. When she could take no more he relinquished his grip and she bent double a gave a nasty, jagged cough.

"Be good, Lefevre," he said as she massaged her throat. "You know I'm always watching."

Without another word, he disappeared back into the rippling mirror.


	19. Chapter 18: Slaver's Chains

**4500 NEW WORDS ADDED. PLEASE REVIEW.**

**Chapter 18: Slaver's Chains**

"_So," Severina said as Leolin joined her in the courtyard. They'd taken a holiday to Spain, and they were in the Borgia ancestral palace in Valencia, relaxing together as a private little family._

_The palacio was a place of extraordinary beauty and tranquility, and no place was more so than the interior courtyard. There was an orange tree growing in the centre and a distinctly mozarabic feel, and the cool blue ceramic tiles were soothing._

_Severina was lounging in a chair drinking agua de Valencia, watching Isadora todder around on chubby legs, babbling incoherently to herself. She'd grown up fast, and it seemed so odd that she was already one and a half. Leolin smiled at her as Isa made her way over on unsteady legs and extended her arms upwards to Leolin._

"_Hello, mija," Leolin said, smoothing Isa's black hair. She was already beautiful, though Severina was right, she did look more like Xavy, who was swarthier then Severina. Luckily for Isa, Xavy was equally as handsome, and their combined genes would make her an unparalleled beauty in her time._

_Leolin sat down next to Sev, producing a toy from nowhere and handing it to Isa to preoccupy her._

"_So," Severina repeated pointedly._

_Leolin frowned in confusion._

"_So," Leolin repeated slowly, frowning a little._

"_So," Severina said, changing her intonation._

"_So?" Leolin demanded at last. "What the fuck are we doing?"_

_Severina smiled._

"_I am so confused," Leolin admitted, and Severina gave her a penetrating look._

"_It has been six months, tesora," she said, "What are you going to do?"_

"_Do about what?" Leolin said, kissing the duck fuzz on the top of Isa's head._

"_About Draco," Severina said firmly. "I think I've given you long enough."_

"_I don't know what to do," Leolin admitted. "I'm unsure what I can do at this point. Besides, I've grown very happy here."_

"_I know," Severina said. "And we are happy to have you. You will always be family, tesora. But your real family surely needs you too. Much as Xavy and I would like to keep you forever, you aren't really ours to keep. You're on loan, and it's time to go back to where you belong."_

"_It's not that simple," Leolin said, heaving a sigh._

"_What do you mean?" Severina asked._

"_I saw him," Leolin said. "When I was first in Firenze. I spoke to him, and he had no idea who I was. That's the curse I'm up against."_

"_That sounds difficult," Severina conceded. "But the curse isn't insurmountable, especially for someone as formidable as you."_

"_I don't know," Leolin said. "I don't think I'm ready."_

"_Ready? Leolin, do you still love Draco?"_

"_Is this a trick question?" Leolin asked._

"_It's a legitimate one. Do you still love him?"_

"_Of course!"_

"_Do you think you could be happy with anyone else?"_

_"I suppose," Leolin said. "With enough time."_

"_Do you __**want**__to be with someone else?"_

"_Not really?"_

"_Then what are you doing? Mira, it's been two years already. Every day you aren't in England, Draco moves farther away from you. Every day he loves you a little less and hates you a little more. This is time-sensitive, tesora. You either move now or give up the hunt."_

"_I don't want to give up," Leolin admitted._

"_Esattamente," Severina said, touching Leolin's arm. "But you can't expect him to stay single forever. And you certainly can't expect to burst in the day of his wedding and change his mind. What you want takes time, and that time begins now."_

"_I wouldn't know where to start," Leolin said._

"_Start at the beginning," Severina said. "Do as much research as you can. I will handle La genie for a while. You focus on this."_

"_What if I'm too late?" Leolin asked softly._

"_Then at least you will go down knowing you tried," Severina said. "Besides, this isn't the Middle Ages. There is such a thing as divorce."_

_Leolin shrugged._

"_That's a fair point."_

"_As soon as we've back in Firenze," Severina said, "We'll start. Xavy and I will help with whatever we can. And the girls will be here for when you want to tear your hair out."_

_Leolin laughed, kissing Isa's head again. She was still engrossed in the toy Leolin had brought._

_Just then Xavier appeared, Angelina on his hip. Angelina looked just like Sev, and she was a delight._

"_Mama," she said at once, itching to be put down so she could crawl into Severina's lap._

"_Thanks," Xavy said as she ran off. "I love you too, capretta."_

"_Hello, cariña," Severina cooed. "Come stai?"_

"_Bene," Angelina said, burying into her mother's chest._

_If Leolin hadn't known, she would have sworn Severina was neither old enough nor wide enough to have borne two children_

"_Avete giocato con papa?" Severina asked, smoothing Angelina's angelic curls from her face and kissing her temple. "¿Puedes decir a papa que le amas?_

"_Papa," Angelina said, unphased by the language flip. "Te amo."_

"_A mi tambien," Xavy replied. "Te queiro, carina."_

"_¿Y en Francés?_

"_Papa, je t'aime."_

"_¿ Y te puedes decirla en Inglés para Mamá?_

"_Papa," Angelina said. "I love you."_

"_Show off," Leolin said, feeling an odd clench in her stomach even as she smiled._

_She realised as she held Isa that she was beginning to long for a baby of her own. Her twenty-fourth birthday was this September. If Lucius had not interfered, she and Draco would be getting ready to throw out her remaining potions and begin to earnestly try._

"_Twenty galleons for your thoughts," Xavy said, smiling._

"_That's awfully steep," Leolin laughed._

_Xavier shrugged._

"_What's twenty galleons to a multimillionaire?"_

"_Nothing, I suppose," she said._

"_Well?" he said, extending a twenty note and making her laugh._

_She took the bill before allowing Xavy to sweep a dozing Isa from her arms._

"_I want what you have," Leolin admitted. "I want babies like you that I can raise to be pretentiously multilingual. I wanted to sit in my ancestral home and enjoy my little family."_

_Xavy gave a crooked smile._

"_And you will," he said, taking her hand. "We're on your side, tesora; we won't let you fail."_

_She nodded._

"_You will always belong here," Severina assured her. "You will always be the second mother to my girls, and you will always be Xavy's and my's darling. But I think you're ready now. We have to be good parents and let you be free."_

_Leolin nodded._

"_And maybe I will be."_

"_Non," Xavier said. "We're here at your back. Trust me, with Borgias on your side, you're never slated to fail."_

_Leolin nodded, smiling._

"_I love you," she said._

_He laughed._

"_Sí, te quiero."_

_She smiled._

"_Ti amo. Je t'aime. Te amo."_

"_Now who's the showoff?" Severina laughed, still stroking Angelina's hair._

"_I'm twenty-three," Leolin said, non-plussed. "I should hope I could manage that."_

"_Don't mind her," Xavier smiled, kissing her head. "I'm very proud."_

_Leolin nodded, suddenly lost in her thoughts again. Severina followed her process and smiled._

"_Always at your back, Leolin. Never forget that."_

* * *

Draco lay on his back as Leolin feasted on his neck. He raised his chin and gave a swift exhale as her tongue found a particularly sensitive spot. She sat astride him in little more than knickers, her hips swirling against his as she nipped at his ear. Her fingers were gently tangled in the chain of the falcon medallion at his neck, and her palm was cool against his bare chest.

"Cal," he whispered huskily, giving a half-laugh, half-groan as she continued her assault. "You have zero idea how much I've missed you."

"I've only been in France for six months," she laughed, playfully touching her tongue to his lips.

"It feels like 60 million years," he groaned as she gyrated against him more meaningfully.

"You're only saying that because I am about to shag your brains out," she said, rubbing her nose to his.

"That's only part of it," he defended, hands on her hips so her could fee his hardening cock. "I can't wait to hear about the Louvre. Your mum told me it was going really well."

"I think they may offer me something permanent," she admitted almost bashfully, tucking a hair behind her ear and stopping for a moment to look at him earnestly. "But I don't have to take it."

"Don't be daft," he accused, pushing forward to kiss her neck. "If they offer it, you _have_ to take it."

"What about us?" she said even as he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

"What do you mean?" he breathed, pulling down the straps of her bra and kissing the tops of her heaving breasts.

"I don't want to do this long distance bollocks anymore. I miss you too much."

His tongue touched her hardened rosy bud through the sheer fabric.

"I miss _this_ too much," she whispered.

"So I move to Paris with you," Draco said. "I love Paris; that's no hardship."

"What about your job?"

He smiled even as he introduced his teeth. She gasped and gripped his hair.

"I can run my evil corporation from anywhere," he said.

"Really?" she asked, clearly excited.

"It's settled," Draco breathed reaching around to remove the bra altogether. "After the wedding we'll move to Paris."

"I love you," she moaned as his tongue laved her nipple again.

"Then why don't you show me how much?" he whispered, tipping her back so she was lying with her feet towards the pillows.

He yanked down her knickers at once and pushed her thighs apart with a strong hand.

"You don't have to—" she began, but her words promptly died.

She threw her head back and arched her back.

"Are you doing the ABC's with your tongue?" she choked, and he laughed. "No," she said bossily, "Don't you dare fucking stop."

He pulled back only to insert two fingers.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he said, starting to pump.

"Oh Merlin," she whined, biting her lip.

"You are so fucking close, "Draco said. "I can feel it."

"How can you tell?" she choked out.

"I've been making love to this beautiful cunt for three years now," he smirked arrogantly. "I know you."

He bent his head again, tongue, teeth, and fingers moving in tandemly. She clenched involuntarily and screamed as an explosive orgasm gripped her.

"You taste amazing," he breathed, kissing her heatedly.

"Your turn," she insisted, pushing him the opposite direction onto his back.

"No," he said impatiently. "Just fuck me."

"No," she said in the same tone, pulling down his briefs to find him full for her. "All good things to those who wait."

He groaned as she ran a thumb over the head.

"Speaking of good things," he croaked.

She hummed and he gave a shudder.

"Have I ever told you you're a goddess?"

"Many times," she said, swirling her tongue.

"You're a fucking goddess," he breathed.

She relaxed her throat and pushed deeper, and he cried out.

"You're close," she breathed, and he gripped her hair.

"You know me too well," he choked.

She made a final move to pull him undone before moving to kiss him.

"Now that the score is all tied up," he purred. "Let's kick it up a notch."

"Don't you have to recharge your wand?" she asked, though she was already stroking his length again.

"You inspire me to overachieve."

She smirked as he stiffened, kissing him lazily as he grew in her hand. She adjusted and laved him again for good measure before sinking down and leaning back for her favourite angle.

"Did you take the potion today?" he groaned, strong hands maneuvering her hips.

"Obviously," she breathed.

"I don't know why I'm asking like I care," Draco laughed. "You know I'd love nothing more than for you to quit."

"Twenty-four," she breathed, putting her hands on his chest and leaning forward. "That's what we agreed."

"I'm willing to negotiate," he said, rising to a sitting position to fondle her chest.

"Thirty?" she laughed.

"I want to be a young, hip dad," he complained. "We should be four kids deep by 30."

"Your enthusiasm is admirable," she laughed.

"Promise me we'll have dirty, raunchy sex until the day you go into labour," he said, wanting to get something out of this negotiation.

"What if we have twins and I'm the size of a cruise liner?"

"Then your tits will be twice as big," he laughed. "And twins. Don't get my hopes up."

"There are no twins in my family," she said. "Don't hold your breath."

He nodded, pinning her down again before pushing her legs over his shoulders and driving deep.

"One baby at a time, then," he said slyly. "That just means I get to see you pregnant and glowing twice as often."

"You'll probably want to revise that when I'm in the delivery room cursing your name.

Draco said nothing because he could feel he was getting close.

"Flip over," he commanded, biting his lip as his fleshed slapped against hers.

"Maleficent, what you do to me," he breathed. "It should be illegal to feel this good."

She smiled, dangerously close as well.

"You know what we haven't done in awhile?" she whispered seductively, and he took her meaning at once, pulling out and back into her other entrance fluidly.

"Ah god, it's still incredibly tight."

"I should certainly hope so. We haven't had this in eight months."

His pace increased furiously, they were both panting.

"Fuck!" she screamed. "Oh my gods."

"Agreed," he groaned, slowing as he emptied into her.

"Gods I love you," she said, flopping back.

He nodded, kissing her.

"Thank you," he breathed.

She laughed.

"Are you thanking me for sex?"

He gazed at her earnestly, tucking a damp strand of hair behind her ear as he looked lovingly down at her. Sensing the shift but not quite understanding it, she leaned up, threading a hand through his hair and kissing him gently.

"Thank you for never giving up on us. I really don't deserve you, but I promise to spend every minute of the rest of my life trying."

"You're wrong about deserving me," she whispered, touching his cheek. "You're the greatest man I've ever known. And I promise to—"

Draco sat bolt upright, head pounding and chest heaving. He glanced at the softly ticking grandfather clock across from the bed. It was not yet seven thirty. The shut-outs in he and Gen's bedroom were drawn, and it was still dark.

Merlin's beard, what the hell was that? He glanced at Gen, who lay peacefully on her back. She looked like an angel with her golden hair spread out against their dark sheets. She was naked, and her small, firm breasts rose and fell as she quietly snoozed.

He turned away, practically forgetting Gen the minute he did. He ran his hands through his hair and closed his eyes. He could still imagine Leolin lying naked below him, and he clenched his fist. That was the most eerily powerful dream he'd ever had.

It wasn't just the sex; he'd admittedly been plagued by Leolin sex dreams for a solid year after she left. What had shaken him was everything else. The planning of the future. Their talk of children.

His throat ached.

Even if he _had _taken Leolin back in Atlanta, that could never be now. He screwed his eyes shut. He should have hunted Dolohov down first and ripped out his bloody lungs. At least then Leolin would have had a chance at happiness, even if it wasn't with him.

"Good morning," Gen purred, scooting to where Draco was sitting on the edge of the bed and kissing his neck. "You're up early. At least for you."

"Yeah," he said noncommittally. "I think I just have a lot on my mind."

"Why don't I ease it then," she whispered grabbing his earlobe with her teeth.

There was no point in denying it; Draco and Gen's sex life had come to a practical stand-still after everything that had transpired in New Orleans. He'd insisted he was extremely stressed—not a total lie by any stretch—and she accepted this without much comment. Draco would go as long as possible without seeming disinterested, but lately he'd had trouble maintaining his usual stamina. He'd blamed that on stress as well, though he had an unpleasant feeling that wasn't what was bothering him.

Sometimes he even caught himself seeing flashes of dark brown hair, at which point he would pin Gen underneath him and set a furious pace.

Gen brushed a hand into his lap.

"Did you have a naughty dream about me?" she said, smiling. "You're already hard."

"You know me too well," he smirked, covering his unease with ease.

Even in his fucking dreams Leolin could get him hard as a rock.

Draco pushed Gen back and wasted no time in putting his tongue to work, and soon she was mewing. It didn't take long to get her ready as well, and when he was sure she was, he sunk in deep.

"Did you take the potion already?" he breathed seriously.

"Now's not really the time for me to get pregnant," she said softly.

"I hate to agree," he said. "But I'm afraid I have to."

"We're young," she breathed. "I'm only twenty-three. We have plenty of time."

"I know," he breathed. "Thank Merlin for that."

She tossed her head back as he kissed her neck. However, he could feel himself beginning to lose traction. Supporting her back with one hand, he palmed her breast with the other. He wasn't sure if it was the pace or the position, but he felt like he was moving farther away from orgasm instead of closer towards it.

He fell onto his back, closing his eyes for a second.

"Ride me," he commanded, grabbing her hips and forcing her unceremoniously down to the hilt.

She gave a little gasp as he filled her, but soon enough she was moving, and he watched her small but succulent tits bounce merrily. Since, he was struggling.

"Fuck," he breathed, but realizing that hadn't really been the right thing to say, he added, "Genevieve, that feels incredible."

He closed his eyes and licked his lips, hoping he looked tangled in pleasure. In reality, he didn't honestly know how long he could keep her on top without losing his erection completely.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck_, he seethed internally. This wasn't about positions. Damn that stupid sodding dream. Still…

He pushed her hips back and forth to get as deep as he could before taking the plunge. He squeezed his eyes shut for a second. When his did, the breasts in front of him were fuller, and the breathy southern drawl was now an airy Welsh lilt.

"Oh gods," he groaned as she moved like she was actually in the saddle. "That's it."

Leolin drove her hands into her dark hair as she leaned back, still moving her hips.

"Oh Merlin," she whined softly. "I'm so close."

"Go on darling," his urged, bucking his hips up. "Come for you. I can't hold back much longer."

He brushed his thumb over her clit, meeting her strokes until he could feel her body begin to quiver then shudder then buck.

"Draco!" she screamed loudly. 'Oh my gods!"

He took that as permission and spilled into her, groaning as she swirled her hips a last time. He closed his eyes as she bent to kiss him, and when he opened them she was Gen again.

"I knew we just needed a little time," she said triumphantly, sliding off of him. "Draco, darling, that was incredible."

He smirked.

"I just needed the proper motivation."

"Happy to oblige," she purred, kissing him.

He flopped back onto the pillows, rubbing his face and running a hand through his mussed hair. She curled beside him.

"You know I love you, right?" she whispered earnestly, tracing his tattoo. "No matter what."

He looked down at her. Her eyes were impossibly sincere.

"I know," he said gently, kissing her again. "You were my saviour, Genevieve. Never forget that."

She nodded.

"I won't."

They lay their a moment longer, theirs eyes slipping closed as they flirted with sleep again. However, when Draco catch himself imagining it was Leolin curled beside him, heavy breasts pressed soothingly to his side, he sat up.

"I should get in the shower," he said, trying not to sound stiff as he untangled himself and rose. At the movement, Rodames had leapt up from his bed in the corner of the room, his tail wagging happily. Draco stepped needlessly into a pair of dark briefs before crossing to pet him.

Gen nodded again, and he gave Rodames a final pat before he padded off without another word.

He stood under the stream for a long time, allowing the hot water to run down his face, chest, and abdomen. Without realising it, his hand was at his sternum, touching the place his peregrine pendant had once hung.

He wasn't even sure he knew where it was now. In truth, he sometimes missed its pleasant weight around his neck. He leaned his head on the heated tiles, trying desperately to get a hold of himself. He would have to face Leolin for the first time today, and he needed composure. He was determined not the fall under her insidious spell again. She'd had her chance to tell him the truth in Atlanta, and she'd given it up. Now all he needed from her was a working relationship that was neither hostile nor charged. However, that, he knew, much be much easier said than done. Especially after what had just happened.

Finally he felt he could stand in the shower no longer, and he stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist before looking at himself in the mirror. He was unaccustomed to seeing his hair hanging loose, and it somehow reminded him of a much younger version of himself. When he was 14, he hadn't even known who Leolin was or what she'd become to him. That seemed so impossible. He broke eye contact by opening the cabinet and rubbing his finely scented pomade between his palms before running it through his hair, feeling better.

He turned from side to side. The sides had grown to half an inch, which was longer than he liked. He needed to see his barber.

Padding from the bathroom, he found Gen still lounging in bed, reading a book. Rodames lay at the foot of the large bed, head resting on crossed paws.

It felt as if Gen had begun putting more energy into liking him, and he'd responded in kind. He still much preferred Draco's company, but he seemed wiling tolerate hers when Draco was unavailable. Draco thought of the way Rodames had been so utterly taken with Leolin, and his heart clenched in a way that made him a little nauseous.

"What are you reading?"

She didn't look up, but Rodames scrambled off the bed to sit at Draco's feet, his docked tail wagging excitedly.

"_The Definitive History of Wizarding Britain_."

"Well that sounds horribly boring," he commented wryly as he scratched the dog behind the ears, and she smiled.

"In 1066," she began aloud. "The now-prestigious Malfoy family arrived in England by way of the Norman invasion. Arnaud Malfoy, the first of the family's crusaders to land on English soil, quickly found wealth and success."

"Huh," he said amusedly in response, going to his closet.

Radames followed, lying on the floor and crossing his paws as Draco got dressed.

He stepped into dark jeans and collared shirt before shrugging into a navy blazer. He heeled into Prada boots before surveying himself in the mirror. He looked good, but then, he always did. He vainly admired his reflection for a bit before going to armoire and retrieving his glittering watch. He thought about having a look for the pendant just to satisfy his curiousity, but eventually decided better of it. He then slipped his wallet into his jeans, and exited the room, allowing Rodames to follow him before closing the door behind him.

Gen was just coming out of the bathroom as he emerged, and she appraised him.

"You look handsome," she said, smiling at him.

"Don't I always, darling?" he said arrogantly, looking in the mirror again and adjusting his cuffs a bit. Before he could stop himself, he imagined a half-naked Leolin coming up behind him to wrap her arms around his trim waist and lay a cheek lovingly against the broad plane of his back.

"Of course," Gen replied, drawing him from his reverie. "If we had more time, I would let you to take the whole thing off and get back into bed with me."

"Alas," he said, kissing her softly on the lips. "I'm running a little behind as it is."

She nodded.

"Are you going to see Audige today?" she queried.

He nodded.

"We've waited long enough. Adrian did a pretty solid number on him, but he will be gaining his strength back quickly. If we don't do something, we're going to lose control of him and everything we went through in New Orleans will have been for nothing."

She bit her lip. Everything Leolin had been through, he could tell she was thinking. Everything his Leolin had done and given up to see they had this opportunity.

"Be careful, then," she said delicately. "And try to play nice with Harry and the others."

"Oh, you know me," Draco said wryly. "Mr. Do-gooder."

"Definitely not," she said. "Though that's one of the many things I adore about you."

He smirked.

"See you later," he affirmed.

"Are you going out tonight?" she asked.

He nodded.

"We have to go to the Em for something."

She nodded.

"Max and Ashley have just gotten back into town, but I will meet you there at some point."

He nodded, and with that he strode out, Rodames on his heels. Gen watched them both go with glittering gaze. Draco headed down the stairs, flicking his wrist and starting a pot of coffee. It was too awkward to have servants in the flat, but Draco had hired someone to drop off breakfast in the morning, and he was infinitely glad he did.

He poured himself a cup of coffee and took a large sip, sighing contentedly. He them picked a Spanish palmera off a tray of pastries and took a bite. Rodames's food and water had also been set out, and he munched contentedly as Draco drank more of the coffee. When he'd finished it, he nipped back up stairs, brushing his teeth vigourously before swishing with mouthwash. Realising he'd not put on cologne, he went back to closet. Gen was inside in bra and knickers, and she smirked at him.

"Nothing too sexy," he warned, and she gave a shimmering bell laugh.

"It's as if you don't know me, darling," she smiled, slipping on a modest dress.

He awarded this with a kiss.

"You smell so lovely," she said, and he merely raised his eyebrows.

"Right," he said. "I'm really off now. Give me a kiss."

She obliged and he left her, petting a whining Rodames a final time.

"Go with Gen," Draco told him.

Rodames whined some more than barked.

"Rodames," Draco commanded. "Go upstairs and keep Genevieve company. juste vas-t'en!"

Rodames huffed, and Draco pointed to the stars "maintenant!"

Rodames finally did as he was told, bounding gracefully up the stairs and out of sight.

Draco shook his head before stepping out the door of the flat. He apparated to Harry and Grace's sprawling house just North of Primrose hill in Northwest London. In lieu of an official headquarters, they had been meeting at the Potter's. However, they'd agreed that it was too dangerous to keep Audige somewhere Adrian could potentially find him, and Grace refused to let him in the same house as the girls. As a consequence, they were only meeting at the Potters' to convene before going to his location. Even Draco didn't know where that was. They'd made sure no one person knew everything about Audige's whereabouts, and it was Harry'd who'd arranged the details of Audige's incarceration. In truth, Draco was somewhat eager to find out where he was.

He passed through the wrought-iron gates and strode up the drive as a maid opened the door. He had to admit it amused him that the annoyingly noble Harry Saint Potter had hired help, but he supposed that with two small children in the house, it was something of a necessity. Speaking of which…

"Mummy!" Scarlet, the elder, called, practically shoving her nanny out of the way. "Another person is here!"

_Merlin_, did she look like Potter. She had her grandmother's green eyes and Potter's obscenely unruly black hair, though hers was a mop of admittedly adorable black curls that suited her far better than they did him. Scarlet gazed up at Draco in fascination and he raised his eyebrows.

"Scarlet," he said in greeting, heaving her onto his hip. "Bigger and bigger all the time."

"Mummy," Scarlet called in response. "It's Draco," studying her face as he carried her inside.

Grace appeared then, seeming somewhat harried, a pouty Sophia on her hip.

"Hey Drake," she said, looking drawn. "Come in."

"Mummy," Scarlet said, running excitedly over as Draco set her down. "Look, Draco's here!"

"I see that," Grace said.

"Rough morning?" he asked, approaching and touching Sophia's chubby cheek. she blushed and turned away.

"Typical toddler drama," Grace said. "Excuse me, Sophia Rose, can you say hello?"

Sophia responded by burying her head in Grace's shoulder, but Grace wasn't to be deterred.

"Hello?" she said, poking Sophie's side. "Can we please be polite and say hello?"

Sophie turned to Draco, head still resting on Grace's shoulder as she softly said, "hello."

"Nice to see you, " Draco said, as if speaking to adult.

"I'll take it, you little turnip," Grace said, making Sophie giggle and bury her face.

"Mummy," Scarlet whined, coming over and hugging Grace's legs. "Hold me, too."

"Scarlet, I can't hold you and Sophie with my tummy."

"That's not fair!" Scarlet wailed, tears in her eyes.

"Okay, how's this?" Grace said, setting Sophia down as well.

"_No!_" Sophia wailed at once, extending her arms up.

"Sophia, you're not a baby anymore, and Mummy has practically been holding you all day. Can you be a big girl and walk like Scarlet?"

"_NO!"_ Sophia whined more emphatically, and soon both girls when touching Grace's swelling belly insistently.

She was solidly pregnant now, and she had really begun to round out.

"Oh my life, you two," Grace said, exasperated. "Draco, why don't you go in the other room and count you lucky little stars you aren't a dad yet."

"Yes ma'am," he said, tipping an invisible hat to the girls. "Ladies, it's been a pleasure."

Scarlet was momentarily distracted by this, but Sophia was still wailing.

"Mama! Hold me!"

"What I wouldn't give for a dirty martini," Grace breathed, trying to stay calm.

Draco touched her sympathetically on the back before exiting the entryway and going into Harry's elegant study.

There was a long table running down the middle, and many of the group had already assembled there. There was an empty seat next to Ginny in the middle of the table, but he seemed to sense who it was meant for, and he decided to sit as far away from it as possible.

"You look tired," Pansy commented at once.

"Why thank you," Draco said curtly. "How charming of you to say so."

"Rough night?" Blaise asked.

"Trouble sleeping," Draco replied simply, and Ieuan nodded, taking Luke's hand.

"There's a lot of that going around these days."

"I would imagine so," Draco said, though he assumed most of them weren't having raunchy dreams about Leolin.

Eventually he settled next to Max, who shook his hand.

"How's it going, mate?" Draco said, cordial but not overly jubilant. There was no point in denying how much it annoyed him that Leolin had actually slept with Max.

"Alright, all things considered," Max replied evenly. Draco suspected Max was equally as annoyed about the way Draco had all but ignored Gen after Leolin had been injured.

Draco nodded, eyes scanning the table.

"Thanks for not inviting fucking Troy," he said to no one in particular.

"Don't get too excited," Harry warned. "He would have been here, but his wife has the Welsh flu."

"Ah yes," Draco said snidely. "The elusive wife."

"Play nice," Ginny warned.

Draco continued to scan the table, and he stopped when his eyes settled on Nikki Clearwater.

"Surprised to see you here, Clearwater."

Nikki, who had graduated several years ahead of Draco at Hogwarts, gave a condescending sniff. Despite being a Slytherin, she'd married George Weasley.

"It's Weasley now, as you well know, and besides trying not to be annoyed at that comment , I'm here representing my family."

"That's good of you," Draco said in mock admiration. "I know your husband is busy with the very important task of running his joke shop."

"If someone's not there to help lift people's spirits," she said tartly. "We'll all be dragged until by your tedious brooding."

"Naturally," Draco shot back.

Just then a handsome stranger appeared, grinning at Max and sinking into the seat beside him.

"Ren," Max said, seemingly genuinely pleased. "I'm glad you made it. I was worried you wouldn't be able to make it across the pond, given the current climate."

The man shrugged. "I was in Quèbec. The AAO hasn't been able to convince Canada to give a damn about their political tedium yet."

Draco quickly sized the man up as Max laughed. The man had an easy and affable grace about him, and Draco knew at once he was destined to loathe him.

The man leaned back in his chair until he was balancing on two legs. He then looked at Draco.

"You must be Genevieve's fiancée. Sorry we didn't get the pleasure to meet in Atlanta. It was a bit of a mad dash. I'm Felix Chaisson."

Draco found his Quebecois accent irritating. Felix extended his hand and Draco shook it.

"Draco," he said simply.

"Oh I know," Felix replied, grinning.

"I'm sorry," Draco spit in naked contempt. "How exactly to the two of you know each other?"

Felix and Max traded a glance.

"We went to boarding school in San Fran together," Max said matter-of-factly, as if challenging Draco to have a problem with that.

"And how is it that we never met in Atlanta?" Draco prodded.

Felix gave a cheeky grin that Draco longed to slap off his face.

"I'm more of a behind the scenes type of person. In and out, you know."

"Okay," Draco said. "And what exactly was it that you were doing beside the scenes, then?"

"Oh," Felix said, smiling. "I took the tracker charm out of Leolin's arm."

Draco looked at Max pointedly. "I didn't realize she ever had one."

Max shrugged.

"It wasn't anything major. My AAO contact Olivia had to insert one to maintain her cover."

"And you didn't think to consult anyone else about that?"

Max clenched his jaw.

"You were out, so I had to make a judgment call. Besides, she didn't have it in for more than three hours or so."

"Thanks to me," Felix smirked

"That could have totally fucked us, Brankovitch," Draco grit out.

"But it didnt," Max said, annoyed. "Look, you were freaking out about Leolin enough as it was," Max snapped, visibly annoyed. "I didn't need you getting all rabid dog protective again and ruining Olivia's position at the AAO. It was fine; I handled it."

Before a fight could break out, Grace walked in.

"Your children are a bloody terror," she said to Harry. "And you're on daddy duty for the rest of the day. I'm going to savour one of my few glasses of red wine."

"Fair enough," Harry said sympathetically, squeezing her hand. She looked exhausted.

"Is this everyone?" Tieran asked.

"Borgia's not," Pansy said, looking around.

Ginny shook her head at once.

"Neither is Leolin."

"I don't think she's coming," Ieuan said truthfully.

Just then the double doors swung imperiously open, and Ginny looked up hopefully, clearly hoping it would be Leolin. It wasn't.

"I'm afraid neither of them is here," Xavier Borgia said authoritatively, striding into the room. Draco wasn't sure how exactly had and Severina were related, but Xavier shared her fierce Borgia aura and her somewhat sinister Spanish beauty. Xavier looked haughty and dangerous, and the look he gave Draco was none-too-friendly. Xavier, Draco suspected, must have attended university at the London Academy of Magical Arts, because his accent, though unmistakably Spanish, had a crisp English undertone.

"Where's Leolin?" Ginny queried at once.

Xavier's fierce gaze bled to her, and he gave her a penetrative look.

"She's suffered a great trauma," Xavier said, fierce falling on Draco before moving away to survey the group more generally . "She's resting."

"And your wife?"

"Indisposed, at the moment," Xavier said flippantly. "She's attending to something of great importance. I'll speak with her voice for now."

"And Lefevre?" Draco demanded. "Her seat at this table is still empty. She has a responsibility to be here."

Xavier bared his teeth at Draco.

"How dare you," he snarled quietly. "say her name in my presence; you gave up that right. And if you ever speak ill of her in my presence again, I will tear your head from your shoulders"

"You're welcome to try," Draco snapped, rising and drawing his wand.

Xavier drew his as well.

"Your transparency is wretched to watch," he said with venom, wand still raised. "Everyone here know why you're demanding Leolin fill this seat. We all have to pay for our choices in the end, Malfoy; you've no one to blame but yourself if you're regretting yours."

"Not afraid of you, Borgia," Draco said, sounding almost bored. "I'd crush you in a duel and we both know it."

"Draco!" Grace admonished.

"Say one more thing and I'll kill you," Xavier snapped, gaze nasty now. "Alliance or no."

It was here that Blaise drew his wand, though he didn't seem to be defending Draco.

"Enough," he boomed, wand pointed at each of them in turn.

"Rimanere fuori da questo," Xavy snarled at Blaise, temporary switching where his wand was pointed. "Questo non ti riguarda."

"Non ho paura di te, Borgia," Blaise said as Harry rose as well, wand raised.

"Stop!" Ginny insisted, forcing Draco to lower his wand. "Does either of you seriously think this is what Leolin would want?"

This comment seemed to catch both Xavier and Draco off-guard, and Xavier looked, if not contrite, subdoed by her utterance.

"You're right," Xavier said imperiously to Ginny, and he lowed his wand as well. "Forgive me."

Ginny nodded grimly and the entire group seemed to fade into reverent silence.

"Right," Ieuan said finally. "What's the plan?"

"We've waited long enough," Harry said grimly. "We need to speak with Audige. We can't hold him forever and he knows it. If we don't get him to talk soon, things could get nasty."

"Right," Tieran said. "But we need to talk about expansion first. The old Order is all but destroyed, and we have to rebuild our numbers. We need to recruit people we know we can trust."

"How many do we have right now?" Max said.

"On your side?" Blaise said. "No more than thirty-five, I would say."

"That's not nearly enough," Luke mused.

"Let's run them down and start making a list of potential recruits," Grace said shrewdly.

"Everyone here," Luke offered.

"The Weasleys," Nikki offered as well. "There's 13 of us, including me."

"Better avoid dining together," Blaise muttered, and she glared at him.

"Who else?" Draco said.

"Kelly and Cara Troy," Grace said, and Draco rolled his eyes.

"We can count Oliver Wood in, too," Ginny said. "I know we can trust him."

Blaise stiffened a bit, and she touched his arm.

"Wes Carmichael as well," Pansy offered. "Leolin's cousin Blair and his wife Charlotte, and Forest Lawrence."

"I don't trust Forest," Draco added.

"We'll see if Blair vouches for him," Harry said evenly.

"Borgia," Tieran said, glancing at Xavier. "How many do you have?"

His arms were crossed and he looked solemn.

"Ten, perhaps less."

"That few?" Nikki said.

"I'm a Borgia," Xavier said, eyes flashing. "There is little trust in my world."

"How many yanks, Brankovitch?" Draco asked.

"Olivia Westmoreland in the AAO office. I have several others in the ministry, but I don't really want to say more."

"What departments?" Harry asked.

"I don't want to say," Max repeated. "But there's one in particular at the top on the British side. They have an eye out."

He and Felix traded a look.

"That's it?" Ginny demanded.

"I have more, but I don't think I have to list their names. I trust all of them implicitly. "Same with Ren here."

Felix gave a salute.

"How many in total?'

"Around thirty" Max said.

"What about Lyra?" Blaise asked seriously.

"Who is she, again?" Pansy asked.

"She's the healer that saved Lefevre's life," Blaise said. "And she's a family friend."

"She did lie to Adrian for Leolin, even under pressure," Tieran pointed out.

"Do you trust her?" Luke said seriously.

Blaise bit his lip.

"I would unreservedly say yes, but if she was pressured or threatened we might have to keep her at arm's length until we can get her family to safety."

Tieran nodded.

"Who else?" Draco asked.

"That's about it," Harry said.

"So who are we looking to recruit?"

"Geoffrey Blackburn," Blaise said at once. "We need his curse-breaker skill set."

"What am I?" Felix demanded hotly.

"We can't have you spread too thin," Tieran pointed out. "And the Blackburns are well-connected. That can't hurt."

"I don't remember another Blackburn, " Grace said. "What house?"

"Slytherin," Draco said, looking pointedly at Ieuan. "He was three years below us."

Grace still shook her head.

Blaise clenched his jaw.

"The one Ieuan used to pick on," Blaise said reproachfully.

"Not my finest hour," Ieuan admitted. "Though, in my defense, I was trying to come to terms with my sexuality."

"That's not much of an excuse," Luke said softly, and Ieuan hung his head.

"So this Blackburn kid," Max said. "What's his story?"

"He has four wildly successful older brothers," Draco explained. "The oldest is Langdon. Langdon was a Hufflepuff and the golden boy. Won every award, head boy, top of his class. He went on to be a top surgeon at St. Mungo's with his dad, and he's completely beloved. Now he's married to a Brazilian supermodel and has like four angelic kids.

"Next is Bentley," Blaise said. "And he was a bad boy even by Slytherin standards. He got into a lot of trouble, but he was wild at parties and wicked at quidditch, and everyone thought he was dead cool. He plays for Falmouth as a beater now. He married his Hogwarts sweetheart and they have a kid, too, but everyone knows he steps out on her."

"Sampson is a barrister," Pansy said. "And I honestly think he was one of the smartest kids Hogwarts has seen in a long time. He was in Ravenclaw, his grades were off the charts, and he had this way of tangling people up in logic and tripping them to get what he wanted from them. He's a super successful barrister now, and I don't think he's lost a case in years. He makes more money that god, and I'm pretty sure he's too much of a meglomaniac to even be in a healthy relationship.

"Vance is the second youngest," Nikki explained. "But he and Sam are Irish twins and super close. Vance is a super successful restauranteur. He has dozens of places all over Europe, and unless your Draco Malfoy," she shot him a look, "you have to make reservations months in advance. He was friends with Blair and Forest and Kelly in school, I'm pretty sure, and he's classic Gryffindor."

"Then there's Geoff," Ieuan said, sounding guilty. "He was skinny and awkward and shy all through school, and people routinely forgot he was a Blackburn. The closest brother to his age was Vance, but since he and Sam were in the same year, they pretty much ignored him. He was the captain of the gobstones club, which was akin to social suicide, he was bullied," Ieuan paused, adjusting his glasses. "And he had a hapless crush on a gorgeous older girl he never had a prayer of getting."

"He did," Grace said. "Who?"

Ieuan looked at Pansy, who groaned.

"I barely had any idea who he was," Pansy admitted. "And let's get real; I'd shagged people like Blaise and Draco; Geoff and I were never going to work. Besides, by the time he was a teenager I already had my eye on someone just as far out of my reach."

"Who?" Ginny said eagerly.

Pansy and Tieran exchanged a look, and he raised his eyebrows at her.

"In my defense," Tieran said. "She was well over eighteen and finished with uni by the time I asked her out."

"Well at least we know who we're sending to fetch Geoff," Draco said wryly.

"You aren't serious," Pansy breathed, looking at Tieran again.

"Dead serious," Blaise said. "And don't wear your ring."

"That's bollocks," she said. "And cheap. I'm not bloody doing that."

"This is serious," Harry scolded. "We need every advantage we can get."

Pansy groaned and Draco raised his eyebrows.

"Who else?" Tieran said.

"Jack Mclatchie," Ieuan offered. "We need boots on the ground, and he's street-level; he knows all the chatter. Besides, no one ever pays attention to him, he'll be good eyes and ears."

"No," Draco said emphatically. "Abso_lute_ly fucking not. I am not going to sit around and listen to the chavvy twat prattle on in fucking cockney rhyme slang all day."

"No, Ieuan has a point, Drake," Blaise said. "We can't just have high profiles like you and me. We need stealth, too."

"Oh, hex me," Draco demanded.

"I say we seek him out, " Harry said. "Though we have to be wary. Last time round we had Dung Fletcher, and he wasn't a death eater, but he wasn't exactly loyal either. Mad Eye died because of him."

"Where can we find this unsavory creature?" Severina asked.

"Oh he's an Em institution, "Ieuan said. "We can always find him there."

Draco looked at Blaise.

"We're heading there tonight. We'll find the stupid bastard."

Harry nodded.

"I think it's a good start. Let's see where we get with these, then we can widen our search. Gin, you go to the Dip tonight and see if you can talk to Blair or Oliver or both."

"Shouldn't Leolin be the one to talk to Blair?" Ginny asked. "He's practically her older brother."

"We have no idea how long she'll be absent," Harry said at last. "We can't afford to waste time on this."

Ginny nodded slowly, knowing it was true.

"The rest of you keep thinking," Harry said. "We need more than five new recruits."

"We will," Nikki affirmed. "I will contact you later this week with more."

Harry nodded.

"Thank you."

"I should go," Pansy said, rising. "I need to head to Blackburn's as soon as possible. Promise to shag me after," she said, and Tieran flushed.

"Pansy," he said indignantly.

She smirked before bending to kiss him.

"Please be careful with Audige," she said more seriously, touching his cheek.

"I will," he promised.

She nodded, giving the others a smile before heading out.

Draco looked at Max.

"Are you coming with us, Brankovitch?" he asked.

Max shook his head.

"I can't. I need to speak with one of my contacts and it's time sensitive."

"A convenient excuse to avoid Audige," Blaise pointed out unhappily.

"Suck my dick," Max shot back, jerking his head to Felix, who followed him out the door without another word.

It was just Tieran, Draco, Blaise, Ginny, Grace, Harry, and Xavier now.

"We ought to get going," Tieran said. "There is no telling how long this could take."

They nodded, and Harry turned to Grace, gently taking her shoulders.

"You stay here with the girls. I will be back later."

"What?" she demanded. "No! Harry, you're not going."

"I have to," he said.

"I need a break!" she demanded. "I'm exhausted and I can't take of the girls and relax."

"Call your mum," he said sympathetically. "She can look after them so you can lie down."

"Harry—"

"We need him, Grace," Blaise said gently.

She looked close to tears.

"Fine," she snapped tersely, slipping her hand from her husband'S. "Then I expect you home for dinner."

He nodded, kissing her forehead.

"I will be, I promise."

When she disappeared, they all looked around. Ginny noticed Blaise looking at her meaningfully, and she shook her head fiercely.

"No," she said. "Don't you dare. I'm going for Leolin."

"Gin," he said. "Don't be imprudent. She had experience with this you don't have."

"Neither do you," she shot back. "And you're not going to change my mind."

He nodded, knowing he would never win this fight.

"Let's go, then," Tieran said, nodding at each of them.

"Where are we going?" Xavier asked.

"I don't want to say," Harry said, picking up what looked like the a ship's wheel. "Even here. We're going by portkey. It's safer and more discreet than apparating."

They all took hold, trading him expressions. No one said a word, but Draco could see in each of their eyes that they were afraid. He hadn't expected to be, but her realised as he gripped one of the worn teak handles that he was, too. Before he could stop himself, Draco imagined what it must have been like for Leolin, how terrified she must have been all alone and at Audige's mercy. He thought of how fragile she'd looked in Scabior's coat, desperate to hide the shame of Adrian's cruel degradation. He imagined her crying as Pucey stripped her down and leered at her, no doubt threatening to finish the job when his task was completed. The idea of his hands on Leolin's skin made Draco sick, and he grit his teeth in pain and anger. Audige would give them what they wanted; if he didn't, Draco would peel the flesh from his bones.

"Ready?" Harry said, counting down.

Before anyone could respond, they were jerked away, spinning and spinning for what felt like forever. Finally the wheel slowed. However, the length of the journey had made them all feel woozy, and no one managed to land on their feet. They instead ended up in a unceremonious heap. Draco stood, dusting his hand off on his jeans before looking up at a familiar sight. He turned to Harry.

"Are you fucking _daft_? _This _is where you're keeping Audige?"

Harry and Tieran traded a look. Clearly they were in agreement.

"Adrian would never think to look here," he explained. "And it's one of the safest places in Britain."

They all looked back up at the Hogwarts castle in disbelief.

"What about the students?" Ginny said.

"The term doesn't begin until the first of September," Tieran pointed out.

"Let's go," Blaise said, seeming to take the news they were housing a war lord here, of all places, in stride.

Silently they took off. It was a chilly, gray day, and the grass underfoot was damp but lush. Having emerged on the far end of the Forbidden Forest, they were eventually forced to skirt around the deserted quidditch stadium. Draco couldn't bear to look at it. The minute the gold hoops were visible, he was inundated with memories. Leolin strutting around in little more than bra and knickers in an effort to make him jealous. The panic of seeing her in free fall, and the sheer relief she'd hit his broom and he knew she was safe. The day she'd first told him she loved him. The morning of the quidditch final when they'd sat together in silence and watched the sun rise. The way it felt to be comforted by her. It was a feeling that he could never in one hundred lifetimes forget, and now it was threatening to overtake him entirely.

He bowed his head and rolled his shoulders forward to fend off the warmth even the memory of that morning had inspired.

"You alright, Drake?" Ginny said softly, taking his hand.

He nodded.

"Just getting ready."

Soon enough they were passing through the castle's front gates, crossing the main courtyard and slipping inside the entryway.

"It feels weird to be back," Ginny admitted. "It's been almost six years for me."

"Me too," Harry said.

"This feeling doesn't ever really go away," Tieran admitted.

"Tieran," a stern voice echoed. "We've been expecting you."

Minerva McGonagall was striding purposefully down the stairs, frowning concernedly as she eyed them each in turn.

She was dressed in her same crushed velvet robes, severe bun, black hat, and grim expression.

"I wish I could say it was good to see you all," she said, giving them each a sympathetic look. "But I'm afraid under the circumstances..."

Ginny nodded.

"We understand. Thank you for doing this."

"I only hope it's enough," McGonagall admitted.

"Adrian Pucey hasn't turned up, has he?" Tieran asked seriously.

She pursed her lips.

"No," she said tersely.

Her expression wasn't particularly difficult to interpret. She'd known Adrian since he was eleven years old, and she'd watched him grow up alongside the rest of them. That was likely how she remembered him: as a young boy. Spoiled, perhaps, somewhat arrogant, but overally not so different from his peers.

"Come along, then," she said, turning and beginning up the stone stairs. They all followed in silence, almost like first years waiting to be sorted. She led them to the Great Hall, who's ceiling boomed with nasty thunder and lit up with jagged lightening. After New Orleans, Draco had little doubt as to why.

"How long has it been doing that?" Ginny asked quietly.

She was obviously thinking the same thing Draco was. McGonagall pursed his lips.

"Two weeks," he replied. "I dare say you came just in time. This castle can only bear so much."

"Thank you for your help, Minerva," Tieran said seriously.

She nodded, looking as close as Draco had even see her to crying.

"Do you know where you're going?"

Tieran nodded again. Draco thought he probably did, too.

"Off you go, then," McGonagall said. "And good luck. I would come with you, but I'm afraid I'm not the witch I once was."

Draco had never seen her so candid, so disarmed, and it made him yearn to be sixteen again, when it wasn't monsters like Audige he feared, but McGonagall herself.

"Take care," she said, squeezing Ginny's hand and looking at them. "The castle can defend itself, but it is in no way infallible."

"We know," Harry said quietly.

She nodded, looking at him sadly, as if he were James. Tieran jerked his head at them as he ascended the stairs.

They all followed him to the fifth floor, and Draco swallowed a rising knot in his throat as they stopped in front of a pair of forbidding iron doors.

"These are the doors to Audige's court," Harry said solemnly.

"How was he able to manage that?" Xavier said.

"It's a Room of Requirement," Ginny explained. "It can change to suit your desires."

Draco and Blaise traded an uneasy look.

"It's shouldn't be this way," Blaise said. "Audige shouldn't be able to control the room. It should be controlling him."

They all looked tense.

"Get ready," Tieran said. "We might be walking into a trap."

They all drew their wands, and Draco and Blaise pushed the doors open. Beyond yawned a cold, dark corridor. Ginny looked at Blaise before stepping forward. The rest of them followed. As soon as they were all inside, the torches ensconced on the walls blazed to life, the light falling on hundreds of skulls jammed into the wall.

Draco recoiled in surprise, but he quickly recovered. He'd seen this before in the Catacombs of Paris.

"Do you think this is what it was like?" Ginny asked meekly, glancing around and happening to catch Xavier's eye. "For Leolin?"

"Yes," Tieran replied. "I think so."

"I can't believe she didn't turn back," Harry said. "She must have been scared out of her bloody mind."

"I can," Xavier said fiercely, eyes on Draco now. "She's fearless."

"How much farther, do you think?" Blaise quieried.

"Not much," Draco said.

They'd rounded the bend and found themselves face to face with a set a wrought iron gates, beyond which stretched only darkness. The gate opened with a flick of Xavier's wrist, and the throne room beyond blazed to light, the wall tapestries fluttering and their footsteps echoing off the stone. Draco glanced at Blaise, and they must have had the same thought, because at the same time they began to will the room to change. The vaulted ceiling shrank, the walls closed in, and rows of steel bars encased the lone figure in the room, bathed in the light of a solitary occulus overhead. Audige prowled silently back and forth behind the bars for a minute, like a wild animal. His blue eye glinted as they approached. However, they only made it several steps before the air began to quiver. The bars disappeared as quickly as they came, and the vaults re-blossomed like spring violets, and before long they were standing back in Audige's court. He conquered himself a chair, a throne, and sat down, unmoving.

The silence was tense, and no one moved. It was clear that the room had not yet lost complete control of Audige, but its defensives were wearing dangerously thin. Audige studied them each in turn, movements unhurried, almost hypnotic, as if he was trying to lull them into a stupor before he struck. Finally he spoke.

"The french girl," he said in a slow, rolling voice. "Is she dead?"

They all traded a look.

"No," Xavier said at last.

Audige seemed to consider this, and he soon settled back into unnerving silence.

"Tell us about Bones," Draco said in a hard voice.

"No," Audige said, drumming his spindly fingers on the arms of his chair.

"Do you not value your freedom?" Xavier said. "Tell us or we will leave you here to rot."

Audige's eyes flicked to Xavier, lip curling.

"A lie," Audige said, standing. "You don't have the power to keep me here, Spaniard. That means you have nothing to offer me."

"We could kill you," Tieran said.

"You could try," Audige amended.

Overhead, the sky rumbled. When no one spoke, and he rose, advancing.

"I. do. not. fear. you," Audige snarled. The thunder was much louder now. "And when this is done, I will walk over your corpses to my freedom."

"You can try," Draco said, raising his wand.

That was when invisible clouds tore open overhead, drenching them all with rain. The lamps were instantly extinguished, and they could only catch a glimpses of Audige when the lightening flashed. He was advancing, seemingly undaunted by the darkness. Around them the room struggled to defend itself, defend them, but it's strength was waning at last. They began firing hexes, all of which missed the stalking Audige. They moved back to back, trying to defend against him. He seemed to be calling down the lightening now like the mighty Zeus, and Draco could see how that he meant to electrocute them. He fired a hex that stuck Audige square in the chest, and the bokor stumbled back, the lightening temporarily ceasing as the rain continued to pummel them and they were plunged into darkness. They continued to fire hexes, but their blind, and they feared striking one another. They stood back to back, and Draco could find Ginny shivering next to him, desperately afraid.

Finally the sky blazed up with a blinding flash, and Audige was mere feet from them, teeth bared and eyes blazing. He raised a claw-like hand, ready to strike them all down. However, as he brought down the lightening, a figure emerged, drawing a sword like a storybook hero, and the lightening glanced off the glinting blade, blasting Audige back. The rain lessened and the thunder and lightening relented. Tieran was able to light the room as Audige remained on the stone floor, eyes fixed on the sword-wielder.

Severina Borgia stood above him with chest heaving, the famous sword _Tizona_ grabbed tightly in her hand. She looked fearsome and beautiful and terrible, and Draco thought for a moment she was going to run Audige through with the store. Instead she waited for him regain his footing, rising to his true height and dwarfing her. Still, she didn't cower.

"Where did you get that sword?" Audige finally said, retreating fluidly backwards and sinking slowly onto the throne again. The rain had stopped, and all traces of the monster had retreated neatly back into the man.

"It belonged to Cesare Borgia," she explained. "He used it to conquer La Romagna. Along with this," she said, holding up an ancient wand.

It didn't surprise Draco that the Borgias were a family that still passed down wands.

Audige nodded. He didn't look afraid, and Draco doubted he was. However, he clearly saw in Severina a worthy opponent. Draco sensed that if he was going to treat with anyone, it as going to be her.

"Tell me about Gianno di Ossa," she demanded.

"No," Audige said calmly, steepling his fingers. "You still have nothing to offer me."

"I could kill you," she pointed out.

He met her gaze intently.

"Perhaps," he said. "But you have no guarantee that I won't come back. That would be your end, and it would be bloody."

Xavier was at her back now, looked fierce as well. Severina didn't react. She didn't flinch at this the way most people who have. Her beautiful face was grim, and she responded by drawing a pair a manacles from her belt and holding them out so Audige could see them, and his expression changed.

"I know you recognise these," she said. "They belonged to the Dutch slaver van Nyendael. He used them on the wizards in Nigeria, stripped their magic and made them squib slaves."

Audige looked murderous, otherworldly. Still, something akin to fear was also flashing in his eyes.

"You would _dare_ to try to use those on me?"

She shook her head and cast them to his feet.

"Give me what I want and they're yours. You can bring all of New Orleans to heel. You won't be the king of the Quarter; you'll be its god."

He considered this.

"Going once, Audige," she said.

His eyes glinted. Draco could see how badly he wanted this.

"Twice," she warned.

He was clearly weighing his options, sizing Severina up. Draco bet that he longed to killed her and take the chain without ceding his secret. His eyes skated up the sword at her left hip and the wand at her right before sailing over her shoulder to drink Xavier in, then Tieran, Blaise, Ginny, and Draco himself. He was trying to decide if he could take them all. He had to know he couldn't. He'd been no match for Adrian's crew, and that had nearly cost him everything.

"Last chance," Severina said. "Either give us what we want and take the chains or I slap them on your wrists and truly leave you here to languish."

She extended a beautifully manicured hand, long hairs filed into blunted points. He considered her hatefully for a moment before thrusting his palm into hers. When their hands touched, sparks flew. The contract was binding. Audige bent to retrieve the manacles, sliding back to his throne and perching atop it.

"If you wish to summon Bones," he began, running the chain through his fingers as if it was a silk ribbon. "You must pay him."

"Pay him in what?" Tieran pressed.

Audige considered this. Draco knew exactly what he was doing. He'd vowed to Severina he would tell them the truth, but he was searching for a way to obscure it to the point of uselessness. Finally, he spoke.

"You seek a man," he said in a slow, self-satisfied voice. "He will tell you what Bones requires."

"Who?" Draco said in agitation.

Audige considered this question, too.

"Clement's Keeper."

"Who is Clement?" Draco demanded.

"A prince," Audige replied.

"A prince of what?" Ginny pressed.

Audige looked at her but didn't answer. He'd told them the truth, and he'd told them enough. Draco knew he wouldn't give them more than that.

"That's it?" Blaise demanded. "What are we supposed to do with that?"

Audige fixed Blaise with his lopsided stare.

"I don't care."

"Give us more," Severina demanded, drawing the sword again.

Audige looked at it dispassionately.

"No," he said simply. "I fulfilled my part of your bargain."

"You cheated," she snapped.

And he shrugged.

"One last piece of advice, then," he said.

"Go on," Tieran prompted.

"The french girl."

"What about her?" Draco demanded.

In all the excitement, Draco had temporarily forgotten about Leolin. However, at her mention, he imagined her standing toe-to-toe with Audige the way Severina had, armed instead with nothing but her nerve.

"She might know."

"And if she doesn't?" Harry pressed.

"Then you are fools, and you have given me something for nothing."

Severina grit her teeth as she and Xavier exchanged a look.

"Bargain is a bargain," Audige told Severina. "Let me go."

Draco and Severina looked at each other. _Don't let him_ he warned silently _He could still kill us_. However, eventually she turned and nodded stiffly.

"Peakes," she said. "Let him go."

Tieran drew his wand hesistantly and cast a spell, and Audige smiled a crooked, nasty smile. It made Draco's blood run cold.

"Wait—" he began, but in a crack, Audige managed a feat Draco had never even seen Dumbledore do; he apparated out of Hogwarts castle.

When he was gone, they all exhaled a stale breath.

"I hope we didn't make a huge mistake giving him that," Blaise said quietly.

"We didn't," Severina said evenly.

"Let's go," Harry said. "I want to get back to Grace."

They all nodded.

"Drake," Blaise said. "We'll see you at the Em later."

Draco nodded.

Soon they'd all filed out and started their separate ways, and Draco waited until he and Severina were alone before he grabbed her by the arm.

"How is she?" he demanded.

Severina gave him an ugly look, shaking his arm off. The sword at her hip glinted.

"What business is it of yours?" she demanded. "You cast your die in Atlanta."

"It _is _my business," Draco hissed. "It's all our of our business. She's needed here."

"What she needs is rest," Severina countered. "She almost died, or did you forget?"

"Of course I haven't. But every day my stepfather is missing is a day wasted to me."

"She brought her research with her," Severina said. "She's still working diligently."

"With her where?" Draco demanded. "Where is she?"

"I sent her to the Costa del Sol. The lack of sun here was killing her."

"You mean she's lounging on a beach somewhere? Isn't that just fantastic!"

"She deserves it, "Severina snapped. "And she's still working as hard as ever. She and one of my thieves think they've found the painting. They're working to get it open."

"And you're just now telling me?"

"You're on a need to know basis in my book," she sneered. "And don't put your back to me, Malfoy. I have half a mind to drive a knife into it."

He released his grip on her and tipped his head back onto the stone as she stormed away.

* * *

Pansy stood a block away from Geoff Blackburn's small studio in Knockturn, chewing her lip nervously. She felt so naked without her ring on and she tried not to touch her bare skin too often. She'd never realized how attached to it she was. She thought of Tieran and bit her lip again. While Geoff was quietly pining after her, she was lying in bed, her hand working below the sheets as she fantasized about Tieran. It was just the taboo of it at first, but by the time she graduated her infatuation had grown to admiration. She kept her distance, of course, in no way wanting to jeopardize his job at Hogwarts. Still, she'd carried a torch for him all throughout uni, and the day she bumped into him at the Sly Bastard pub had been one of the best of her life.

"Miss Parkinson," he'd said, trying to sound affable but barely avoiding being curt.. "Home at last."

She'd raised her eyebrows.

"I'm twenty-two now, Professor, and a university graduate. I think it'd be alright if you called me Pansy."

He'd nodded.

"I admit that seems…reasonable."

She'd flashed him a dazzling smile and sunk down on the stool next to him. She 'd watched his eyes dip to her neckline as she shrugged out of her coat. However, they snapped back up and once and he clenched his jaw.

"Does this mean I should call you Tieran?" she'd said somewhat seductively.

He had had to fight not the smile. She was so painfully charming.

"That seems fitting, I suppose."

"I think so, too."

"So," she'd begun, trailing off and resting her chin in her hand, studying him intently.

Disarmed, he's finally give an uncomfortable smile.

"So," he'd repeated. "Where are you coming back from?"

"The Queen's Academy in Belfast," she'd said, smiling.

"My old stomping grounds as well," he'd supplied. "What did get your degree in?"

"Advanced potions."

"Professor Snape would be proud," Tieran had pointed out, his honey eyes dancing across her face.

"Are you?" she'd asked candidly, batting her tasteful fake lashes.

He'd seemed surprised, and he'd considered for a moment.

"I suppose I am," he'd admitted.

"Then I suppose you ought to buy me a drink," she'd said slyly.

She might have been out of Hogwarts, but a Slytherin never ceased to be a Slytherin.

"You're my student," he'd said, adjusting his collar a little.

"I'm a former student," she'd corrected him. "And I'm also an adult."

"You ought to be a barrister," he'd said. "You really know your way around a negotiation."

"Do I?" She'd said slyly. "I hadn't really noticed."

He'd bought her a pint and immediately she'd raised her glass.

"To you," he'd said, somewhat bashful.

"To us," she'd amended. "And confusion to our enemies."

"Pardon?" he'd said, laughing.

"It's a Slytherin toast," she'd explained, leaning close enough that he could smell her fresh perfume. "Death to our enemies is obviously too melodramatic, but confusion still satisfies any need for revenge. Why do you think the Gryffindors are always running around haplessly?"

"That's exceedingly clever," he'd admitted, involuntarily licking his lips as his eyes flicked to hers.

"I certainly think so," she'd said saucily.

They'd drank and chatted for a bit, but when Pansy's drink was finished, she'd risen to go.

"It was lovely to catch up, Tieran, but I'm afraid I have to go."

"Oh," he'd said, clearly a little flustered. "Sure, of course. Good to see you. Congratulations on university. That's very impressive."

She'd nodded, biting her lip. She'd turned towards the door and taken several tentative paces before turning around.

"Haven't you forgotten something?" she'd asked, coming the closest she ever did to being bashful.

"Have I?" he'd asked softly, visibly nervous.

She'd shrugged, flashing another disarming smile. "I'd like to think so."

By this times she'd traipsed back to the bar, leaning casually against it; it was the kind of bold move only Pansy Parkinson could pull off.

"Miss Parkinson, I—"

"Pansy," she'd corrected in a breathy voice, and he nodded dazedly.

"Pansy," he repeated. "You're my student."

"Former student," she'd corrected again.

"Even still," he'd offered weakly. "I shouldn't—"

She'd cut him off by leaning forward and pressing a feather light kiss to his lips. She pulled away and flushed, clearly trying not to betray her crushing disappointment.

"Right," she'd said, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I guess I thought—"

He'd interrupted by curling a hand around her neck and kissing her soundly.

She'd deepened it, grabbing his tie gently and opening her mouth slightly wider.

He'd understood her meaning and slowly slid his tongue inside, growing more confident when she'd given a small moan of satisfaction.

One hand still on her neck, his other migrated to her low back, pulling her a fraction closer. Finally she'd leaned back a bit, and he'd licked his lips and slowly looked at her.

"I can't believe I've just done that," he'd blurted, and she'd smiled, adjusting his tie.

"I can," she'd smirked, confidence in her charm renewed. "I've thought about it since I was seventeen."

He gave a hard swallow.

"Do you really have to be going," he'd asked. "Or was that just a ploy to get me to kiss you?"

"No," she'd said. "I really do have somewhere to be."

"Then when—" he'd cleared his throat, trying to regain some composure. "When can I see you again?"

She'd smiled.

"You can take me to dinner tomorrow night. If you're free, of course," she'd added, though she'd already known his answer.

"I am!" he blurted eagerly. "I mean, I don't have any plans, so—"

"So?" she'd goaded, confident that she'd won back the upper-hand.

"So," he'd repeated almost bashfully. "I'd love to see you."

"Good," she'd smiled. "I live in Lambeth on Brixston. It's number 4."

He'd nodded.

"I'll be there at eight."

"I'll be waiting," she'd agreed.

She'd given him a flirtatious wink and sauntered out.

The rest was history. He'd proposed two years later in almost the exact spot they'd first kissed, and it was the first time he'd seen her cry. They got married eight months after that at her parents' lavish country home, and everything since then had been wedded bliss. She'd taken his advice and become a lawyer, and as he'd predicted, she was wildly successful. They now lived in a rather grand house in St. James, and the only thing that even plagued her was missing him in the nine months of the year he was away. However, she was already making arrangements by buying a small house in Hogsmeade for the school year.

They were blissful, in fact, that when it came time to renew her potion prescription, she simply hadn't. It was a decision they'd come to swiftly and unanimously, and after that they'd tacitly agreed to simply let the fates decide.

She chewed her lip again, staring down Knocktown nervously. Shit, she ought to just get this thing over with. She knew everyone was counting on her, and the sooner she did it the sooner she was allowed to go home to Tieran.

She strutted confidently down the street, her tall heels clicking on the worn cobblestones. She wished she'd worn more comfortable jeans; these ones were annoyingly tight. Still, she continued her sauntered until she reached the end of the block where, nestled between The Savage Vagabond and HouseRules Betting house was an unmarked and unremarkable door. Pansy took a finally breath before heading inside and giving a glittering smile.

The bloke behind the counter wasn't Geoff, though. She didn't allow this to deter her.

"Hello," she said pleasantly, flashing the boy, who was no older than 19, a saucy grin. "Is your boss around?"

"He's upstairs in the workshop. I'll go and fetch him."

She raised her eyebrows, smiling slyly.

"Thank you so much."

The boy headed for the stairs and she called after him, "And a cup of tea, please!"

She didn't even want tea, she just enjoyed being difficult from time to time.

The assistant upstairs and she took the opportunity to look around a bit.

There were sneakoscopes and foe glasses of every variety, including gadgets she didn't recognise. Those must have been Geoff's designs. She looked in the largest foe glass mounted on the wall, and the hairs on her arms stood up when she looked into it. Her enemies were uncomfortably close. She couldn't yet see the whites of their eyes, but she could make out Adrian Pucey's unmistakable silhouette.

She heard creaking on the stairs, and she turned to see Geoff Blackburn descend. He obviously looked older than she'd remembered, and he was taller, though he seemed no less slender. He was dressed casually in dark skinny jeans, a faded black tee shirt and robe with sleeves casually rolled to his elbows. His dark hair, which must have reached past his shoulders was scraped back into a bun at his crown. He wore thick-framed glasses like Draco's, and as stylish as they were on the latter, they were equally as bookish on the former. On his feet were a pair of clunky dragonhide boots, and his knarled oak wand protruded from his pocket. He was holding a teacup and saucer in one hand.

Merlin, he really had been dipped in a completely different gene pool than the other four Blackburn brother. His father really ought to have looked into a paternity test. If she was being honest, he looked more like Severus Snape than the dashing Camden Blackburn.

He didn't smile when he saw her, but his blue-black eyes sparkled dimly.

"Pansy," he said in his cool voice. "What a surprise. Here's your tea."

"Geoff," she purred, intentionally giving him an approving once-over. "Thank you."

He set it down as if to indicate he knew she had no intention of drinking it.

"Long time, no see," he said, sounding a touch bored.

"I know," she said. "How are you?"

He watched her survey him, and his eyes hardened slightly.

"No need for that charade," he said dully. "I know you're married to our old Transfiguration professor, Peakes or whatever."

He glanced at her left hand before adjusting his glasses.

"You must be really eager to speak to me to cleave that rock he gave you off your finger."

She covered her left had with her right.

"It's just being cleaned," she lied easily. "And it's been an age; surely I'm allowed to see how you've grown."

He held out his arms and did a slow turn.

"Satisfied?" he asked

"Very," she said, smiling.

"What can I do for you?" he asked bluntly, folding his slender arms across his chest. "Something you want to ask me, perhaps?"

"Who says that's why I'm here?" she asked, spinning a sneakoscope casually.

"The likes of you doesn't seek out the likes of me needlessly. Besides, I don't imagine you frequent this part of town too often, so you must need something in particular."

She surveyed him. So he was mistrustful. That was important to know, though it admittedly made her job markedly harder.

"Did Malfoy send you?" he asked in the face of her silence.

"In a manner," she admitted. "Though if you're suggesting I'm his owl in some way, you're annoyingly mistaken."

She gave a sweet smile to temper her annoyance.

"Not at all," he said mildly, adjusting his glasses again and leaning casually against the counter. "He just seems to be—busy these days."

"He's getting married," Pansy said simply. "It's a rather taxing affair to plan."

"I'll take your word for it," he said in a bored voice, shrugging. It was clear he was in no way fooled by that explanation about Draco.

"Still sort of fascinating if you think about it, considering the _illustrious _Leolin Lefevre's back in town."

"Don't dredge up ancient history," Pansy laughed.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Geoff said, raising his eyebrows. "So, let's get back to the issue at hand. What is it you need my help with, Mrs. Peakes?"

"I prefer Ms.," she said, smiling again. "And I have a proposition for you."

"I'm intrigued, " Geoff said. "Go on."

"Things are changing," she began carefully, wishing she'd thought a bit more about what she was going to say.

"Nothing new there," Geoff pointed out wryly. "Change is the only constant."

"Right," Pansy said. "Well spotted. But I'm talking about London."

"You're talking about Lucius Malfoy," he amended, and slowly she nodded. "Are you asking me if I've noticed his consolidation of power? I admit I'm a little insulted if you are."

"I'm not," she said. "I'm here to find out what you think of it."

He frowned non-committally.

"I don't really think anything of it. I'm not rich or important, so I don't really have anything to fear. Besides, I sell dark magic wards. If things were to take a turn for the—sinister, my business would likely increase."

"I wonder if your brothers would agree," Pansy said, admittedly playing an odd card.

Geoff gave a bitter laugh.

"If they didn't I'd be delighted. If they did I would revise my stance immediately."

"Interesting, "she said, raising her eyebrows.

"No secret I'm the black sheep," he shrugged. "I've made peace with that a long time ago."

"Good for you," Pansy said, knowing she needed to change tactics.

"What else do you have?"

"Don't you ever get bored tinkering?" she asked. "I know you're a skilled curse-breaker."

"I suppose I haven't been properly inspired. It's really a creative act."

She nodded.

"I'm guessing I might have a few to catch your eye."

"Such as?"

She smirked.

"Don't be overhasty. Agree and then we'll talk specifics."

Her put his fingers to his lips as he pondered. She could tell he was intrigued.

"Just to be clear," he said. "If I agree to do this, it's for the challenge. I really couldn't care less for your altruistic goals."

"Noted," she said evenly, drawing a parchment from her purse. "But of course you'll have to sign this," she said. "You understand."

He glanced at it.

"Not saying I would," he said mildly. "But I could break that fairly easily."

"You're welcome to try," she said in an even tone. "But it was designed by our other curse-breaker, so I think you'll find it's rather clever."

She extended it to him to peruse, and he smiled a little.

"So it is," he agreed handing it back.

"So," she said casually. "What do you think?"

"I'm in, " Geoff said simply.

"Then sign on the dotted line," she said, extending the contract back.

He smiled and signed it.

"We've be in touch," she said, tucking the contract back in her purse.

"Looking forward to it," he said evenly.

She gave a flippant wave and headed out the door, flipping open her floo as she did.

"Well?" Draco said. "How'd it go?"

"He's in," Pansy said. "He signed the contract."

"Did he challenge you to a game of gobstones?" Draco asked mirthfully.

"No, he likes to fancy himself as cool counterculture type these days. Still skinny as a quill, though."

"Thick glasses?" Draco asked.

"Of course," Pansy laughed.

"Ponytail?"

"_Naturally_."

Draco laughed again.

"Oh Merlin, I admit that I really do love being cruel. We're going after 'Jack the Lad' tonight at the Em. You in?"

"What's that, his street name? That's so delightfully chavvy."

"Apparently," Draco said, and she could see him rolling his eyes. "And don't I fucking know it. Anyways, we'll be there around 11."

"Yeah," she said, "I'll be there."

"Perfect," Draco said. "See you then."

"Speak to you soon," she said, closing the floo.

* * *

Leolin stood in front of the mirror, chewing her lip and thanking Merlin she lived alone. She'd only arrived back from Spain that afternoon, but she'd received word from Severina mentioning that Draco and Blaise would be at the Em that evening. She'd decided it was as good a time as any to get Adrian's chore out of the way.

Now she was tearing through her closet, trying to find something suitably slutty. She'd dug out a ridiculous pair of sequined shorts (or knickers, depending on who you asked) and put them on. At first she'd worn them with tights, but she knew that wasn't good enough. She'd have to go bare-legged. Luckily her legs were sunkissed from the Costa del Sol, and after she'd lathered them with shea butter, they gleamed dully.

From there she found a pair of black suede heels nearly sixth inches in height with gold caps over the toe box, making her legs appear far longer than they were. On top she wore a desperately wanton bra she didn't realize she had with a sheer long-sleeved shirt over the top. It did nothing but highlight the midnight blue silk beneath it.

After much deliberation, she decided to put in her gawdy belly button from her Hogwarts days. She had a feeling someone was going to see it tonight.

When she was dressed, she sank to her vanity, turning her head back and forth to inspect her nasty black eye. Adrian's beating had come at a price, and she'd been shamefully hiding the evidence, willing the bruise to fade and the memory along with it. The skin directly underneath the eye had faded to a greenish yellow, but it was still ringed by a shocking violet. She prodded the contused skin gently, wincing as she did. She needed to tread more carefully. She feared the next time she faced Adrian, he might try to break her arm, or her neck.

Finally, after staring at her battered reflection for ten long minutes, she concocted a glamour that disguised the bruised before taking a deep breath. It was only one night. She had to remember that no matter what. She sighed again before stuffing gold earring in and grabbed her clutch before apparating to the door of the Em. She was admitted straightaway, and she immediately began to search for Draco or Blaise.

However, the first person to spot her was Jaime Quinn, and he cut through the crowd as he watched her, his grin wide. She didn't notice him until he was practically on top of her, and she jumped a bit as he stepped up behind her, his breath ruffling the dark curtain of her hair.

"Jaime!" she hissed through a sharp intake of breath. "Merlin."

"Did I scare you?" he asked, his eyes merry as ever.

"What a coincidence that you're back in London," she snapped in return.

"Isn't it just?" he said, giving a cheeky grin. "You look sinful, by the way," he appraised, putting a hand to the wall beside her to keep her there. "Can I presume you're here to make a little trouble tonight?"

"You know why I'm here," she said irritably. "Now get out of my way."

"Loverboy's not here yet," he said. "Just in case you were wondering. That gives you plenty of time to warm up. I'm more than happy to put you on your back and help you get a good stretch in."

"If you try and put a finger on me tonight," she said. "I'll blow this whole charade by hexing your nob off."

"Don't worry. As much as I'd _like_ to touch you," Jaime said coyly. "I have strict instructions from Adrian not to. I have to maintain façade, too. Boss would be _awfully _angry if I didn't. Feel free to find me after, though."

She turned away and rolled her eyes. In truth, she was beginning to feel sick to her stomach. Why couldn't she maintain her dignity for two seconds before someone stomped on it?

"Dream on, dreamer," she sniped, turning away and heading for the back bar.

"Good luck tonight, darling," he called. "Not that you need it, of course; we all know that no one can drive Malfoy mad quite like you!"

"Have a shitty evening," she called back flippantly in return.

Merlin, she needed a drink.

She approached the bar.

"What can I get you, love?" the woman behind it asked.

"Fire and Ice and a gin martini."

"You sure you want to do fire and ice alone?" she asked. "It's usually a—group thing."

"That shot was invented in my honour," Leolin said blandly. "I'm well aware it is a party thing, but I still need one."

The woman did as she was told and made both drinks. Leolin put down the shots, shuddered as she took a sip of the martini.

"Do they both have alcohol in them?" she asked. "The fire and ice?"

"Yes," the bar tender replied. "That's why they knock you on your arse."

"Or make you feel a little bit more courageous," Leolin said, eying the crowd.

She knew she needed to be the centre of attention, preferably without getting groped by some drunk idiot, and she bit her lip. What was she fucking doing there? She should have just ignored Lucius and taken on Adrian again when he came calling. However, she had to quickly admit to herself that wasn't really an option. She touched her cheek inadvertently, wincing. And it wasn't just that. Of all the sexual manipulation she'd be forced to put with over the last five years, Leolin could see in Adrian's eyes that if he ever properly got his hands on her, his would be the most insidious. Just thinking about it made her shudder.

Unable to keep thinking about Adrian, she finished her drink and strutted to the dance floor. Everyone let her and her short shorts pass immediately, and she even got a few errant whistles.

She went to the fittest girl she could find, grabbing her by the wrist and began dancing with her casually. At this point more cheers and whistling went up. The Em was in no way a club, so there was no dance floor, but it was not uncommon for one or two girls to dance for male attention.

When Leolin had the girl's attention, she leaned over her shoulder and softly kissed her. Leolin had never kissed a girl before, but it wasn't unpleasant. More importantly, she knew it would get the reaction she was looking for. It was unpleasant to be the centre of this kind of attention, but she grit her teeth and bore it. Maybe Draco had seen that and now she could just bloody go home.

She opened her eyes, but Draco was nowhere in sight. Was he not there yet, or had he slipped by without noticing? It didn't really matter; he would come out at some point, and she needed to give him a show as she did.

As soon as she had everyone's eyes, she flitted away from the girl, sauntering up to a table fairly devoid of bottles on its surface, though there were six or so lads standing around it.

"Gentleman," she asked sweetly, leaning on their table and surreptitiously pushing her breasts into the air.

They all looked unabashedly. Merlin, how she hated bar culture.

She recognized one of them as Bentley Blackburn, the second oldest of the Blackburn brothers. Why couldn't it have been Sampson or Vance?

"It's Leolin, isn't it?" he asked, extending his hand. "Bentley Blackburn."

She fixed her glittering blue eyes on him before biting his lip and sliding her elegant hand into his outstretched one.

"I know who you are," she said, feeling sick to her stomach again.

"Make my day and tell me you're a Falmouth supporter," he said, appraising her openly again.

She knew he was already dreaming of ways to get her out of the shirt to better see the bra underneath.

"Portree, usually," she admitted and he nodded knowingly.

"Not hard to guess why, I suppose," he said, feeling her out.

She latently yearned to slap him soundly across the face for the insinuation. Instead she just smiled.

"What do you mean?"

His widened in return.

"I know Kelly Troy has always been a greater—admirer of you."

"Kelly's a dear friend," she admitted. "He and Cara both."

"That's fantastic news for me," Bentley said, and she could tell this conversation was barely holding his fickle attention.

"Dance with me," she said.

He acquiesced, and she dragged him into more prominently lighting, swishing her hips softly against his. In was so completely unpleasant to feel the weight of his hands on her trim hips, and she took a deep breath in, closing her eyes. He'd interpreted her unease for enjoyment, and she could feel his breath pulsing against her ear as he held her close.

There were whistles as they moved, but she tried to tune them out. Absently, she wondered if Draco was watching her now. She both did and didn't hope so. On the one hand, if he was, she would be saved further embarrassment by allowing herself to go home. On the other, if he _was_ watching, he would obviously see the "I'm a slag," tattooed onto her forehead, and she was sure he wouldn't be pleased, nor would he allow this to be the end of the incident.

Finally, unable to take Bentley hands and his strong cologne any more, she pulled away.

"Shots?" she propositioned.

Bentley smiled at her. She could see in his eyes he wasn't a Gareth or a Cormac, but it still made her skin crawl thinking about his wife and toddler at home.

"I was thinking something more memorable," he said.

"I'm listening," she replied, and his smile widened.

"Body shot?"

"What does it entail?" she asked, hoping not to betray her nerves.

"Well," he said, running a gently fingers down her throat, between her breasts, and down the cut of her abdomen. "You let Kam there squeeze lime juice down that perfect stomach and cover it with a little bit of salt. Then you hold my shot for me between though lovely, lovely thighs, and after I lick all the salt off you delicious skin, I retrieve my shot with no hands."

She nodded as if that _didn't _sound sickening.

"It sounds lovely."

He tipped forward, brushing a soft kiss on her lips.

"It is," he agreed, "Especially for me."

He led her towards the main bar.

"Clear some room, boys," he said, smirking. "Leolin and I are going to do a body shot."

Kam, the bartender, smirked.

"You ready?" he asked Leolin. "You look ready."

She tried to ignore that.

"I was born ready," she said. She actually she hoped Draco would miss this. Of course, if he did it would be for nothing.

"Lay down, darling," Kam said.

She nodded, leaping gracefully onto the frosted glass of the bar before easing down, forcing out a fake laugh. Just as she lowered herself, she caught a flash of platinum hair, and she bit her lip. She pretended not to notice it, though her stomach was clenching painfully again.. She knew this would break some part of Draco's dark heart, just as it was breaking hers.

"Ready?" Kam asked, grabbing the tequila.

"I'm not sure," Leolin said, thinking of Draco again. This was going to drive him bloody nuts.

"Of course you're ready," Kam said, smiling. "Now, let's get you out of that shirt."

TO BE CONTINUED…


	20. Chapter 19: Friends in Low Places

**A/N: **Right, I will go back and go grammatical shite later. I just wanted to get this guy out there. Surprise, its Christmas…again. Just a heads up, these chapters hae been very clear in my mind for a _very _long time (I wrote the bit with Blaise in February). However, the next few are sketched out but hazy. I know I've spoiled you these last few days, but I need a week or so for the next one if I want to get it right. Also, LOVE the predictions, please keep them coming. I like to read them as I stroke my evil cat Shalomar and cackle like a villain from knowing all that you lot have yet to learn! A word of caution, you lot seem to think this barren bit is a red herring, and perhaps it is. However, know that this is a VERY serious issue to me and also that if you fight in enough battles (as Leolin has), you are bound to lose something dear…Also,the course of love never did run smooth, and as we all know, Leolin and Draco's love is one of the ages.

On a more positive note, I am so glad you like Felix so much, he will be playing a major role next chapter. Also, you can thank **SadSadistic **for him, she and I created him together! Anyways, I am greedily expecting a LOT of reviews on this one because it's super long and VERY meaty. Please don't disappoint me! **PLEASE REVIEW PEOPLE. IF YOU LIKE THIS AT ALL THEN REVIEW.**

_**Chapter**_** 19: Friends in Low Places**

"_So," Narcissa began, taking a seat on the balcony that overlooked the sprawling gardens of she and Sebastian's palacial summer home._

"_So," Draco repeated, sinking into the chair next to her and taking a swig of his drink._

"_So," she said a little more forcefully, eying him seriously as she absently played with one of the large diamonds in her ears._

"_So?" Draco demanded, getting a little annoyed. "What are exactly are we doing right now?"_

_Narcissa took a sip of her drink as well before standing, the chiffon of her champagne—coloured gown swishing around her legs. The empire-waisted dress she wore was typical of her attire when she was in Greece, and it made her look like Helen of Troy of some other great beauty. She looked out onto her breathtaking domain, looking even more like a queen._

"_So?" Draco demanded again, more annoyed this time._

_Narcissa turned back to face him, eyes glittering._

"_When were you going to tell me?"_

"_Tell you what?" he said, taking a swig. _

_He knew damn well what, but he wanted to delay this as long as humanely possible._

"_I had lunch with Lauren Zabini yesterday," she said casually. "She stopped here on her way back from Puglia."_

"_How is Greece a logical stopover when traveling back to the UK from Italy?" he said pointedly._

_She gave him an annoyed look._

"_We've been meaning to catch up, she and I," Narcissa said, eyes steady._

"_How's husband number eight treating her?" he asked._

_Lauren had divorced Rookwood about a year after Leolin disappeared._

"_Better than seven," Narcissa said. "Though I'm sure Blaise has told you as much."_

"_This bloke is Italian? And did Blaise say something about him being distantly related to the Colonna, or did I make that up?"_

"_Let's stay on topic, shall we?" Narcissa said._

"_Go on then," Draco said, as if he hadn't been stalling, merely being polite._

"_She and Blaise are rather close, you know. I daresay he's rather more forthcoming with her than you are with me."_

"_I don't think that's true," Draco said, and she gave him a reproving glance. "For instance?"_

"_Blaise apparently in love with Ginevra."_

_Draco bubbled his lips._

"_Please. That's the worst kept secret in the world. Even you knew that, I bet."_

_She smiled._

"_Lauren says she and Blaise even discuss you, from time to time."_

_Draco shrugged, looking down into his drink to avoid having to look at his mother. She folded her arms across her chest._

"_That's oddly touching," Draco said, rising to refill his drink._

"_Draco," Narcissa said as if he were being a disobedient child. "Will you act like an adult and stop avoiding the subject?"_

"_You haven't said what the subject is yet!" Draco defended lamely, taking a huge swallow of vodka and lime._

"_How could you keep this from me?" _

"_You were busy! You have Sebasten and Dimitri to look after, and you're not in London that often any more."_

"_I was there last week," Narcissa said pointedly._

_Draco admittedly had nothing to counter with._

"_Lauren said it seemed rather serious between you and this girl. She said it had been going on for almost a year. Is that true?"_

"_I guess technically—" Draco began, but Narcissa interrupted._

"_Is she your girlfriend? Are you calling her that?"_

"_Yes," Draco admitted. "She's my girlfriend."_

"_And how long has she been sporting that title?"_

_Draco clenched his jaw._

"_Since last August."_

_It was currently mid-July._

"_Have you talked about marriage or children?" Narcissa demanded._

_He considered._

"_No," he said at last, and he felt comfortable with the truth of the statement. _

_Barring the pregnancy scare, they really hadn't._

"_Have __**you**__ thought about it?"_

_He swallowed._

"_Yes."_

"_And her name?"_

"_Genevieve," he said._

"_Surname?"_

"_Beauchene."  
_

"_Est-elle française?" she asked._

_He swallowed._

"_No," he admitted. "She's American."_

_She looked disapproving at this._

"_And where did you meet her?"_

"_Through mutual friends."_

"_Anyone I'd know?" she asked._

"_Not unless you follow international quidditch," he replied._

"_Pureblood?" she asked, voice imperious again._

"_Yes," he said._

"_Family?"_

"_Wealthy."_

"_Parents?"_

"_Divorced."_

"_Siblings?'"_

"_None."_

"_And does she know?" Narcissa said at last._

"_Know what?" Draco said, taking another seemingly casual swallow._

_His throat had suddenly grown very dry._

"_Does she know about Leolin?" Narcissa said purposefully._

_He finally found the courage to look his mother in the eye._

"_Yes, she does."_

_At least mildly satisfied now, she sank back into her chair, accepting another drink from Javier.  
_

"_Alright," she said curtly, clearly still annoyed at him. "Tell me everything."_

* * *

Around 9:30, they were all gathered at The Savage Vagabond having a last drink together.

"So Pansy convinced Blackburn?" Ginny was saying. "That's a coup for us."

Blaise nodded, taking a sip of his beer and running a hand down Ginny's leg. She was perched on his lap, and they traded loving glances quite often.

"It is," Blaise said. "Though it sounds like we'll have to keep an eye on him for a while."

Draco nodded.

Just tell Moira appeared, grinning at them.

"Ginny Weasley," Moira laughed as Ginny rose to embrace her. "My word, how you've grown! When I first met you, you were head over heels with in love with Oliver Wood. He and Kelly were always in here mooning over you and Lefevre."

Ginny laughed too, leaning into Blaise and twining a hand around his neck.

"Gods, that feels like another lifetime."

"Doesn't it?" Moira laughed. "Remember when Kelly came to pick Leolin up for their first date?"

Ginny nodded, laughing harder. Draco clenched his jaw, trying not to look visibly annoyed. That was during the period he and Leolin were broken up.

"She came downstairs in that slinky little dress and I think Kelly had a mini-stroke!"

Moira was laughing heartily.

Ginny joined her.

"Oh my gods, what did he say to her?"

Moira slapped her hand on the bar.

"He just looked up at her and said. 'You look—fuck.'"

Ginny and Moira were howling with laughter.

"He was such a clot that night!" Ginny said, wiping tears from her eyes. "Leolin was so annoyed with him. Then Forest Lawrence told her she looked like a sexy Christmas ornament and she almost tackled him."

"So funny!" Moira said, trying to get herself under control. "How did he _ever_ convince her to date her after that?" she said.

"Oh it was really sweet," Ginny said, sobering up a little. "He got up in front of everyone at The Dip and sang this Welsh folk song. I looked over at Leolin and she was crying. They were inseparable after that."

"Heart of gold, that one," Moira said before seemingly remembering herself.

"Merlin, Malfoy," she said apologetically. "Why are we talking about this in front of you?"

"It's alright," Draco said casually, giving her an easy (albeit fake) smile. "She's not my fiancée anymore."

"That's right," Moira said, appraising him. "I heard you were getting married again. "Congratulations. What's she like?"

Draco fumbled a little, and Ginny spoke up.

"She's lovely," she said, giving Draco a reassuring wink.

It was nice to feel like she was back in his corner again.

"You deserve it," Moira said softly, touching his hand.

"I'm sure Kelly Troy doesn't think so."

Moira smiled.

"Kelly and Cara are dead happy together, trust me."

"Good for him," Ginny piped. "I always really did like him."

She looked at Blaise pointedly, and he made a weird face.

"Me too?" he said dubiously, and she rewarded the comment with a kiss.

"When are you two getting married?"

"Not for a while," Blaise said.

"We'll let Draco and Gen take the plunge first."

"Gee, thanks." Draco said, and Ginny gave him an eyebrow raise.

Everyone knew that Ginny was waiting to avoid a bride war with Gen.

"Well I ought to get going to The Dip," Ginny said. "Oliver and Blair are family men now. They're not going to rage all night like you lot."

"I love you," Blaise said, kissing her soundly. "See you at home."

She nodded, touching his cheek affectionately.

"Wake me up if I'm asleep," she said.

He nodded.

"Be good."

She laughed.

"You too. And you," she said, bending to kiss Draco softly on the cheek "_Especially_ you."

Draco mimicked a halo around his head, and she rolled her eyes.

"Fallen angel, more like," she said. "Good to see you, Moira. Let's catch up soon."

Moira nodded.

"Tell Leolin to hang in there" she said, having sobered up considerably. "We're all pulling for her."

"She knows," Ginny said, sounding a little sad. She'd confessed to Blaise that she felt she'd lost Leolin's trust, and that Severina had usurped her place in Leolin's affections. "But I'll tell her."

She blew Blaise one more final kiss before shrugging into her leather jacket and heading out the door.

When she was gone, Blaise's eyes were immediately on Draco.

"What's up?" he demanded.

"Nothing?" Draco said dubiously. "What's up with you…?"

"No," Blaise said, giving a dismissive hand gesture. "What's going on with you? I hate to say it, but Pansy was right this morning; you look exhausted."

Draco took his glasses for a moment to rub his eyes. The magic in his lenses had been irritating his tired eyes all day, and he'd finally given up and put on glasses.

"What's up?" Blaise repeated.

Draco sighed, running a hand through his hair. He'd gotten it cut that afternoon, and the disparity between the 3/8ths of an inch on the side and the solid two inches of height on the top even more marked. Blaise had always felt like it was a somewhat outrageous look, but Draco wore it with such a grace that it was hard to argue with.

Draco had put on a tie since the morning and traded his smooth leather boots for Testoni Norvegese dress shoes in a becoming caramel.

"You mean besides almost being murdered by that psychopath Audige this afternoon?" Draco said.

Blaise gave him a withering look.

"Please, that's not what's bothering you. You were shirty way before we got to Hogwarts."

Draco sighed again.

"I didn't sleep well last night? I had a—troubling dream."

"About?" Blaise pressed, and Draco looked at him and groaned.

"Lefevre was in it."

Blaise raised his eyebrows.

"Don't suppose I have to ask what she was doing," Blaise said.

"No," Draco said tightly. "I don't suppose you do."

"Right," Blaise said. "So that's what's bugging you? I thought you said these kind of dreams weren't—uncommon."

Draco groaned.

"They weren't when I was single," Draco said. "I haven't really had one since Gen and I got serious."

"Oh," Blaise said. "I'm beginning to see the problem."

"Look," Draco said, clenching his jaw. This was oddly hard to talk about, even to Blaise. "I've sort of been struggling, you know—" he broke off.

"In the bedroom," Blaise finished for him.

Draco rubbed his eyes again.

"I think I'd just dead stressed," he said. "I can't focus on the extraneous stuff, you know?"

Blaise gave him a sympathetic look.

"Yeah."

"Have you and Gin, you know, slowed down since New Orleans?"

Blaise raised his eyebrows.

"No, it's been the exact opposite. It was like before we were having sex two or three times a week, but that just doesn't seem like enough right now. I just feel like—I don't know, after what happened to Leolin, I always want to have her in my arms and know she's safe. We've been having it practically every day since we got back."

"Great," Draco said sourly. "That's reassuring."

"Look," Blaise said. "Everyone deals with this stuff differently. I don't think it's a good idea for you to beat yourself up for how you cope."

"Yeah," Draco said. "And yet subconscious me can ride Lefevre right into ecstasy."

Blaise frowned.

"That's a different issue all together."

"It honestly gets worse," Draco groaned. "So I have this—horribly vivid dream about her, which includes us talking about our wedding and our—our kids; it was rough. Anyways, I woke up, and Gen starts, you know, coming onto me. I really didn't want to, but we haven't had that much sex since we got back to London, and I don't want her to feel like I'm mad at her."

"Right," Blaise said. "That seems fair."

"So we start," Draco said, licking his full bottom lip. "But I just—couldn't, you know—"

Blaise nodded in understanding.

"It happens," he said. "So you tell her you can't and finish her off. That's not a big deal, Drake. We've all done it."

"Right," Draco said. "I know. And that would have been fine, you're right."

"But that's not what you did," Blaise surmised.

"No," Draco admitted. "It wasn't. Look, I'm trying to get over whatever this is, and I want to be able to go back to the way things were with Gen!"

"So what did you do?" Blaise demanded.

Draco bowed her head.

"You _know _what I did."

"You _didn't_," Blaise said. "Drake, _tell me_ you didn't."

"I wasn't thinking clearly!"

"So you fantasized about shagging Lefevre instead?" Blaise cried, somewhat horrified. "Did it work?"

"Of course it bloody did," Draco muttered angrily. "I came almost immediately."

Blaise groaned.

"Draco, you have to stop doing this!"

"Doing what?" Draco said irritably.

"Circling back to her! You need to move on!"

"I have done!" Draco snapped. "I love Gen! She makes me very happy."

"Is that why you almost shagged Lefevre when you went to London? Is that why you kissed her _more than once _in New Orleans? Drake, you refused to leave her side in Atlanta. Is that _really_ what a bloke's who's over her would do? You're still trying to hold onto her! As your friend, I'm telling you to stop. You made your choice in Atlanta, and for the record, I think you made the right one. Stop. Looking. Back."

"That's easier said than done!" Draco said.

"Then try harder," Blaise snapped.

There was more that probably could have been said, but Gen strode in this then, and they abruptly stopped talking.

"Hey sugar," she said, eyes shining brightly. It was clear that she and Draco's romp had set her day off on the right foot, and she seemed to be glowing.

She wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and kissed him softly, and he allowed the gesture, his hands on her waist.

She was wearing a tasteful white cocktail dress with a fetching gold metal belt. Her hair was up and her lips were red. She looked lovely.

"You look nice," Draco said, appraising her.

"Too sexy?" she teased.

He kissed her again.

"Just sexy enough," he corrected.

She beamed, clearly basking in his affection today. Blaise clenched his jaw, knowing that at least part of her joy was fabricated. That wasn't good for anyone; if she found out Draco was playing her, she would be insufferable and possibly destructive.

"Just so you know," she said as they set off. "I can't stay long tonight. Ashley's come into town unexpectedly, and he said he has something he needs to talk about."

"What is it?"

"No clue," she replied. "His owl didn't say. He just said it was urgent."

"Is Brankovitch going, too?"

"I assume so," she said.

"Good," Draco said. "I want someone to see you home safety."

"I'll be with Ashley," she pointed out.

"He doesn't know London well," Draco said.

She nodded but said nothing more.

"Draco!" The doorman said as he watched them approach.

"How are you, Terrance?"

"Same as ever," Terrance said noncommittally.

"Genevieve," he said, making a dramatic show of kissing her hand. "Beautiful as usual."

"Oh _stop_," she said in her sweet drawl. "You'll make me _blush_."

"Nice frames," Terrance said to Draco, who smiled.

"Cheers."

"Good to see you, Zabini," Terry said, ushering them in. "You alright, mate?"

"Brilliant," Blaise said coolly. "You?"

Terrance smiled but said nothing.

"How a good evening," he said simply and Draco gave him a casual salute before stepping inside.

"Drink?" he said at once, keenly scanning the crowd.

He'd know Jack's stupid spiky hairdo anywhere. Draco didn't see him, though he watched Jaime whispering in the hair of a dark-haired girl he couldn't see and rolled his eyes. He considered going over there just to frustrate Jaime's plans, but thought better of it. Tonight was about staying below the radar as much as possible.

He cut to the main bar, throwing a 20 galleon note on the glass and smiling at Kam.

"Draco Malfoy," Kam said, smiling. 'The prodigal son returns."

Draco raised his eyebrows sinfully.

"Hope London didn't miss me too much."

"We hobbled through," Kam laughed. "What can I get you, mate?"

"Vodka on the rocks for me; gin martini for my fiancée."

Kam nodded setting about making them.

"Hey," Draco said casually. "You haven't see Jack Mclatchie creeping around here, have you? Stupid blighter owes me almost thirty galleons."

Kam gave Draco his drink and he took a healthy swallow.

"No offense," Kam laughed. "But what do you need with thirty g? Aren't you worth a quarter of a million, or something?"

"It's actually over a billion now," Draco said, smiling imperiously. "But who's counting? Anyways, this thing with Jack isn't about the money. It's about Malfoy's always collecting on their debts."

"Of course it is," Kam laughed. "Well I hate to disappoint you, but Jackie came in earlier with a collection of nefarious merch he was looking to meddle. He only had a drink or two before he split."

Draco wrinkled his nose. Damnit.

"Oh well," Draco said jovially. "I suppose I could just send my thugs after him."

"Poor old Jackie," Kam said." He never can seem to keep his nose out of trouble."

"Of course he can't," Draco said. "Right, thanks for the drinks, mate. We'll be back."

Draco had to wade around an annoying throng of men clogging up the middle of the bar. Draco couldn't see what they were looking at, but he was sure he could guess; this was always what happened when two slags decided to start kissing.

He made it back to Blaise and Gen finally.

"Well?" Blaise asked.

Draco shook his head.

"He dipped out early, that sodding twat."

"It might be alright," Blaise said, indicating someone with his eyes. "I think I've just found a suitable replacement."

Draco and Gen turned to look. Jaime was back to his typical spot, talking passionately to a fetching young woman.

She didn't seem particularly interested in him, but Jaime didn't seem ready to give in. He was usually only slimy at his worst, but his stance with this particular girl seemed uncharacteristically predatory. Her long hair, which was dark brown at its roots , faded into an electric blue, as she turned her head away from Jaime, they could see that one side has been partially shaved away; it was a fetching look at her. She opened her eyes, and Gen recoiled a little. The right eye was a deep, dark brown. Her left eye, however, was a bright, inorganic green, which stood out starkly against her sooty lashes. The contrast made it hard to look at her at first, though as your eyes adjusted it was easy to see that even if she was not quite pretty, she was far from ugly.

"Who is that?" Gen demanded, sounding uncharacteristically unkind. "And what the hell happened to her eyes?"

"That's Reagan Sharpe," Blaise provided. "She was our year in school, and she and Jaime dated on and off for about two years. She from a pureblood family, but they went bankrupt when Reagan was twelve. That always made her a bit of an outsider at school. We certainly weren't friends with her, but Ieuan was, and so was Astoria Greengrass. Her parents were death eaters, and when the Dark Lord rose our fifth year, her parents tried to get her to join ranks, but she told them no. They had a roe and her mum slashed her with this poison dagger. She's blind in that eye. Can't remember what happened to her parents, though."

"Her mum's rotting away in Azkaban," Draco said, still sizing Reagan up. "Her dad got the kiss."

"Anyways," Blaise said. "I don't really think she could stand it in London after she got out of Hogwarts, and I'm pretty sure she'd been in some kind of acrobatic troupe or something since then."

"She looks like a circle freak," Gen said caustically, and Draco gave her a reproving glance.

"Gene, that's enough," he said stonily.

"I can't look at her with that hideous eye!" Gen said. "Why couldn't she glamour it to look like the other?"

"Genevieve," Draco spit. "I said that's enough. I hate when you make me repeat myself."

Genevieve, somewhat cowed by his callousness, bowed her head, retrieving her floo as it began to issue a soft billow of smoke.

"Ashley's calling," she said. "I have to go."

"Fine," Draco said curtly. "See you at home."

"Aren't you going to kiss me goodbye?" she demanded expectantly.

He turned to her, diamond eyes sparkling from behind his frames. She gave him a repentant face, and he sighed, leaning in a kissing her softly.

"Thank you," she said. "And I'm sorry."

"Forgiven," he said at last.

"See you later, then," she said. "I'll wait up for you."

Her tone was full of meaning, and Draco and Blaise traded a look. They both could get what she'd want when he got back. It made his throat feel dry.

"See you later," Draco repeated.

Draco and Blaise slithered forward silently as she retreated, communicating with their eyes where best to go. Draco needed to hear what Reagan was saying to Jaime. He hoped for their sake she wasn't being too caustic. They could exploit their relationship if she didn't do too much damage. Having said that, he wasn't overly hopeful; diplomacy wasn't really her style.

Draco surreptitiously slid around the corner, hiding in the darkness and listening.

"Reagan," Jaime was saying. "_Angelfish. _You're breaking my heart."

"You broke mine first," she spit. "Or don't you remember?"

"That was ages ago," Jaime was saying. "I'm a changed man."

"Hardly," she said. "I saw you all over that slaggy brunette when I walked it."

"Oh, her? No, that was just a—work thing."

"Get off me, Jaime."

"Don't you remember how much fun we used to have?" Jaime was cooing. "I bet I could make you come right here, right now."

"Want to know a secret?" she demanded. "All those oh-oh-_ohr_gasms I had with you were fake," she said, faking one now. "I've had better sex with women."

"You're into girls now?" he asked eagerly. "That's incredibly hot."

"Ugh, you're a creep," she said, shoving him off.

Seemingly tired of trying to convince her, Jaime retreated, though Draco was sure he would make another attempt soon.

"Let me know, darling, if you change your mind."

"Get back to me when Hell freezes over," she called to his retreating back.

"If not before," he called, and she gave a scream of frustration.

When Draco was sure Jaime was gone, he yanked Reagan into the shadows, clamping a hand over her mouth so she couldn't scream. Quick as a flash she'd drawn her walnut wand and pointed it between his eyes.

"Be cool, Sharpe; damn! I'm not trying to hurt you!"

"What do you want, Malfoy? And where's your sidekick?"

Blaise had joined them in the shadows, and she smirked.

"Ah, right on cue, Zabini."

"It's important to be punctual, Sharpe. I feel like that's something you never really learned."

She only laughed, lowering her wand.

"What do you two prats want?"

Draco ignored the question, looking her up and down.

"You look good, Sharpe. The circus life suits you."

She crossed her arms.

"Don't objectify me," she said lazily. "And shouldn't you be off fornicating with Lefevre somewhere?"

Draco and Blaise looked at each other.

"Not if my new fiancée has anything to say about it," he said evenly.

"You and your little princess split up? Admittedly didn't see that coming!"

"She left him at the altar," Blaise added, as if reminding Draco he shouldn't trust Leolin.

"That's alright," Reagan said casually. "I never really liked her."

"Charming," Blaise said.

She shrugged.

"What can I say? I only speak the truth. Now what is it you want again? I don't believe you ever said. And if it's a devil's threesome, I am going to have to pass with regrets."

Draco rolled his eyes.

"You aren't my type," he said.

"You aren't really mine, either," Blaise said. "And I'm engaged to Ginny Weasley," he said proudly.

"Bully for you," Reagan said. "Now what are we all doing in the fucking shadows?"

Draco and Blaise traded a look.

"We have a…proposition for you, but we can't talk about it here. Wait ten minutes and meet us in the third private suite from the left."

"Ooh!" Reagan said with a false glee. "This all so _delightfully _cloak and dagger!"

"It's actually somewhat serious," Draco said imperiously. "And as someone with a Death Eater mummy and daddy, I'll bet you want to hear what I have to say."

She sobered up immediately.

"Fine," she said. "I'll be there."

* * *

The curtain rippled a few minutes later, and Draco groaned.

"We said ten minutes, Sharpe," he demanded.

"Don't shoot," Ieuan said, laughing as held up his hands.

"Hey Birdie," Blaise set. "Sit down and get a drink."

He gestured to the vodka chilling on the table.

"Cheers," Ieuan said, sitting down. "How fairs our search for Jackie?"

"Non-existent," Draco said, taking a sip. "He's not here. We found a replacement. An upgrade, some might say."

"Brilliant," Ieuan said. "Who?"

"Guess who," Reagan said, slipping through the curtain.

"Reagan!" Ieuan said delightedly. "What the hell are you doing back?'

She looked at Draco, who nodded.

"It would see the world needs me."

"We certainly do," Ieuan said, smiling.

"How's Rita?" she asked, poking him. "Married yet?"

He laughed merrily.

"I'm engaged," he admitted. "But not to Rita. My new fiancee's name is Luke."

"Luke," she said, letting the name roll around on her tongue. "Is that a—"

"Man's name? Ieuan finished. "Yes, it is."

She smiled.

"I always had my suspicions," she said, squeezing his hand.

"Yeah," he said sheepishly. "He makes me deliriously happy."

"Good for you," Reagan said.

"Drink, Sharpe?" Draco asked.

"Don't mind if I do," she replied sinking down and pouring some vodka over her ice.

A pair of extremely dark jeans sheathed her defined legs, highlighting the alluring slope of her quads and calves. Her shirt was black, tight, and long-sleeved, a stylization of the skeletal system defined by shimmering silver sequins. Draco could see the lacy black bra underneath, and he wondered if that was intentional or a consequence of the light. On her feet were a dangerous-looking pair of black stilettos. Reagan saw him eying them and raised her eyebrows.

"What?" she demanded. "Just because I'm a bad-ass bitch doesn't mean I have to tromp around in sodding combat boots. I'm still a woman, and my arse looks fantastic when I wear these."

Draco held up his hands.

"Far be it for me to start handing down fashion advice."

"Indeed," she sneered, eying him.

He was undaunted by this. She was trying to make a point; he knew he looked delectable, and so did she.

"So," she said. "Now that we've gotten all the chauvinism out of the way, let's talk about your proposition."

"It's simple, really," Draco said, leaning forward. "We want you to join us."

"Join you in what?" she asked, raising her chin and surveying them.

"In the fight against my father," Draco said simply. "You may not have realised it yet, but things are on the precipice of change."

"I have noticed," she said. "But what do you mean?"

"Lucius has Adrian Pucey hunting a necromancer in New Orleans," Blaise said solemnly.

"There's no such thing as Necromancy," Reagan said at once. "It's a child's terror. That's it."

"Just like the Hallows?" Ieuan asked.

"Adrian's cronies have been stealing Greek funerary vases. We thinking they're seeking something called Herpo's vessel. It's been rumoured to raise souls from the grave."

"You're serious," Reagan said, trying to process. "The Minister of Magic is searching for a necromancer? Who in Merlin's name is he trying to resurrect?"

Draco raised his eyebrows.

"You _know_ who," he said.

"Literally," Ieuan repeated.

"No," Reagan said, shaking her head. "Your father _killed_ You-Know-Who! Why would he do that if he was going to bring him back?"

"The Dark Lord mismanaged his power, last time around. He was on too shaky of ground. Potter was hunting horcruxes, and they were linked by the prophecy. _Neither can live while the other survives..._ What if The Dark Lord foresaw all this and started making a contingency plan? My father, his loyal right hand, ever the dedicated servant. No one saw the body burned except my father. He did it alone. He could have easily preserved it instead."

"This is bloody mad," Reagan said, rising to her feet. "You are all dotty. What you're suggesting is impossible."

"It's not impossible," Draco countered. "It may not be probable, but it isn't impossible."

"When you take _away_ the impossible," Blaise said, crossing his arms across his broad chest. "Whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truth."

Reagan considered, chewing her lip. Draco could see the cogs turning, and he knew she could tell he was right.

"Reagan," he said. "You know better than most how cruel parents can be. Help me take down my father, and I will see your mother pays the iron price from her crimes."

"You would exploit my past to coerce me?" she asked icily. "You have no idea what I've sacrificed already."

Reagan blinked before closing her eyes completely. When she opened them, her left eye was milky, and a jagged scar ran from her eyebrow to her cheekbone. It was admittedly hideous to look at, and Reagan only allowed the truth to remain visible several more seconds before restoring the glamour.

"Don't you dare to presume to know my struggle, Malfoy," she spit angrily. "I was a child forced into misery."

"This isn't about your personal past," Blaise burst.

"Then what is it about?" Reagan demanded.

"This is about the protection of the future. We've all been called to fight before, and we all know the horrors of war. The called has sounded again, and now our roles as the new generation make our participation that much more imperative."

"Why should I join your new world order?" she said. "I have no guarantees it won't oppress me as well."

"Because if you don't," Ieuan said seriously. "You'll die in the old one. You're a blood traitor, Reagan. How long to you expect to last after You-Know-Who rises and your mother is freed from prison?"

Reagan sank back down onto the couch.

"If I was to join you," she said carefully. "What role would I play?"

"For the foreseeable future?" Blaise said. "As a spy."

"And whom do you propose I spy on? The inner circle would never accept me."

"But Jaime Quinn would," Draco said. "You let him into your good graces and steer clear of Adrian. That will likely be a non-issue; Jaime will want to keep your tryst a secret."

"Jaime is a button man," Reagan said. "Not a power player."

"And yet he hears things," Blaise said. "Things he often seems challenged to keep to himself.

Reagan considered, chewing her lip again. Draco knew that it had been Jaime who had dumped her. That kind of betrayal always stung.

"You do realise you'd be asking me to sleep with him, right?"

Blaise and Draco traded a look.

"Like _a lot_," she said. "And he's really not that good. He's selfish and lazy—"

"Right," Draco said uncomfortably. "We get it; he's not good in the sack. And we know it's a shitty thing to ask, but you don't realise what people have already given up for this cause."

"You would presume to tell me about sacrifice?" she demanded haughtily.

Ieuan interrupted her before she could continue.

"Leolin got hit with a sectumsempra by Radomir Dolohov, and now she can't have children."

Reagan looked somber and no longer indignant.

"Is that enough of a sacrifice for you, Reagan?" Ieuan spit.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I didn't know."

"She's still fighting, by the way," Ieuan continued. "She's still here despite that."

Reagan nodded, bowing her head.

"Alright," Reagan said at last. "I'm in."

Draco smiled grimly, producing a contract.

"What's this?" she asked, sliding it towards her so she could read it.

"It's a binding contract," Blaise said. "We have to know we have your silence and your discretion."

She nodded before signing with a flourish.

"Done," she said. "I'm yours."

"Should we drink to it?" Ieuan suggested.

"Naturally," Blaise said, and they raised their glasses.

"To the new world order," Reagan said.

"And confusion to our enemies," Draco intoned.

With that they all took a drink.

"Shit that's good," Reagan said, wiping her mouth. "It tastes so—"

"Expensive?" Draco offered, raising his eyebrows. "Welcome to my world, Sharpe."

Just then the curtains rustling and Pansy stuck her head in.

"Oh good," she said jovially. "You're still here."

"We're pretty much done," Blaise said. "You might want to welcome the newest member."

Pansy smiled at Reagan but said nothing.

"Did you need something in particular?" Draco asked, watching Pansy hold the curtains tightly closed.

"No," she chirped. "I just wanted to see if you lot fancied a drink."

"We will be out in a minute. Meet you at the back bar."

"No!" she said too quickly. "I'll play mother! I don't mind at all. "What call I get you?"

"She's hiding something," Reagan said casually.

"Who asked you, Sharpe?" Pansy drawled somewhat nastily.

Draco was on his feet now, though. Pansy casually stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"Don't be dodgy, Pans," he warned. "Let me pass."

Having no conceivable reason to further detain him, she stepped aside, biting her lip and throwing a look at Blaise.

Blaise frowned in incomprehension, but by that time Draco had drawn back the curtain.

"Maleficent," Reagan said mirthfully as they all took in the scene unfolding before them. "Are those shorts or knickers? I really can't decide."

There, lying on the bar, was Leolin, her legs barely sheathed by a pair of an impossibly tiny gold sequined shorts. Her legs were elongated by the six inch heels on her feet, and they gleamed with what seemed like a fresh tan. She wore a sheer black long-sleeved shirt on top, though it clearly was meant to showcase the tantalizing lacy, silk bra underneath. Her shirt had been pulled up to reveal her tight stomach and gawdy belly button ring, which Draco was sure she hadn't worn since she was sixteen. Mad as he was in that moment, his throat ached as his eyes skated across the thin white scar arching up from below her waistband. It was fully healed now, the white tissue even glittering a bit in the light, but for those who knew what it had cost Leolin, it was an eyesore.

"What the bleeding hell is she doing?" Draco demanded, his voice chilly.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest she's about to be the vessel for a body shot," Reagan replied in a droll voice.

"Stow it, Sharpe; you're not helping," Blaise said.

Sure enough, Bentley Blackburn, who was his little brother Geoff's foil in every way imaginable, stepped forward to cheers and wolf whistles.

"Oh my Merlin," Ieaun blurted. "Tell me this isn't happening."

"I'm sorry," Pansy said fretfully, stepping in front of Draco while desperately trying to get him to look elsewhere. "I didn't want you to have to see this."

"Why?" Reagan said. "It's gearing up to be quite the show."

"Reagan!" Ieuan snapped. "Stop already."

"Birdie's right, Drake. Let's go," Blaise said, putting a hand on Draco's chest. "Whatever this is, there's no reason for you to get involved."

"No," Draco said coldly, eyes. "This little charade is obviously for my benefit. I would hate to disappoint Lefevre by not watching."

He pushed forward, and everyone gave him space as he moved. Bentley look like a little boy on Christmas morning. He was married, Draco was fairly certain, but that didn't seem to bother anyone, least of all Leolin.

Her eyes glittered as she laughed, her teeth bright under the chandeliers hanging above her. She looked like a different person than she had been when Draco last saw her half-dead in Atlanta, and it made his stomach clench uncomfortably; something warm had began to pool there.

Her glossy hair was fanned out beneath her like a dark halo, and her cheeks were tinged a lovely shade of pink. Her lips were the colour of fresh cherries,and he felt the sensation in the pit of his stomach intensify as she wet them with her tongue. Her long, dark lashes fluttered flirtatiously.

She had never been more beautiful nor more vivacious. She was like the most exquisite banquet ever laid out, and all Draco wanted in that moment was to feast.

Draco grit his teeth together as her bell-like laughter hovered above the din for a moment before disappearing amongst more hoots and cheers. After what had happened that morning with Gen, he could no longer deny how much he missed Leolin. He still hated her, of course, but that didn't make him want to punch Bentley Blackburn any less.

Kam, was saying something to Leolin, and she laughed merrily again before sitting up and shrugging out of her shirt.

"I don't want to ruin it!" she cried, and everyone cheered as she handed it to one of the cocktail waitresses to hold.

Now that her shirt was off, they could all see the tops of her heaving, perfect breasts.

Kam eased her down again, and she laughed for a third time.

"This is Spanish silk," she told Bentley, gesturing to bra. "Try not to get it wet."

He nodded and laughed as well, clearly infected by her dazzling joy.

This was a rouse, Draco told himself. He knew she wasn't happy, mostly because he'd made her so. Besides, he knew Leolin. This sort of thing wouldn't have made her happy anyway. She was many things, but this certainly was not one of them.

Still, watching her eyes sparkle as Kam carefully wet her skin with a lime wedge and slowly poured salt all over her tantalizing flesh made him want to break something. Or someone. Finally, Kam placed a tall thin shot glass between Leolin's thighs, and another bout of cheers erupted as she gripped it gently.

"Careful," Kam warned, laughing as she shifted her hips slightly.

"Don't worry," she said, winking. "I'm on the potion."

The crowd gave a bawdy round of applause, and Draco clenched his jaw, feeling sick to his stomach.

"Alright Blackburn," Kam said, clapping Bentley—who was still grinning like an idiot—on the back. "Do your worst."

Leolin kept still as Bentley tongue flicked down her sternum before snaking slowly down her navel, devouring the thin trail of salt and leaving a wet line on her skin. Finally, he reached her waistband, and he gave the crowd a seductive eyebrow raise before plucking the lime Kam had tucked there out. Finally he dipped between her thighs and retrieved the shot glass with his lips.

Everyone exploded as he threw his head back, downing the shimmering liquor and grinning before pulling the glass out of his mouth and holding up like a trophy. This was accompanied by more cheering, which only increased when he leaned down to claim the lime wedge from Leolin's cherry lips. She sat up.

"Well that was unpleasant," Pansy breathed as they watched Bentley suck the lime dry and before bowing to thunderous applause.

"I actually thought it was kind of sexy," Reagan said as Leolin, smoothed her dark hair and smiled almost bashfully. "I think I like Lefevre a little more now."

"Merlin, Reagan," Ieuan growled irritably, but Draco wasn't listening. "Please fucking stop. This is serious, and you're being really cruel."

Leolin was sliding off the bar and back onto her six inch heels, and Draco made straight for her.

"Drake!" Blaise cried, trying to intervene. "Let her go. We can't afford for you to get into it with her! We need her, and things are delicate enough as it is. If she wants to do this, you _have _to let her."

Draco shrugged Blaise off irritably and cut cleanly through the throng.

"Salazar!" Blaise hissed in irritation. "Why can you never just leave well enough alone?"

Draco ignored him, his pace swift and meaningful. Leolin didn't see his approach until it was too late, and he thwarted her attempt to evade her by pinning her hips to the bar with his own. By now he and Leolin were practically nose-to-nose. Merlin, did she smell good.

"That was quite the little show," he grit out, eyes like diamond-cut glass. "I very much enjoyed it."

"Leave me alone, Malfoy," she said simply, all of her sparkle from earlier long forgotten.

He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her. None of that merriment had been real. Up close she seemed as wounded as ever, and part of him secretly yearned to fold her into his arms.

"You can play pretend for Bentley Blackburn, Lefevre, but you can't fool me."

"It wasn't my intention to fool you," she replied in the same even tone. "Quite the opposite, in fact. Now let me go."

She put her hands on his chest to drive him back, and he felt an odd but nasty panic swelling up as she began to retreat. He wasn't sure else there was to be said, but he selfishly knew in that moment than he didn't want her to walk away.

"I know," he said imperiously, his anguish pinned down and choked by his selfish pride.

She turned back, looking weary.

"What is it you think you know?"

"I know where you are," he repeated in a commanding tone. "It's not here. It's not table dancing and body shots."

"You're right," she said, meeting his eye. Hers were sad and empty, so much so that she barely looked like the girl who'd laid on the bar earlier. "I'm still at rock bottom," she breathed softly, voice quivering slightly. "Just where you left me. Satisfied?"

He had not expected her candor, and he froze, not sure what to say. The sorrow in her dark eyes was like an anchor around his cold soul; it dragged him down and pulled him under.

"Excuse me," she said softly, and with that she brushed by him.

* * *

Leolin stood on the deserved rooftop of the Em, smoking a cigarette. She let a thin trail of violet smoke escape her nostrils and lips, enjoying the perfumy smell. Every minute or so, she wiped a tear off her cheek.

She felt disgusting, and she shuddered when she thought of Bentley's touch on her flesh, and the look on Draco's face. She knew that had been her job to push him to the brink, but she couldn't bear the way he'd looked at her, almost as if she was cheap.

She was cheap, she thought numbly. Cheap and used. Now it all felt so utterly hollow. There was a sick irony to it: sexually exploited for years, yet unable to even bear a child.

She heard an odd noise, and she turned to the glass wall and started.

"Well done," Adrian said through the partition.

"Would you please stop doing that?' she snarled. "Why can't you travel around like a normal person?"

He raised his eyebrows. Before she could protest, the glass began to ripple like the surface of a lake and he was sauntering through, his hands tucked neatly into the pockets of his pressed trousers.

"I must say," he began, eyes wolfish. "When I imagined you dressing like a tart, I never dreamed it would be this delicious."

She turned her back to him, taking another drag of her cigarette to avoid having to look at him. She didn't want to betray how uneasy she was.

"Shouldn't you be off somewhere vainly searching for Herpo's Vessel?" she sneered.

He laughed hardily, and in made a sickening knot in her stomach. That had sounded genuine.

"Herpo's vessels?" he repeated condescendingly "What on _earth_ are you talking about?"

She clenched her jaw. Was this a bluff on his part or a miscalculation on hers? She couldn't be sure.

"You think you've awfully clever, don't you?" she snapped.

His eyes traced the bow of her lips before bleeding up to study her face.

"I _am _clever," he said, rubbing the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. "Come closer and I'll show you just how clever I am."

She pushed his hand away, heart thumping.

"I'm not afraid of you," she warned, summoning the last of her courage.

He gave a condescending laugh in response, teeth glinting malevolently.

"That's pathetic lie," he said, surveying her almost dispassionately, circling her and making her shoulders tense reflexively. "I see the way you look at me, Lefevre. I _terrify _you. I can hear your heart beating from here."

She sneered but didn't reply, desperate to prove him wrong.

_"_What's wrong?" he goaded, leaning in gentle finger the chandelier in her right ear. "No sharp retort? Where's that smart little tongue of yours, Lefevre?"

"Leave me alone, you snake" she warned breathlessly, shrugging off his touch and shuddering. "Your touch makes me _sick_."

She could tell how much her distain wounded and annoyed him. He was an extremely dashing bloke; she was sure he wasn't used to dealing with women who didn't find him painfully alluring.

"Some day you'll love it," he said seriously, gold eyes glinting. "Someday you're going to _beg _me to touch you."

"I never will and you know it," she demanded wearily. "Give up."

"On you? Never," he said nastily, grabbing her wrist and bending it at an unnatural angle. She cried out a little in pain. "And if you don't start behaving yourself, I am going to make _everyone_ around you pay for it."

She thought of Ginny and Blaise and Severina and most of all, Draco. She tried to fight it, but his threats and his fierce grip brought fresh tears to his eyes.

"Do you understand me?" he demanded, hand like a vice as he continued to torque. If he went on for much long he was going to snap her wrist.

"Please," she begged quietly. "Let go. You're hurting me."

This only made his grip tighter. He wanted to punish her for always scorning him. She ought to stop; she knew it was only hardening his resolve to possess her body and soul.

"Do you understand?" he repeated as if she was a child, and she nodded wordlessly, trying to pry his fingers off.

"Now," he sneered coldly. "Did Draco see you?"

She bit her lip, which was trembling.

"Answer me!" he demanded.

"Yes," she begged, a sobbing bursting forth. "Please, I did what you wanted! He was furious."

"Good," he snapped, clearly still venting his frustration on her.

"_Adrian_!" she begged, never feeling more pitiful. His crushing grip was agonizing. "Please, _let go_! You're going to break my wrist!"

He towered imperiously above her, clearly reveling in her begging.

"_Adrian_!" she sobbed unhappily.

He ignoring her pleading, jerking his hand up and breaking the bone with a sickening snap. She screamed.

"I love the way you say my name," he told her, finally letting go.

She cradled her wrist to her chest as she bent her head, using her other hand to shield her eyes.

"Go away," she pleaded through more tears. "Please, just leave me alone."

This seemed to frustrate him.

"You're on borrowed time, Lefevre," he sneered, his breath falling on her neck as he leaned into her. "I know you still think there's time to win Draco back, but there isn't."

"Please," she whispered sorrowfully. "I did what you asked. I just want to be alone."

He seemed satisfied with what he'd managed to cleave from her.

He stooped to kiss her still-battered cheek, and she was so defeated she couldn't fight him off.

He used a knuckle to gently wipe one of her tears.

"Until next time, then."

He disappeared in a single quiet swish.

When he was gone, Leolin straightened, wincing as she examined the sickening angle of her broken wrist. Drawing her wand, she mended it, though it was still extremely sore and was sure to leave another wicked bruise. Finally, she wiped her eyes and took a shuddering breath. She'd never been so scared as she had been tonight. Between Adrian's cruelty and Draco's cold sneer, she was half-tempted to leap from the balcony and end it all. However, she thought of Draco again and the look in his eyes when he'd asked her to marry him, and the tears stopped.

Adrian was wrong; she would never be his, and someday she'd drive a knife in his neck, just as she had with Scabior.

She wiped her tears and fixed her makeup before lighting another fag.

"There you are. I thought I'd left."

She rolled her eyes. Could no one respect that face that she wanted to be alone?

"Not quite," she said.

"May I?" Blaise asked, stepped forward gesturing to the pack.

She nodded and he lit it with his floo.

"Merlin, he said, exhaling a lungful of smoke. "This really takes me back."

She nodded, but didn't engage.

"What are you doing here?" she asked at last. "No offense, Blaise, but I'd really like to be alone."

"I know," he said as she turned her back. "Draco told me everything."

"Everything about what?"

"I know about London. I know you told him you loved him."

"So?" she said.

"So," he replied, his tone frosty now. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Back off," she said. "I don't owe you anything."

She made to storm away, but he grabbed her by the same sore wrist Adrian had broken. She cried out in pain then jerked back, drawing her wand in a flash.

"I said _back off_," she snarled. She flourished her wand, and two hissing asps appeared, they onyx heads faced towards Blaise.

"Leolin!"

"You have no idea what I've been through," she roared. "So just fuck off and leave me alone."

The asps were still hissing and Blaise backed away. One bite and he could be dead before he could draw out the poison.

"I know enough," he said more softly. "Leolin please!"

"You don't know anything!" she cried, and the asps snapped and hissed at her feet, keeping him from advancing on her. "What you know about my trouble wouldn't fill a fucking thimble."

"Lai!"

"Please," she said, some of the fight having fallen away from her. "Just leave me alone."

The asps dissipated into nothing, and she heaved a great sigh, looking out instead. Blaise could see Leolin now, the real Leolin, and she seemed absurd and ill at ease in her slutty get-up.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently.

She glanced at him then looked away.

"No, I don't."

"Look, Lai, you're right; I have no idea the pain you must be going through right now, but I'm here for you. Gin and I both are. You don't have to keep us at arms length anymore. Please, let us in. We can help you."

"Can you turn back time?" Leolin said softly. "Because that's the only way you can help me."

"Let me in," Blaise prompted taking a tentative step towards her. "Please, I have to know the truth."

"The truth about what?" she said hoarsely looking away.

He paused, surveying her before frowning sympathetically.

"Why did you go?" He asked quietly, and for once she didn't answer with another question.

"I haven't even told Draco," she said resolutely. "What makes you think I would tell you?"

"Severina knows," Blaise said. "I can see in her eyes. You would tell her and not me?"

"That's different," Leolin said, biting her lip.

"How?" Blaise asked, sounding more than a little hurt.

In truth, she bitterly long to break her silence, but her fear stopped her.

"Leolin, We've been friends for almost ten years, and I love and care about you. Please, please talk to me."

The urge to cry was back and stronger then ever.

"If I tell you, I want you to promise me you won't tell anyone else."

"Done," he said at once.

She heaved a sigh. She had spent five years trying to forget. Even she and Sev didn't talk about it much.

"The night before the wedding, Draco and I slipped out of the party onto the balcony, and the Weasley twins of all people were waiting for us with this incredible fireworks display. I have no earthly idea how Draco'd managed to convince them, but he had and it was—Merlin, it was amazing. It was also, you know, sexy, and we'd been drinking so we were all over each other. But I wanted to do this muggle tradition where the bride and groom spend the last night apart so the first time they see on their wedding day is at the altar."

"That's the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard," he commented dryly. "Honestly, muggles really are the goddamn worst."

She nodded but didn't laugh or smile.

"So I sent him away instead, insisting he go to his own room." She sighed again, taking a deep breath to keep the feeling in her throat at bay. "That is the worst decision I've made in my entire life, and there is not a day that goes by that I don't regret it."

"Oh c'mon," he laughed. "Draco can't possibly be that good."

She gave him a sad frown and he snapped his mouth shut immediately.

"I'm sorry, go on."

"Gods, the minute he left though I was secretly wishing he'd come back. Then right before I was about to fall asleep I heard a knock on my door. I knew it was him. I threw open the door, and there he was grinning at me with a bottle of outrageously expensive champagne he'd knicked from Lucius."

She paused, and he could see her replaying the scene in her mind.

"Go on," he prompted gently.

"We finished the bottle, and honestly things got hazy after that, but he promised he would be gone before I woke up, and we'd still get to do the muggle thing."

"Right," he said. "And was he?"

She nodded.

"I woke up the next morning with a sore head and the worst hangover, so I drank this tonic he'd left for me and finally got up. Then I saw him standing out on my balcony, and I thought 'that little liar, he's still bloody here!' so I went out there half mad and half laughing and threw a shoe at him. Then he turned around, and—" she bowed her head. "it wasn't him."

She looked down and wrinkled her nose again, determined not to shed a single tear. Finally, she gathered up the courage to look over at him and his face was sympathetic and extremely doleful. He was frowning in miscomprehension, but when she met his eye, his face fell.

"Lucius," he breathed. "It was Lucius."

"I had no idea what was going on, and I insisted to know how he'd managed his way into my room. That's when he told me—I'd let him in the night before, and he'd spent the night."

"Leolin," Blaise breathed.

"As it turned out," she interrupted. "Draco had done what I asked; he'd had a drink with you then gone back to his room and passed out."

"How did Lucius—" Blaise began before giving a knowing nod, tucking his hands in his pockets and looking at the ground. "Polyjuice," He surmised.

She nodded again, biting her cheek as she dug her nails into her palms

"Obviously I was just—ugh, heartsick. I felt physically ill, and I swear to Merlin I stopped breathing for a whole minute. I just couldn't believe how violated I felt and how ashamed I was. At the same time, my mind was racing. What on Earth was I going to tell Draco? How would he even being able to look at me, knowing that I'd unwittingly given the person he hated the most the one thing that was supposed to be only his?"

"So you ran?"

She shook her head.

"No, of course not. In the end I remembered how much we loved each other, and I knew we would get through it together. Unfortunately, Lucius knew that, too. Have you ever heard of the Le Fay draught?"

He nodded, shaking his head in disgust as he tried to wrap his head around what she was telling him. "Pansy wrote her dissertation about it at University."

"The hangover potion I thought Draco had left me was actually the first elixir. When I drank it, I'd unknowingly activated the curse."

"So he was planning on blackmailing you."

"He threatened to give you the other half, and I—" she paused, shaking her head as her lip trembled. "I love you, Blaise; I couldn't do that to you. Besides, what did it matter? Lucius could given it to anyone, and would've destroyed Draco anyway. Better that I leave and give him a chance to start again.

So Lucius ordered me to write a note and sign a gag before he threw me out."

"What were the terms?" Blaise asked.

She bowed her head.

"I wasn't to write or speak to any of you. Not my family, not my friends, no one. I was never to step foot in the UK or France ever again. I don't really know what would have happened if I had, and I never tried. Then he took me to King's Cross, stuffed me in a muggle cab with a handful of these absurd muggle bills, a portable floo, and the other half of the Le Fey tincture."

Blaise sighed again. "Fuck," he said. "That man is clever. We honestly didn't see his hand in any of this."

She nodded sadly, looking almost betrayed. "I would have thought he would have been the first one Draco would have suspected."

"Well, he was. But he worked the long con, and he even had Draco fooled."

He paused then continued.

"About an hour after you were meant to be up, Draco said he'd went to check on you and you'd spoken through the door.

She nodded.

"That was our goodbye."

"You still weren't down a half and hour later, and this time Ginny went to see what you were up to. She burst into Draco's room, insisting you'd left."

"Draco didn't believe it, of course, even when he read your letter. He got scary quiet, and he said he was going to kill 's when Hell broke loose. The door literally flies open and Lucius whirls in spitting fire. Honestly, I've never seen something so unsettling. He has this murderous look on his face, and he and Draco are screaming at each other at once. They both draw their wands, but Lucius is a hair quicker, and in the blink of an eye he had Draco writhing on the floor with the cruciatus.

"Lucius was demanding to know where you'd gone, yelling about you disgracing the Malfoy name. He broke everything in a room in this crazy rage, and almost killed Draco. He insisted that Draco find you and drag you back, and he threatening to kill if Draco didn't find you in twelve hours or less. Then he disapparated."

"After he left, Draco started panicking. I've never seen him like that before or since. I honestly thought he was going to go bald from grabbing his hair, and I don't know how he didn't pass out; he was barely breathing at all, and even when he did it was in these short, manic breaths."

"He thought his father's reaction confirmed that Lucius had been planning on using you to manipulate Draco, and that he was furious because you had frustrated that goal. Looking back, oh my gods, I can't believe how well he sold it."

"Anyways, when it become clear that it wasn't Lucius, Draco keeps repeating that you could be anywhere, and before Gin and I could stop him he disapparated too. Of course, the two of them are the only two people in the whole Manor who can apparate in and out like that, so even though I went after him, he was long gone by the time I got to London. He flooed and said he was in Paris and he wasn't coming back until he found you. He honestly must have gone to every major city in Europe, and he literally had thousands of people looking for you."

"I know," she said sadly. "He came to Florence and I saw him."

"He didn't see you?"

She shook her head. "He couldn't because of the curse. He came to the dingy little café I worked it, and somehow I thought I was saved. He looked right through me; he had no idea who I was."

He frowned sympathetically. "That's—Merlin, that's fucking terrible."

"What happened then?" she asked, not wanting to remember seeing Draco's face as he combed the street for her.

"Well, about four weeks into his manhunt this picture shows up in the Swiss gossip rags, and Skeeter gets a hold of it and publishes it in the Prophet."

"What picture? Believe me, I stayed well away from the spotlight in Italy."

"It obviously wasn't you," he said dejectedly. "But this girl was a dead-ringer. Lucius must have slipped her polyjuice. He even gave her your dragon tattoo. That's what convinced him. No one besides us really knew you had that thing."

"What was in the photo?" she asked, and he gave her a weary look.

It was you—I mean your twin or whatever—with some Swiss bloke, she was kissing and pawing him like he was her life force. Draco saw that and he just—Jesus, he just came completely undone. He came back to London and then—he completely fell apart.

He was doing all kinds of crazy drugs and gallivanting across Europe, getting himself into loads of trouble. Finally I caught up with him this one night in Latvia. He's with some slutty girl out of his mind on some sort of synsysthetic drug. I tried to bring him back with me, but he absolutely refused. I was seriously worried he was going to die, and I got to London incredibly desperate.

It was raining, I remember, and it was 3 AM. I had no idea where to go, but I knew I needed help. I thought about going to Narcissa, but she was in the throes of her divorce with Lucius, and I didn't think she would be able to convince him home anyway. I was fretting; if I couldn't convince Draco to come home, who could?

That's when it hit me. It was a desperate play for sure, but it was the only one I had. I was pounding on your mum's door for ten minutes, crying my eyes out. Finally she came to the door and I begged her to come with me to Riga and set Draco straight. I figured if there was anyone who could sympathize with him, it was her. She didn't ask any questions; she just got dressed and came with me. She never said how she'd managed to convince him, but she did, and he's been loyal as a dog to her and your dad ever since."

"But what about you? What happened after you left London?"

Leolin sighed, overwhelmed by Blaise's tale.

"I didn't know where to go or who to turn to. Lucius warned me I had to be out of the UK by sundown, but I didn't have any money or contacts, and I was not going to take a muggle flying whatever. Besides, I had no earthly idea how their money worked.

I was freaking out, trying to think through everyone I'd ever known. Lucius had me beat, though. No one with Lefevre or Madoc blood. No one who'd ever attended Hogwarts. No one who was at the wedding. I realized in that moment there was literally only one sodding person who I could call and if I didn't reach out to him, I might die before I could get out of the Empire."

He shook his head to indicate he had no idea who she was talking about.

"My cousin Cristian," she bit out. "He's only my cousin by marriage, and his mother isn't even a Lefevre anymore. He went to Beauxbatons, and despite what my mother wanted, Draco and I didn't invite him to the wedding."

"And he agreed to help you?"

"Yes."

"On what terms?"

"That I give him the one thing he'd always wanted but could never have."

"Which was?"

She shook her head in disgust before looking at him pointedly.

"I have twenty three female Lefevre cousins, and besides me, he'd literally slept with them all. He said he'd help me, and in return all I had to do was help him achieve his sick goal."

"Lai—" Blaise said, and she nodded.

"I was so desperate that of course I agreed. And besides, I felt so disgusting after what I'd done with Lucius I didn't even care. Cristian would be fucking an empty shell."

"So you two went to Florence."

"Yes, but when I got there I found out that Cristian didn't really have money either. He'd squandered his inheritance and his late father's fortune, and there was barely anything left. Beyond that, sex became part of his price for not running to Lucius. I was wasting away, and I knew I had to find some way to buy Cristian's silence. I tried to think of what skills I had and how to apply them. I was technically an art historian, but the Italian art community was tight-knit and disdainful of outsiders, especially French ones.

I started thinking about it and examining the Wizarding market, formulating this idea. A little off the well-beaten auction path, there were discussions of the illegal buying and selling of Muggle works by Wizarding artists."

"Isn't that what you studied in France?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Well, not the illegal bit, but I definitely knew all these artists intimately. The problem was that trading circuit was also something of a closed loop, and the black market dealers were suspicious of outsiders for fear of Aurors slipping in. I decided the only way to get in on the action was to bring new product."

She paused and he seemed to connect the dots.

"Merlin's fucking beard. You're La Génie du Mal?"

She didn't seem proud like most people would have been.

"I didn't want to be," she said miserably, "but I had no other options. I was bartending and waiting tables and we were living off my shift meals in the worst part of the city. We only had one bedroom, but even if we hadn't, Cristian derived this sick pleasure from knowing he'd bested Draco in the end. It got to the point where it was either steal art or commit suicide."

He shook his head sadly. "Oh Leolin—"

"I only wanted to steal the pieces I absolutely had to," she continued. "So I needed an entrée into high society to see what buyers were really after. The problem was I was a total nobody in Florence, and I was afraid to flex any aristo muscles and tip Lucius off to where I was or what I was doing. If Cristian was good at one thing, it was disappearing. I was confident that Lucius had no idea where I was, and that gave me some freedom.

Anyways, I realized in the end that I needed someone to introduce me around as someone else. I would be a rich, sleek, mysterious dealer from Paris who had an intimate knowledge of the seedy underworld and a serious nose for blood. In short, I needed to join the Italian elite and establish myself as a broker while still maintaining I wasn't actually the thief. I knew that's what my clients would respond to."

"Severina," Blaise concluded.

Leolin nodded.

"I had thought of calling her instead of Cristian the day of the wedding, and of course now I wish I did."

"How did you ever get her to agree?" Blaise quiered. "The last time you saw each other she hated you."

"How else? I cut her in. Twenty-five percent. I also had twenty-five going to Cristian, who was the fence. Even when I paid off my other two thieves, who are a set of Scottish twins you would love, the lion's share was still mine. Severina also helped me cultivate this persona and perfect my Italian. She also just brought me back to life. She helped me rein Cristian in, expanded my clientele and brought me into the elite fold. She was my rock in Florence, and she helped me to love the city; she helped me love _mysel_f again. I owe her everything."

"But in all the time we were friends, I never said anything about Draco and she never asked. One night we were sitting looking out at the Loggia della Signoria drinking wine and she asked me why I'd left. I told her everything. We sat out there all night and cried, and when the sun finally crested over the piazza where Michelangelo's David had stood before we'd stolen it, I honestly felt reborn."

"When was this?"

"Three years in. After that, Severina began asking if I planned to live this double life forever, and was I really content to never see my family again? Never see Draco again? I told her I didn't want to know what he was doing because it was too painful, but she began insisting that if I really loved him then time was running out. That's when I started working on a countercharm. I used to do it all the time in school, and it came back to me fairly quickly. I hit a lot of walls, but Severina kept reminding me of the life I'd had and my family and friends, and that motivated me. I also longed to finally cut Cristian loose, and she pointed out I could only do that by going back. We planned to give him the business then wait six months and tip off the Aurors. We agreed that was just desserts for everything he'd done."

"When did you finally break the charm?" Blaise asked.

"Six weeks before I got back." She bowed her head. "And that was when I found out Draco was engaged. I didn't really expect him to still be single after five years, but I was hoping against hope that somehow he knew I still loved him and I'd come back for him in the end. I never stopped loving him."

"After all this time?"

She looked at him earnestly.

"Always," she said, exhaling deeply. Her eyes were stinging from the effort not to cry.

"_Why _did you never tell him this?" Blaise implored. "Were you afraid he wouldn't understand? Lai, I know he would have."

"I know that too," she said. "But that night Adrian nabbed me at the Domus, I found out that Lucius had connected La Genie back to me. He forced me under another gag. He said if I told Draco the truth, he'd send me to Azkaban."

Blaise nodded.

"We should have known."

"I was discouraged," Leolin admitted. "But I knew I'd come to far to give up. Still, it wasn't easy. I don't know what I expected to happen when I showed back up in London, but the look Draco gave me when he first saw me at the party—it was so terrible. Still," she said. "I held my ground. Severina kept reminding me that Draco didn't know the truth yet, and that I only had to keep chipping away at him. And I did. I could feel it in South Carolina. I could feel him warming to me, starting to trust me again. I could see he was jealous of Kelly and Max and I knew I was gaining back ground."

"What exactly happened in London?" he asked softly.

"I thought you said you knew," she said, a little defensive now.

Blaise looked sympathetic for having played her.

"Draco never said for sure. I just assumed."

She shrugged.

"It was just the two of us against the world, and we made good progress on the painting. One night we went to dinner at the Villa in Greece and had this amazing dinner with his family, and for that one second I got to be his wife. When we got home and we kissed. We were well on our way to having sex when I accidentally said I love you and he exploded."

He nodded.

"Still though, even after London I could feel him gravitating back to me again. Even after I slept with Max. Our predicament was drawing us back together, and I was falling dangerously more in love every day. Then there was the ambush."

She bowed her head.

"I really thought I was going to die in Draco's arms," she admitted. "Some part of me wanted to."

"I don't know if you remember," Blaise said quietly. "But Draco told you he loved you."

She felt a lump in her throat.

"I thought I'd dreamt it."

He shook his head.

"Anyways," she said finally. "We were in the hospital room in Atlanta, the ache of my infertility hanging between us, and I wanted so badly to reach out and claim him at last. Then he started demanding the truth, and I physically couldn't give it. Watching him storm out of the room was the worst moment of my entire life."

She bent her head and began to sob, her shoulders heaving up and down.

"Of all the horrible things I've endured over the last five years, that was by far the most painful. I came home loving him more than ever, and now—"She continued to sob, driving the heels of her palms into her eyes to staunch the flow of tears. "Now he hates me! He can barely stand to look at me! I—I don't know what to do about it! It's killing me! And to top it off, he's with that horrid Yankee bitch."

"He doesn't hate you," Blaise said after a long bout of silence, looking off in the distance. "I know he doesn't."

"Yes he does," Leolin said miserably. "And I don't blame him."

"No," Blaise said again quietly. "He doesn't."

"How do you know that?"

"Because he's told me!" Blaise burst, and Leolin looked at him, stunned. "He's been grappling with it since you came back," Blaise said.

"He said that?" she asked meekly.

"Leolin," he said in frustration. "He can barely think about anything else. It's driving him bloody mad. There is some days that I think he forgets Genevieve is even alive. When we weren't sure if you would make it through the night, she couldn't tear him from your side."

"I—"

"He fell in love with her because she is the palest shade of you he could find! She is your opposite in every possible way; she was an escape from the life he'd never have with you. I think he literally sustained himself on your and Gen's dissimilitude. But now that you're back and the two of you are side by side—" he shook his head in disgust. "He is finally remembering why he loved you. How _much_ he loved you. Now that you're back I think he can barely stand to be around her. He told me that when they have sex he has to pretend she's you or he can't finish."

"He cast me aside in Atlanta!" she wailed. "And she's still here! If he loves me, why can't he accept me?"

He bit his lip, tears welling in his eyes.

"Because of me," he whispered quietly.

"What?" she asked, wiping her tears.

He grit his teeth then looked at her.

"When you got back— well obviously Gin and I were thrilled. But from our perspective, your timing couldn't have been crueler. Draco had also just moved on! He was happy, almost as happy as he'd been with you, and now you were going to come back and trample all that. Draco would have been back to square one."

Leolin scrunched her nose and looked down at her designer shoes, unable to stop two more tears from skidding down her cheeks despite her best efforts.

"Look," Blaise said, pleading. "Lucius set you up so well. He'd convinced Draco that he'd had no hand in it and that he'd always said you weren't to be trusted. He stole hundred of thousands of galleons out of you and Draco's account to make it look like you'd been planning to leave. It didn't work at first, but eventually he was able to manipulate Draco back under his insidious control.

Then there was the photo. We'd all seen it, and we'd all agreed it was definitely you. No one could figure out how or why, but it really seemed like you were already moving on.

So Ginny and I—we agreed that we wouldn't intercede on your behalf. We'd do opposite, actually. We would run interference on you; box you out until you either gave up or they said 'I do'. Whichever came first."

"How could you do that to me?" She demanded in pain. "You two know better than anyone that Draco and I are meant for each other!"

"We did it because we love him, and neither of us wanted to see him hurt again! You weren't in that hotel room in Riga," he choked. "You hadn't seen Draco half-dead from his love for you. I couldn't do that to him again! I couldn't let _you _do that to him again!" Blaise bit out defensively.

"So that's why this has been so hard," she said in a bland voice. "The two of you have been undermining me this whole time."

"Yes," he admitted. "Two days after we got to Charleston, Draco came to me and said he thought he might still be in love with you and asked me what I thought he should do. He said mine was the only opinion he could trust, including his own."

Blaise looked down, and Leolin thought that perhaps he was also fighting the urge to cry. "I told him to forget you," he said in a tight voice, giving a manly sniff to avoid any actual tears. "I told him that he deserved better. I told him to marry Gen and love her and let the rest go. He came to me again in Atlanta and I—I told him the same thing. I told him if you refused to tell the truth then he had to leave you behind."

Leolin bent her head and began to cry again, her sobs paining Blaise.

"Leolin," he said, wounded. His voice was the very symphony of anguish. "How can I ever begin to tell you how sorry I am? I had no idea this was going on. If I had—" He said, running a hand over his closely cropped hair. "If I had known then I never would have done what I did. You have to believe that."

"I do," Leolin said, still sobbing. "But it's too late. You've only hardened Draco's resolve. He hates me now as much as he loves me, and he's going to marry that vile bitch out of spite."

"Then go to him—tell him the truth."

"I can't!" she cried. "He's under the gag."

"So let me go for you," he said, but she was already tossing her head back and forth.

"You _can't_! No one can. That's how the gag works: it twists Draco's reality until he can't see the truth. Don't you think he would have read between the lines by now if it didn't?"

"Then we'll help you break the binding," Blaise said. "Severina and Ginny and I."

"No," Leolin said emphatically. "Not Ginny."

"Leolin, please," Blaise pleaded. "Being in the dark is eating her up inside. Let her in."

"I can't," Leolin sobbed. "I can't go through the whole thing again!"

"Please, Leolin, please!" He said shaking her until she looked up at him. She did, and when she saw he fierce love burning in his eyes, the dam broke.

She said nothing, only collapsed against his chest as she continued to cry. She bawled his shirt in her tiny fist as her tears soaked the spot she'd laid her head. He stroked her hair gently as he shushed her soothingly, kissing her temple as she took heaving sobs, her face blotchy and her eyes swollen. Despite the fact that she was sure she'd never looked uglier, she also knew it that moment how much Blaise loved her, and she knew she had to trust him the way she always had in the past.

"Don't make me tell it again."

He touched her cheek soothingly, brushing a tear off with the pad of his thumb. "You don't have to. I have a pensieve at the flat. Can you agree to that?"

Leolin nodded, and Blaise apparated them home at once.

"Ginny?" Blaise called urgently as Leolin collapsed into a sobbing heap on the floor. "Ginny I need you!"

Ginny appeared several seconds later, taking in Leolin on the floor and Blaise tearing through drawers, looking for the pensieve.

Ginny knelt at Leolin's side at once.

"Leolin," she breathed before looking up at Blaise. "What the fuck is going on?"

Blaise found the disc and threw it into the air, watching as it assumed some depth. He knelt next to Leolin, and she allowed him to pulled the tears off her face.

He didn't reply, just grabbed Ginny by the arm and all but shoved her into the bowl.

She was gone several minutes, but when she finally emerged, her face was a mess.

"Leolin," she sobbed, dragging her up to hug her. "Forgive me. Please, forgive me. I should have known; should have trusted you. How can you ever forgive me?"

Leolin said nothing still sobbing as she clung to Ginny. She smoothed Leolin's hair as they cried in each other's arms.

"I'm sorry," Leolin breathed at last, her tears completely purged. "I should have told you. I shouldn't have pushed you away."

Ginny grabbed her cheeks and kissed her on the lips.

"It doesn't matter. I'm here now."

Leolin nodded, resting her head on Ginny's shoulder. She never wanted to let her go again.

"Yes," she breathed softly, a warmth blooming in her chest she hadn't felt since the wedding. "You're here now."


	21. Chapter 20: Sleepaway Camp

**A/N: **This ones a doozy! It's almost twice the length of other chapters, and to be honest, I'm not sure I'm happy with it. I really need your feedback on this one, it really helps me set a course! I look forward to your thoughts, comments, preidictions, etc Also for your grammar fiends, I am sure this thing is full of errors, and I will go back and fix them tomorrow! Thanks and PLEASE REVIEW!

**Chapter 20: Sleepaway Camp**

_Adrian woke up, sat up, and groaned. His head was pounding from the night before, and he was mildly convinced he was going to throw up. Bloody tequila. He rubbed his head and gave an irritated growl to the bird rapping its beak on the window. He glanced at the softly ticking clock on his bedside table (which in reality was simply a shabby cardboard box) and swore. It was only six fifty-five._

_What the blood hell could Burgis want? Surely he could survive **one** day without belittling and Adrian. Besides, it was Saturday, for Merlin's sake._

_The rapping continued, and Adrian swore before standing, his head pounding as he did so. He leveled a sound kick at one of the boxes in his way. It only served to make him more annoyed. He'd been living like this ever since his bitch of a wife divorced him six months ago. Fucking Isobel. She cheated and yet still she managed to make off with the nearly every sickle of his parents' modest fortune. What an evil, vile little bitch she was._

_Finally he'd reached the window, and despite being naked, he yanked it open, allowing a large horned owl to swoop in. Finally the bird came to stand on the window ledge again, extending his leg to Adrian. It was an official Ministry owl. He eyed the bird with contempt before snatching the note, which had been written on expensive parchment._

_Cadet Pucey,_

_You have been summoned for a personal audience with the Minister of Magic this morning, the 4 of April, at eight o'clock. Your attendance is mandatory._

_Signed,_

_Finlay Reed, special undersecretary to the Minister._

_Adrian flopped back down on the bed and groaned. What was this bollocks about? Somewhere in the mess of pillows and sheets, a woman gave a soft moan of disapproval._

"_What are you doing up, darling?" she muttered sleepily. "Come have a lie-in with me."_

"_Don't be a dumb slag, Davis," Adrian sneered. "I have work."_

"_But it's Saturday," Tracy said, sitting up and touching the smooth skin of his back. "Surely you don't have to work on a Saturday."_

"_I'm an Auror," Adrian snapped. "I have to worked when I'm called. What are you still doing here, anyway? I'm tired of looking at you. Get out."_

"_That's not what you were saying to me last night at the Em," Tracy said huffily, looking for her knickers._

"_Tell me you didn't actually think I wanted more out of this than I've already gotten," Adrian said condescendingly._

"_I can't believe you lied and told me you'd liked me since school! That's so foul, Pucey," she snapped, clearly hurt._

"_It's not my fault you were dumb enough to believe it," Adrian defended. "I married Isobel Lorde; obviously I could do better than the likes of you."_

"_Of course," Tracy said, almost fully dressed now. "How could I forget? How's that working out for you, by the way? Being married to her?"_

"_Get out," he growled, and she gave a soft laugh at boiled his blood. _

"_With pleasure," she said, quickly re-dressing into her revealing dress. "This place is a bloody dump anyhow."_

_She disappeared with a crack, and Adrian gave another scream of annoyance, mostly because she was right. Of all the grand plans he'd had for himself after school, nearly all of them had fallen through. He was rich__—__at least he had been__—__he was good-looking, and he was smart. Obviously he deserved more than this. Unfortunately, the universe didn't seem to agree._

_He'd graduated Auror training at the top of his class, but was a glorified desk jockey at the office thanks to his infuriatingly righteous boss James Burgis. The only flat he could afford after the divorce was a dreary one bedroom on Knockturn, and before last night's extremely disappointing performance, he hadn't shagged anyone in months._

_Kicking another box, he made his way to his cramped and dingy bathroom, standing under the luke-warm water for a few minutes before getting out and getting dressed. The paper had been delivered by the time he got out, and the headline made him roll his eyes._

_**LOVE IS IN THE HEIR: DRACO MALFOY FINALLY GOES PUBLIC WITH NEW ROMANCE**_

_Adrian glanced at the picture and grit is teeth. Draco was standing casually in an expensive tux, his arm wound around a lovely blonde, who The Prophet had identified as a wealthy American witch named Genevieve Beauchene. Adrian had met her once, at his wedding to Isobel, and it annoyed him to see that Draco always managed to land on his bloody fucking feet. For a moment, Adrian indulged in a fantasy where he fucked Lefevre silly on the Slytherin Common Room floor while Malfoy was forced to stand by and watch her perfect tits bounce as she begged Adrian's name. The thought made his cock twitch, and he growled in frustration._

_Giving the picture a last look, Adrian grabbed his wand and looked at his watch before apparating away. _

_He arrived outside the Muggle phone booth on Delves Street a few moments later, slipping inside at once and allowing it to deliver him downwards into the ministry._

_Seeing as it was Saturday, the domed lobby was nearly empty when he arrived. Adrian strode right for the lift, stuffing one arm underneath the other. He still felt a bit nauseous, and he was beginning to grow somewhat uneasy. He'd only met Lucius Malfoy once or twice when he and his ex-wife had come to his parents for a dinner party or a cocktail soiree, but Adrian had to admit neither time had been exceedingly pleasant. There was really no denying that Lucius Malfoy was an intimidating man._

_Finally he arrived on the executive floor, trying to seem casual as he sauntered out. He'd never been to this part of the ministry, and it oozed corruption and power._

"_Cadet __Pucey?" a man asked, appearing almost instantaneously at his side. "I'm Finlay Reed."_

_Adrian grit his teeth in annoyance. He wasn't a cadet anymore; he'd graduated the Auror Academy more than three months ago. _

"_Pleasure," Adrian said coolly, eying the man. He was unpleasantly thin with a nose far too large to be attractive on any face, least of all his._

"_The minister will see you now," Reed said, ushering Adrian forward._

_Adrian gave a small turn of his lips as Finlay all but pushed him through the door and shut it behind him. Lucius was sitting at his desk when Adrian arrived, and though he didn't smile, his eyes glittered._

"_Adrian," he said as if they were old chums. "Come in and sit."_

"_Thank you, sir," Adrian said simply, doing as he was told and sinking into the plush seat Lucius was gesturing to._

_They were quiet for a minute, and Adrian tried not fidget, though it was admittedly hard. _

"_So," Lucius said at last, as if satisfied he had sufficiently intimidated Adrian. "You're probably wondering why I've asked you here."_

"_A little, I suppose, sir," Adrian said. _

"_I've been following your path since school, Adrian; I think you're terribly clever. Far more clever than James Burgis gives you credit for._"

"_I—" Adrian fumbled. "Thank you, sir."_

"_You graduated at the top of the Academy, didn't you?"_

_"Yes, sir."_

_"And your aptitude tests are off the charts."_

_"I'm not sure I really know, sir."_

_Lucius studied him with scrutiny. Adrian could tell he was growing tired of Adrian's schoolboy reluctance._

_"Are you happy in the Aurors' Office, Adrian?"_

"_Of course, sir__," Adrian said too quickly. "It's a great honour."_

_Lucius smiled._

"_You don't have to lie to me," he said. "I know you're being underutilised there."_

"_I trust Mr. Burgis's judgment," Adrian said, fighting to remain diplomatic._

"_I don't," Lucius said. "That's why I fired him this morning."_

"_What?" Adrian said, unable to contain his surprise. "Why?" he blurted._

_Lucius gave a casual sneer._

"_He's going to marry Ariadne Madoc. As you know, she is no friend to this office, so I gave Burgis a choice, and he chose wrong."_

"_I—" Adrian licked his lips. "Why are you telling me this, sir?"_

_Lucius tossed a heavy gilded badge on the table._

"_I want you to take his place."_

"_Me?" Adrian repeated. "Chief? Sir, I'm don't turn twenty-four until next October. I'm the youngest Auror in the office."_

"_Listen to me, Adrian," Lucius said. "I believe there is greatness in your future, and I think we could work very well together, but I need you to stop acting like a schoolboy and start acting like a man. I am offering you the opportunity to stand by my side and change the world, but only if you have to stones to step up. Do you?"_

"_I—I'm not what sure what to say, sir," Adrian stammered._

"_Don't be a fool," Lucius said in snarling annoyance in his eyes. "Say yes."_

"_I—"_

"_It comes with a large pay raise, of course, almost one hundred thousand galleons a year, along with other perks."_

_Adrian's mind raced. He saw the life he'd always invisioned coming back together. He imagined the handsome brownstone he'd owned before he'd married Isobel and the nice things he'd had the the expensive liquor he'd drank. Under Lucius's patronage, he could flourish."_

_"I'd be honoured, sir," Adrian said finally._

"_I thought you might be," Lucius said smugly. "Now, I just need your reassurance that I have you complete and utter loyalty."_

"_You do, sir," Adrian said at once, feeling a little giddy now. "Of course."_

"_Good," Lucius said. "Because if you were to betray my confidence, I would have to flay you slowly and carefully, you understand."_

_Adrian met his eye, his reveling slightly dampened._

"_I understand. Anything you need, I'm yours."_

"_And you aren't afraid if things get a little—messy?"_

_A dark grin dawned on Adrian's face._

"_Certainly not, sir."_

"_That's a good lad. Now, Tell me what you know about necromancy."_

* * *

Leolin stood staring into the bowl, trying to calm her raging heartbeat. The memories in the bowl stirred before her, enticing her to join them in the shadowy pool. She took another deep breath before tipping forward into the basin.

As she did, the world around her began to bleed away, the glass walls of her flat melting as she felt headlong into the darkness. It felt like she had been spinning for every by the time the world began to materialise again.

Leolin looked around, recognising the time and place immediately. It was odd; she hadn't known this was where she would end up. She must have dwelt on this memory more than she even realised.

There was already a fire burning in the hearth of her father's library at the Chateau, but it had begun to die, and it cast creeping shadows across the Persian rugs and mahogany-paneled walls. There was a grand Christmas tree in the corner of the room, and it too emitted a soft glow. Leolin took the room in slowly before turning to watch the two figures in the room circle around each other.

The low light caught Draco with particular poignance, and he looked ever bit the fallen angel as he traipsed farther into the room, flicking the door closed with a wave of his hand. The shadows gave him an otherworldly appearance, and the dying light set his golden head aflame.

Leolin came close and studied him, her eyes dancing across his face. He'd always seemed so mature-looking to her, but as she gazed into his seventeen-year-old face, she realised how much of an adolescent he had still been then. Now that she was accustomed to seeing him as an adult, teenage Draco seemed scrawny by comparison, and his face looking impossibly young. She yearned to reach out and stroke his smooth cheek.

"So," he said at last, pausing to lean on the mantle. "What should we talk about?"

The present Leolin turned to look at the person he was addressing. It was so odd to stare into the face of one's former self, and Leolin studied her sixteen-year-old counterpart as the latter leaned against the cold pane of the window, watching Draco intently.

"Why are you here?" younger Leolin asked in a small, sad voice.

Draco considered this, looking down into the hissing flames for a moment before staring back at her. When he spoke his voice was quiet but intense.

"You told me that as long as I was under my father's control that we could never be together. Do you still feel that way?"

"You know I do," she said quietly.

Leolin watched her own expression intently, studying all the trepidation and fear. She shook her head. This girl didn't even know what it meant to be afraid of Lucius Malfoy.

"Good," Draco said seriously. "Then I didn't do it for nothing."

"Didn't do what for nothing?" sixteen-year-old Leolin asked suspiciously. He was sauntering towards her now, his steps slow but deliberate.

Present-day Leolin could still remember the feeling of his eyes on her in that moment. It had been intoxicating.

His eyes didn't leave her face, waiting to read her reaction. "I dissolved my trust this morning and abdicated my role as the Malfoy heir. It'll be in the paper tomorrow."

Younger Leolin gave a small frown as she considered, her eyes skidding across the graceful angles of his face. He came a bit closer, and though she tensed a little, she didn't move away.

"You did that for me?" she asked at last, incredulous.

Draco clenched his jaw, as if warring with himself.

"Leolin," he said at last, stepping towards her.

Leolin remembered thinking he looked agitated, annoyed even, but as she looked at him now, she could tell he was just terribly nervous. It was so rare that Draco didn't have the upper hand.

"I would do anything for you," Draco said at last. "Why can't you see that?"

He made to touch Leolin's cheek and she took another step back, turning to look out at the snowy gardens instead.

"How do I know I can trust you?" She demanded quietly, turning around and eying him critically.

Leolin could see the hurt and betrayal shining in her younger self's eyes.

"You don't," Draco said, his gaze wolfish now. "You just have to have faith. But there's a storm coming, and you're going to need my protection when it does."

Sixteen-year-old Leolin slid closer again, her fingers trailing against the glass. He watched her approach keenly.

"What's coming?" she asked.

He slid closer, too, carefully reaching forward and fingering one of her diamond earrings. His eyes flicked to hers. His voice was still arrogant, but he did not look nearly as smug or confident as he usually did.

"Give me a kiss and I'll tell you."

"What about your father?" former Leolin asked seriously, shrugging away from his touch again.

"You are your mother's daughter," Draco admitted softly, the predatory edge in his tone fading into concern. "You'll always be a threat to him. But if you let me, I can protect you, I swear."

Present-day Leolin bit her lip; if only that had been true.

By this time sixteen-year-old Leolin was practically in his arms, and his eyes glinted as he looked down at her, careful not to touch her this time. Present-day Leolin held her breath, knowing her life was about to be irrevocably marked by what came next.

"Leolin—" Draco said in a serious voice when she didn't reply. He paused, clearly plagued by some sort of inner turmoil. However, he steeled himself, drawing up to his full height and squaring his shoulders even as he angled his head down to look at her.

Leolin bit her lip harder, begging his memory to say the words she might never hear from him again.

"I—," Draco licked his lips, looking down at the floor before gazing at past Leolin again intently. "I love you."

Leolin felt the scene fading as she was yanked roughly upwards. She emerged back into reality with a heaving gasp, her eyes swinging wildly around she as tried to determine what had brought her back. Ginny was standing just to her left, hey eyes shimmering with concern as she stood with arms crossed.

"Gin," Leolin said, taking another heaving breath before flopping on the leather sofa and watching the disc of the pensieve rotate slowly. "What are you doing here?"

"Be careful with that thing," Ginny said solemnly, sounding like Leolin's mother. "It makes it surprisingly easy to lose touch with what's real."

Leolin nodded.

"Good to know."

Ginny came and sat down next to her, still eying her.

"How did you even get that out of our flat? Blaise is still convinced he just misplaced it somewhere."

"I knicked it," Leolin said, smiling a little.

"How?" Ginny demanded, smiling as well "I was with you all night!"

"How quickly they forget," Leolin said, shaking her head in mock disgust. "I'm in internationally-renowned art thief, remember?"

"I thought you were an internationally-sought criminal," Ginny said, nudging Leolin's shoulder.

"Two sides of the same coin, darling," Leolin said. "Where'd Blaise get this thing, anyways? Aren't they fairly rare? And not to mention hideously expensive."

"They are," Ginny agreed. "But it's Draco's, so I think that explains itself. Merlin only knows what shady corner of the world he picked it up in. I certainly don't want to."

Leolin gave a small smile. "This is the sort of thing only Draco would have," she admitted. "How did you end up with it?"

"Blaise took it off him awhile back."

"Why?" Leolin asked, already feeling as if she could guess the answer.

Ginny gave a grim smile.

"Let's just say he was abusing it."

Leolin nodded.

"You probably ought to give it back to him," she said, and Ginny nodded.

"I hate to say this, but I think we might need it soon. It comes in handy for analyzing the memories of your spies."

Leolin chewed her lip.

"Welcome back to reality," she breathed dazedly to herself. She shook off her reverie and stood. "Tea?'

"Please," Ginny said, watching as Leolin wandered out of the room to put on the kettle. "So," she called, casually flipping through a book on Leolin's coffee table entitled _The Strictures of Magical Wizarding Law. _"What were you looking at, anyways?"

Leolin appeared a minute later with a tray with a kettle, two cups and saucers, and an array of different types of biscuits.

"Christmas eight years ago," Leolin said, trying not to sound wistful. "That the was the very first time Draco told me he loved me."

Leolin looked at her lap for a second and Ginny touched her knee.

"Chin up, darling," Ginny said. "Fight's not over yet."

"I know," Leolin said, looking up. "And honestly, with you on my side it's like a whole different fight."

Ginny raised her eyebrows.

"You're damn straight it is."

Leolin looked down into her teacup again.

"When's the last time you've seen him?" she asked quietly.

"He came round the flat this morning," Ginny admitted. "Actually, that's why I'm here."

Leolin's heart jumped to her throat. She looked expectantly up at Ginny, who bit her lip.

"What?" Leolin said, reading her expression at once. "What did he say about me? What it that bad?"

Ginny shook her head.

"Or no, it's—not that. He hasn't said anything about that thing at The Em. Honestly, I think the whole thing really rattled his cage a bit."

"Well that makes two of us," Leolin said, inadvertently touching her still tender left wrist. She hadn't wanted to go to the healer and admit to anyone what had happend, and as a result it was still sore.

"Right," Ginny said, watching the action keenly before looking up at Leolin. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring that bollocks up again. Anyways, this has nothing to do with that."

"Then what does him coming round to you lot's flat have to do with me?"

"Okay, I'll going to tell you, but don't be—overhasty in your answer, alright?"

"Gin, you're really not making me happy over here," Leolin said, trying not to fret.

"Alright," Ginny said. "Well, as you know, we've been assembling the new Order and trying to get it operational again."

"Ginevra Molly Weasley, stop dancing around it and tell me what's going on."

"Look," Ginny said, sounding a touch desperate. "We all need to meet through some of the bigger issues, but it's not smart to keep meeting at Harry's place. First of all, it's not really big enough to fit everyone, and we think Pucey might be watching the house. Or at least trying to."

"Alright, and?"

"And, you know, Kelly and Ieuan and Max all have World Cup coming up, so they around going to be around to meet regularly."

"And?"

"We're all going away for a weekend for a major conference. That way we don't have to keep coming to and fro and attracting loads of attention. We're going to go away from prying eyes and ears and get this whole thing started once and for all. Lauren's third husband left him a place in the country after the divorce, and it's perfect for what we need. We're going to establish it as our base of operations."

"I'm sorry," Leolin said. "And this applies to me how?"

"Well, obviously you've been asked to be there," Ginny said carefully.

"Right," Leolin said. "Just so we're clear, you are basically trying to convince me to come to sleep-away camp with you this weekend?"

"It's not sleep-away camp!" Ginny demanded. "It's a way for us to make some kind of strategies going forward."

"I thought you lot _had _been doing that! What are you saying, you've just been sitting on your thumbs this whole time?"

"No," Ginny said, frowning at Leolin's crudeness. "Of course we haven't, but we need to start pulling all the threads together and we need a place off the map. This weekend away will achieve both those ends simultaneously. Besides, no one has made progress with Audige's stupid riddle yet. We need to crack it and get a move on."

"Well that's brilliant," Leolin said, standing. "You'll have to let me know how that goes."

"C'mon, Lai, we need you!" Ginny said, standing as well. "And frankly, you need this, too. I know you've been putting off seeing Draco since The Em, and I don't blame you. But it's time to stop running from him."

"No," Leolin said emphatically. "This is bloody South Carolina _all _over again. I'm not going to be cooped with Draco and Gen again. I can't do it; it's too much, and I honestly can't promise that this time I wouldn't rip her fucking head from her sodding shoulders. Do you know what she said to me the last time I saw her? '_You can't give him the one thing he wants most in this world. I still can.' _I'm sorry, but I'm not going back to that. Ever."

"It's not South Carolina, though," Ginny said, grabbing her hand. "You have me and Blaise now. As for what Gen said, come with me this weekend and we'll make her suffer together."

"Gin," Leolin said seriously. "I don't think you understand how painful it is to be in Draco's presence. Honestly, it's excruciating."

"So, what?" Ginny asked in a soft, sad voice. "Are you just going to hide from him until you break the gag?"

Leolin shrugged, sinking back down and tucking her head between her knees.

"I don't know," Leolin admitted.

"How close are you to breaking it?"

Leolin should her head.

"Not close at all."

"That's all the more reason for you to go, then," Ginny said. "Look, I know you've been through hell with Draco these last few months and you're intent on breaking this gag, but you have to face the truth: you may not break it in time."

"Thanks," Leolin said. "That's very helpful."

Ginny caught Leolin's chin and tilted it up so she could look her in the eye.

"You misunderstand me," Ginny said softly. "I'm saying that you can't put all your eggs in one basket, Bug. I know you think he won't love you until he knows the truth, but the reality is that he already does! You've put too much stock in breaking the gag."

Leolin's eyebrows knitted together as she bit her lip.

"No," she breathed unhappily. "You're putting too little into it! He turned me away in Atlanta because I couldn't tell him what happened all those years ago! It doesn't matter what he feels for me; he'll never let himself admit it until I stop lying to him. Deep down you _know_ that. Without breaking the gag, he'll marry Gen; you know he will."

"I don't agree," Ginny said resolutely. "But if you feel that strongly then you still have to go this weekend!"

"Haven't you been listening?" Leolin demanded. "I can't!"

"Look," Ginny said fiercely. "I know that you're a brilliant witch, but you can't do this alone! If you're serious about shutting this thing down, you need a professional curse-breaker to help you."

"I can't bring someone else in on this," Leolin insisted.

Ginny grabbed her cheeks.

"You don't have a choice, Lai. Time is damn near up. Talk to Max's friend from New Orleans; he can help you with this. Or Geoff Blackburn, even."

"How do we know we can trust either of them, though?"

"Max has vouched for Chaisson up and down. Blackburn, I don't know, consider it a leap of faith. Besides, what choice do we have?" Ginny countered softly.

Leolin hung her head.

"What you want is incredibly difficult," Ginny said, and Leolin knew she was right. "If you're serious about having it, I'm afraid you're going to have to make tough choices."

Leolin nodded.

"You can do this," Ginny said reassuringly. "I have faith in you. Blaise and I both do."

"You're right," Leolin said. "I can't keep running scared."

"That's my girl," Ginny standing up. "I'm proud of you."

"Don't be proud just yet," Leolin said. "Wait until I've gotten through the weekend without drive a carving knife into Gen's heart."

Ginny smiled.

"I have faith in you. There should be a port key delivered something this afternoon. Be there no later than five tomorrow."

Leolin nodded, taking a big breath.

"Right," she said. "Thanks. See you there."

"Don't forget to write you name in all your clothes," Ginny said, heading for the door.

Leolin laughed.

"I won't."

Ginny raised her eyebrows.

"See you at camp, then."

* * *

Leolin checked her watch before glancing in the mirror again. After a long deliberation, she'd combed Lungaria tonic through her shoulder length hair, and now it was as long as it had been when they were in school, as long as it had been before the wedding. It was time to stop living with a foot in both her realities. It was time to fully set Naomi and La Genie and Florence aside and be who she was always meant to be.

It was a bit of a bother to have hair this long again, but it was also somewhat comforting. It felt like armour.

She checked her watched again. Two minutes until the portkey left. She turned back to the mirror, smoothing her leather trousers. She wore only a casual sweater on top, as if she hadn't noticed how sinful her trousers were.

She thought at first she was wearing them to torture Draco, but she realized after a while it was really to torture Gen. She hadn't forgotten the way Gen had treated her in Atlanta, and despite her protestations, she was still half-convinced Gen had had no intention of sending Draco to rescue her in New Orleans. If he hadn't happened to call her first, Leolin would be dead or worse right now.

One minute.

She grabbed her overnight bag and purse before clenched the chipped porcelain cat figurine in her fist. She shut her eyes, waiting for the familiar jerk. Finally, it came, and she felt herself soaring away. After several minutes she felt herself slowing and she began to kick her legs. However, she was coming in faster than she'd anticipated, and she eventually fell in a heap on the ground. A flash of Adrian's glinting eyes passed across her mind, and she shuddered.

She grabbed the chipped porcelain cat figurine, clenching it tightly in her fist as she counted down to zero. She shut her eyes, waiting for the familiar jerk. Finally, it came, and she felt herself soaring away. After several minutes she felt herself slowing and she began to kick her legs. However, she was coming in faster than she'd anticipated, and she eventually fell in a heap on the ground."Oh come on," she growled, standing and dusting herself off.

She saw a set of large wrought-iron gates about a hundred yards in the distance, a stately mansion beyond them. Rolling her eyes, she trekked over, noticing the large lion's head that was worked into the medal. Suddenly, it animated, and she screamed.

"Name?" it boomed, eyes gleaming like red rubies.

"Umm," she fumbled. "Leolin Lefevre?"

"Left hand," it demanded, and unsure, she extended her hand, laying it carefully on the lion's iron head.

It shuddered at her touch, and she gave another involuntary shriek.

"Enter," it said at last, fading back into lifelessness as the gates swung in.

"Maleficent," Leolin breathed, passing through. "I need a drink."

When she reached the large oak door she knocked, but the minute her fingers brushed the wood, it vibrated in recognition and opened of it's own accord.

"Hello?" Leolin called, looking around. "Anyone home?"

Suddenly a note appeared from somewhere above her, fluttering down into her outstretched palm.

_Lai,_

_You're in the room just at the top of the stairs; don't worry, it's nowhere near Gen and Drake. Come to the lounge when you get settled. We're having drinks._

_Ginny_

Leolin read the note and nodded before dumping her things in her lavish guest room and heading back down the stairs. After getting lost several times, she heard the din of voices and followed it to a set of double doors near the back of the house. Absently, she wished she had freshened up before she'd come down. Too late now. She smoothed the supple leather of her trousers before approaching the door. However, a voice stopped her before she could reach it.

"So it's true. Our princess lives! Alléluia!"

Leolin turned to see Max's friend Felix sauntering towards her, the origins of a smile glimmering in his close-set eyes. He was dressed more casually than he had been in Atlanta, and he'd run some sort of pomade through his tawny hair, as the top stood up stylishly in every direction.

"Chaisson," she replied, surveying him dispassionately and remembering what Ginny had said about the gag. "Good, you're here."

"I am," he said in genteel tone. "Something I can help you with, ma belle? I am, as always, your humble servant."

"Everything you do doesn't have to be a floor show, you know" Leolin pointed out. "This isn't a vaudville show."

He held up his hands and gave an affable smile. Despite his inescapable Quebecois accent, he had the likeable ease of an American.

"Forgive me, then." He said. "I suppose I assumed you weren't glad to see me because you want to be friends."

"I'm afraid I have too many friends as it is. I don't I really need any more."

He gave a discerning frown.

"One can always use more friends. It's rather sad you don't agree."

He had a point, and his candid look was admittedly rather disarming.

"I suppose you're right," she admitted.

He gave a dazzling smile, extending a hand.

"Friends, then."

She slid hers into his open palm. He used to opportunity to pull her closer and grin.

"Though I have to confess I'd rather we become something a touch more interesting than friends."

"Ugh!" she cried, retracting her hand and pushing him. "Just when I thought I could _actually_ grow to like you!"

"Max mentioned you weren't seeing anyone," Felix explained casually. "I suppose I felt I had to at least try."

"Oh _please_," she said, giving him a condescending sneer. "You didn't _honestly_ think that pathetic little maneuver was going to work on me, did you?"

He bit his lip, looking only a trifle embarrassed.

"You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take," he said mildly. "I learned that from Brank."

"Bleh!" she exclaimed in disgust. "Has anyone ever told you that you're despicable?" she asked.

His dark eyes twinkled merrily as he smiled.

"Not to my face."

"Then allow me to be the first," she evenly. " Felix _Renard _Chaisson, you are bloody despicable."

"No need to be _so_ disgusted," he pointed out. "I _have _been told I'm rather dashing."

"Like I said," she gross. "_Despicable._ Excuse me."

"See you soon, then," he called jovially after her.

"Tu peux toujours rêver," she replied, shaking her head and turning her back to him and facing the door at last.

She was frankly surprised she wasn't more annoyed by his antics. Then again, perhaps she was just too busy being worried about what came next. She closed her eyes, and she could still feel Draco's cool breath on her cheek as he glared down at her at The Em, eyes flashing. Then, before she could stop herself, she imagined the way Adrian had cruelly forced her to beg his name. Her wrist ached dully, and she banished that thought as soon as it surfaced. She took a deep breath and opened the doors. Here was hoping Draco'd cooled down.

She pushed the doors in confidently, striding in and greeting the ranks for familiar faces, the numbers of whom had begun to grow. Harry and Grace were there, as were Pansy, Tieran, Ieuan, and Vik. Max was there, by this time chatting with Felix, and so was Nikki Clearwater, who was standing near Pansy. Leolin waded through them all, saying her hellos until her eyes finally found Ginny.

She was standing next to Blaise , and Leolin made for them, ignoring the knots in her stomach as they began to swell at the sight of Draco standing casually to their right.

"Lai!" Ginny exclaimed, opening her arms and hugging Leolin's fiercely. She came forward a bit so Leolin wasn't forced to face Draco right away. He was heading slowly but deliberately in their direction. "Nice trousers!"

"Thanks," Leolin laughed.

"Did you ride your motorbike over here?" Blaise called, eying her warmly.

"Just because you don't have to arse for these doesn't mean you have to be jealous," Leolin warned casually, raising her eyebrows.

"Did you see that Chaisson is here?" Ginny interrupted, grabbing Leolin's wrist affectionately. Leolin winced and jerked away.

Ginny frowned as Leolin cradled it.

"Sorry!" she said. "You okay?"

"Fine!" Leolin said too quickly. "I slipped getting out of the shower this morning."

"Oh okay," Ginny said dubiously. "Well you should go talk to him when you get the chance."

Blaise looked at Ginny sharply, who shook her head to indicate it wasn't what he thought.

"I've already spoken to him," Leolin admitted. "It was—less than productive."

There was no more to be said because Draco was on them now. Leolin took a deep breath and turned her glittering blue eyes on him. He was wearing a navy blazer with the collar turned up, and he looked sinful. His light eyes were sparkling with an odd malice, which she assumed might have still something to do with The Em. Still, it was uncomfortably to bear, whatever the reason. She took another deep breath and addressed him as casually as she could.

"Malfoy," she said, proud at the evenness in your tone. "Nice to see you."

"Lefevre," he replied, studying her face. "You look different."

She knew what he meant: she looked less sad and broken than she'd been at The Em. However, she merely gave a small smile in return.

"Very astute," Leolin said. "I changed my hair."

She made a point of running her hands casually through it, making it gleam in the light. She knew she looked more like his Leolin than ever.

Her eyes danced across his face, daring him to look at her. Finally he did, and she could tell he liked the change.

"So you did," he said at last, trying to gain back his footing. "Though I actually meant that after your little striptease at The Em, I hardly recognise you with all your clothes on."

Leolin only smiled, though her heart sprinted in her chest.

"I don't see how that's possible," she chirped, giving a charming smile and refusing to let him get away with being unkind. "After all, you've seen me in every _possible_ state of undress."

Leolin raised her eyebrows saucily.

"Wow!" Ginny exclaimed somewhat delightedly. "Checkmate, Draco."

Draco, physically incapable of letting anyone else have the last word, leaned into her, eyes glittering.

"Yes," he said in a rich, deep voice. "I haven't forgotten."

Just then Gen sauntered up, immediately plastering herself to his side. He let his hand slide down her back to her arse, giving it a subtle squeeze even as he continued staring at Leolin.

"_Leolin_," Gen said, her tone warm as ever. "It's so good to see you again. We've honestly been worried sick about you."

Even after all the horrid things Gen had done to her, Leolin had to admit what a talent she had for feigning kindness. The way she was looking at Leolin with a delicate mix of concern and relief almost made Leolin want to run into her arms.

_Almost_.

"Oh," she said dismissively, looking between Draco and Gen as they both bored her to tears. "We're back to this charade, are we? Very well. Gen, I'm so happy you're here. I hope you've been doing well."

Ginny gave a small smirk, her distain for Gen subtle but palpable.

Despite this barb, Gen remained smiling blithely. However, Leolin could see in Gen's eyes that she'd sensed the power shift, and she was ill-at-ease with the thought of going up against Leolin, Ginny, and—by proxy—Blaise.

"Play nice, Lefevre," Draco said, his voice cool but eyes glittering as he surveyed her.

Leolin tossed her long hair over her shoulder casually, and Draco couldn't help but admire it.

"That's the only way I know how," Leolin countered, admittedly agitated by his interference on Gen's behalf. "Excuse me."

She shot Ginny a wink before sauntering off, Draco's eyes skating down her back as she did. As soon as she was far enough away, she took a steadying breath, fighting to remain neutral in her expression. _Shake it off_, she told herself. _Keep it together_. She felt a hand on her back and she turned, happy for any form of distraction.

"Leolin," Kelly said, smiling as she faced him. "Fighting fit again, I see."

"You know me," Leolin said, her eyes lighting up as she took him in. "Nothing comes between me and trouble."

"Unfortunately, I do know," he said, taking in her new look. "Nice hair, by the way."

"It was time for a change," Leolin said, touching it softly.

"You look just like the Leolin I first met," Kelly agreed, smiling warmly down at her.

She bit her lip as she fended off a blush. Bollocks, this was seventeen all over again.

"Is Cara here?" she asked, finding it oddly difficult to set aside what had transpired between then the last time she'd seen Kelly. "You know I'm dying to meet her."

"No," Kelly laughed. "She had some things to sort out in London. She's probably put out not to be, though. Nothing gets between that woman and a social gathering."

"Be honest," Leolin said. "Have you made her up to just to try and put me off?"

His honey eyes glimmered as he gave a merry laugh.

"Would I really put off you if I was single?"

"I don't know," she laughed casually, shrugging.

Kelly looked over her shoulder, which meant that Draco was still staring them down. She ought to walk away; it wasn't her intention to flame Draco's jealousy. Still, Kelly had always been a balm for Draco's malice.

"Yes you do," he said bluntly. "Anyways, Cara's got contacts in the ministry, and pretty high up. She's trying to shore up support with them. You'll meet her in Germany, though. I promise."

"I'm looking forward to it," she said.

"Right," Blaise called, whipping his wand and summoning a large table for the middle of the room. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"

"Yes, if Lefevre and Troy are finished re-enacting their ill-fated love affair, I think we can start," Draco said, eying Kelly disdainfully.

"Jealous, Malfoy?" Kelly said, throwing a casual arm around Leolin's shoulder as the room fell into place.

Leolin rolled her eyes and pushed his arm off. She refused to be part of this tug-of-war again, especially because at the core of things, it wasn't even about her. Kelly and Draco had been destined to hate one another long before Leolin came into the picture.

"Not at all," Draco said, trying and failing to give Leolin a dismissive look. In reality, his eyes lingered a second too long, and it made Leolin's heart thud wetly in her chest.

"Knock it off, Drake, "Blaise said in warning, his eyes flicking to Leolin. "We don't have time for this rot."

"Zabini's right," Tieran said in a commanding tone. "This is childish."

"Tell that to him," Draco venomously, gesturing to Kelly. "He's the one tripping over Lefevre and her leather trousers. Honestly mate, you're married, for Merlin's sake. Stop crawling on all fours after her like you're her dog."

"Well that was colourful," Felix said delightedly, sinking down in his chair next to Max. "This should be good."

"Stay out of this," Pansy warned, and Felix smiled and shrugged.

"Please, Draco, isn't that enough?" Gen said, her voice almost pleading.

Draco turned and they traded a look. Leolin's stomach clenched. Happy as she was to see Draco and Kelly stop fighting, it pained her to watch Gen exert influence; it meant she still had some. Draco finally acquiesced to Gen, turning his back to Kelly completely and accepting Gen arms as they snaked around him.

"You know what?" Kelly said, sneering as he stared at Draco's retreating back; he looked angrier than Leolin had ever seen him. "You can talk a big game, _mate_, but we _all_ saw you in Atlanta. Why don't you think about that before you start making accusations about people crawling on all fours."

Draco clenched his jaw then lunged at Kelly. Everyone was out of their seats at once, but it was Leolin, who was the closest, that intervened. She drew her wand and flourished it, a great gust blasting them apart. The action hurt her contused wrist a bit, but she ignored the spike of pain.

"That's enough!" Leolin snapped. "You're both acting like children."

"I fucking hate you," Kelly said to Draco as he got to his feet labouriously.

He winced as he rose, giving Leolin a look to suggest she wasn't his favourite person either at the moment. She met his eye boldly. She wasn't going to apologise to either of them for that.

"The feeling's mutual," Draco snapped, allowing Gen to come to his side and curl against him.

"Merlin, Leolin, you could have killed someone," Gen said, her pert mouth forming into a lovely little frown.

Secretly, Leolin thought she was probably glad for a reason for Draco to resent Leolin right then. Kelly was right; _no one_, least of all Gen, had failed to notice Draco's reaction when he thought he might lose Leolin.

"Right," Harry said, rolling his eyes at the boys. "Have you two had enough yet?"

"You ought to leave Troy," Draco was saying, smoothing his hair back into place as he glared at Kelly.

'This isn't your house," Kelly said. "I don't stay or go on your orders."

"Get out of my sight before I hex your face off," Draco sneered, drawing his wand.

"Gentleman," a new voice interrupted, banging the door open. "Enough."

Everyone turned to look, and Leolin smiled. Her cousin Blair had just strode in, Oliver Wood and Forest Lawrence flanking him.

"Blair!" Leolin exclaimed, running to her cousin's arms. It had been weeks since she'd seen him.

"Hey Bug," he said softly, tucking her under his arm as they three of them advanced. "Nothing ever changes, does it?"

"Between these two?" Leolin asked. "I'm afraid not."

"Stay out of this, Lefevre," Draco said mildly, his wand still on Kelly.

"Put your wand down, Malfoy," Blair replied in a tone that suggested there was still no love lost between them. He stepped between Draco and Kelly, arms outstretched towards both of them "Let's remember who the real enemy is."

"I haven't forgotten," Kelly said, his wand raised.

"C'mon KT; that's enough," Oliver said tiredly. "Let's all stop acting like we're still in school and start cooperating."

"So just so we've clear," Felix said, pretending to raise his hand as if he was in class. "There _won't_ be a duel? That's admittedly very disappointing."

"Does he ever shut up?" Ginny demanded, looking at Max expectantly.

Max shrugged.

"If there's a way to make him, I certainly don't know it."

"Merlin," Harry growled. "This a bloody circus."

"No," Leolin countered. "This is what happens when you try to send adults to sleep-away camp."

"Alright," Tieran said as Draco and Kelly were finally convinced to sit down. "Now can we begin, or does someone else what to resurrect a petty, ten-year-old grudge?"

"If Malfoy can find it in himself not to a prick," Kelly sneered.

"Seems fairly unlikely," Forest said darkly. "After all, once a Slytherin..."

"Why don't you say that a bit louder?" Ieuan demanded, rising to his feet.

"Ieuan, don't you get involved," Vik warned.

"Better listen to daddy, baby bird," Forest said, and this brought Luke to his feet as well.

Leolin had never seen him get upset, and she had to admit it was a little scary.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luke demanded quietly.

"Relax," Forest demanded. "That's not why I don't like you, so don't even go there."

"How comforting," Vik said, eyes glittering.

"Happy, Malfoy?" Kelly sneered. "Now you've whipped everyone into a frenzy."

"Did that all on his own, did he?" Blaise demanded.

"Perhaps you haven't noticed," Forest bit out. "But that's Malfoy's M.O."

"Sweet Merlin!" Harry boomed. "That's _enough_. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you lot? We've trying to fight a war, or have you forgotten?"

Ieuan and Vik traded a look and sank down, as did Forest. Kelly and Draco continued to glare at each other, but neither spoke.

"Honestly," Harry said. "I expect better from all of you. This is serious!"

"We know that," Forest bit out.

"Do you?" Max demanded as they eyed each other for the first time. "It's worse than tenth grade in here."

"How old do you suppose tenth grade is?" Ginny muttered to Leolin, who shrugged. "Ten?"

"Look," Harry continued. "The World Cup is in Bamberg in two weeks. We need to get our shite together before then, or we forfeit an opportunity we won't have again."

"First things first," Tieran said, his eyes hard as well. "Where are we with recruits?"

"Jack Mclatchie is in," Ieuan said. "I spoke to him a few days ago. Though his information is going to cost us."

"You're joking me," Nikki said with vitriol. "He's trying to shake us down? What a little twat."

"He's a scuzzball," Ieuan said mildly. "What can we do?"

"How do we know he won't just sell his allegiance to the highest bidder?" Tieran asked. "Pucey's pockets are just as deep as ours."

"He won't," Ieuan said grimly. "Remember Joanna Heathstead?"

"That posh girl from Ravenclaw?" Grace asked. "What about her?"

"Jackie always had this outrageous fancy for her."

"Course he did," Draco muttered irritably.

"Well I guess she worked at the Prophet and started writing rather unsavory things about Adrian. He threatened to ruin her career, but I guess she didn't believe him because she kept publishing stories about him and Ministry corruption. Adrian had her beaten within an inch of her life."

Leolin's blood went cold.

"There wasn't an investigation by the local authorities?" she demanded.

"Course there was," Ieuan said sadly. "But the evidence had all dried up, and so had the witnesses. Every knew that Adrian had done it, but there was no way to prove it."

"That's barbaric," Leolin said.

"That's what we're up against," Harry amended, eying Draco and Kelly, who had both sobered up considerably at Ieuan's story.

"Anyways," Ieuan said. "Joanna hasn't been quite right since the attack. They think she might have hit her head too hard, I don't know. Anyways, Jackie's not over it. He said he'd rather die than help Adrian, and for once I believe him."

Everyone bowed their heads, the somber mood officially set.

"She was always so clever and nice," Ginny said. "It makes me sick."

"Me too," Leolin grit out, breathless.

She and Draco met eyes for a split second before he looked away.

"What the hell happened to Adrian?" Grace demanded. "He was our friend in school!"

"No, he's always sorta been like this," Blaise said grimly. "Even when we were kids. He just didn't have to right muscles to flex when we were younger."

"And with backing from my father, he gets to become the villain he'd always wanted to be."

"It makes me sick," Pansy said.

"He's going to pay his crimes someday," Blaise said, eyes flicking to Leolin's for a second. "Make no mistake."

"But have many have to pay in the meantime?" Nikki said, her lip curling.

"Too many," Ginny agreed. "That's why we have to push as hard as we can."

They all nodded solemnly, and Leolin fought to remain stoic. Thinking of Joanna made her eyes burn. When she looked up, it was to time that Draco's eyes were boring into hers. For a flash, it seems as if recognition was dawning in his eyes, but when he blinked it was gone, swept away by the gag.

"Right," Tieran said. "So we have ears on the ground now. Who else, besides Jackie and these three?"

"Moira Ivers," Kelly said. "She owns The Savage Vagabond in Knockturn. She also said she'd work on Aberforth Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore's brother?" Ginny said. "It's doubtful. He was reluctant enough to help with the last war, and it was practically being fought in his back garden. I doubt he'll want to get involved this time round."

"We'll see," Harry said. "He might surprise us."

"I certainly hope he does," Grace said. "But let's not hold our breath."

"Who else?" Tieran asked.

Draco and Blaise exchanged a look.

"Sharpe's back," Blaise said. "And she'd agreed to spy on Quinn for us."

Gen pursed her lips and rolled her eyes, earning her a dark look from Ieuan, who sat across the table from her.

"Reagan Sharpe's back?" Leolin asked.

"She sends her regards," Draco said flippantly.

"Also got the feeling she hated me," Leolin said.

"She told us," Blaise admitted.

"Where is she, then?" Ginny demanded. Reagan and Ginny had always loathed each other. They were the female version of Harry and Draco's feud. "Shouldn't she be here hurling vulgar insults?"

"She said she couldn't get away from Quinn tonight," Ieuan said. "She'll be round tomorrow sometime to tell us what she's heard."

"Well let her know that we're here at her convenience," Ginny spit, folding her arms across her chest.

"C'mon Gin," Blaise said. "Please. Haven't we had enough back-biting for one weekend?"

"No I'm with you, Weasley," Forest said resolutely. "I don't think we can trust Sharpe; her parents were both death eaters, don't forget. Besides, I don't like that eyes of hers; it freaks me out."

Gen opened her mouth to agree and Draco shot her a dark look.

"Stow it," he muttered as Blaise sneered at Forest.

"Reagan lost sight in that eye at fifteen fighting her death eater mum," Blaise said, his voice dripping with derision. "Loyal enough for you, Lawrence?"

Max, who was clearly extremely annoyed with all the Hogwarts rivalry that had bubbled up, looked sternly up at those assembled.

"Who else knows this girl? Can we trust her?"

"Yes!" Ieuan said emphatically.

Max looked at Leolin.

"Lefevre?"

"I don't particularly like her," Leolin admitted. "And she can be a proper pain in the arse, but I don't see any reason she would have to betray us. Blaise is right; she almost died defying the Dark Lord at age fifteen."

"Good," Tieran said. "Then she's our first man on the inside."

Max and Felix exchanged a look but said nothing, and their gesture was allowed to pass without comment.

"Anyone else?"

"Langdon Blackburn has agreed to help us when the time is right," Leolin admitted, feeling a painful churning in her stomach.

"What, not Bentley?" Draco demanded, eyes flashing.

"Knock it off, Drake," Ginny snapped. "That was none of your business."

"Which one is Langdon again?" Felix asked. "Is he the doctor or the shark?"

"Shark?" Leolin repeated, admittedly surprised Felix had already been given the rundown on the Blackburns.

"I think he means Sam," Grace said. "We told them about his reputation in court."

"Langdon's the doctor," Harry said, his eyes warm and sympathetic as he looked at Leolin. "And I'd say he's by far the most trustworthy of the bunch."

"Well best we keep him away from Geoff, then," Pansy said. "Because he's agreed, too. He's working on something for us right now."

"Is that all?" Harry asked.

"Lee Jordan and his wife Katie are in," Nikki said. "So is his brother Lyle."

Harry nodded as they all did the tally in their minds.

"It's a decent start, anyways," Tieran said thoughtfully. "And a good transition. Let's talk about Bamberg."

"What does the World Cup matter?" Leolin demanded. "We have more important things to be worrying about, like Audige, for example."

"On the contrary," Blaise said. "This is the most important break we've had in a long time. And we'll get to him, don't worry. Trust me, by the time we get to the end of it you're going to beg us to talk about something else."

"Why is Bamberg a break?" Forest asked, sounding disdainful.

"My ex-stepfather Augustus has tightened security on International travel," Blaise explained, eying Forest somewhat coolly. "That makes it harder for all of us to reach out to our contacts outside of England for help. The cup is the perfect opportunity to do that without suspicion. We'd have access to everyone we could possibly need there."

"What about Borgia?" Blair said, his mistrust apparent. "She's been in and out twenty times since this whole thing started."

Blaise looked at Leolin expectantly, as if waiting for her to prove his point.

"No, Blaise is right," Leolin admitted. "Severina said it was getting hard for her to come into the UK without answers a load of questions. She's back in Italy right now."

"Max has been back and forth," Grace pointed out. "How are you doing it?"

"I'm a player," Max said. "So I have more leniency, especially this close to the cup. Even still, I've been trying to stay put as much as possible. Getting caught in one of Rookwood's probes isn't pleasant, believe me."

"But no one is going to stop us for the cup," Tieran said. "They can't. That's why it's the perfect opportunity to nail down as much foreign help as we can."

"And test the climate," Draco said. "My stepmum is German, and she comes from a very influential family. We need to know what kind of opposition we're facing here, especially from the Germans and Eastern Europeans."

"Is she loyal to your father, or could we flip her and use her influence against him?" Max said, eyes narrowed it thought.

As vapid and superficial as Max played in public, he was just as brilliant and shrewd in private.

"She loves him," Draco said flatly. "There'll be no convincing her. Besides, even if she didn't, she's bloody pregnant. She's not going to put her child on the line for anything, least of all us."

"That's admittedly distressing," Oliver said, speaking for he first time.

"Tell me you have influence in Germany as well," Nikki said, looking at Draco.

He shrugged.

"Some, though I admit my father's reform ideals are catching fire in Berlin and Vienna. I don't think we can count on much Northern support."

"What does that leave us with?" Luke said seriously.

"Yanks," Blaise said, looking at Max. "Perhaps some Canadian support."

Here everyone looked at Felix, who for once looked somewhat somber.

"I'm not Canadian," he said evenly, looking at Leolin and tilting his chin up proudly. His expression wasn't unpleasant, but he wasn't smiling, either. "I'm Québecois."

"Does it matter?" Blair said, seemingly a little irritated by this mincing of words.

"Il fait si tu veux mon aide, Français," Felix replied casually, eyes flicking between Leolin and Blair as he leaned back in his chair and smiled.

"What did he say?" Grace asked.

"I think he's just waiting for the Lefevres to get off their Parisian high horse and play nicely about Quebec," Draco said in a bored voice.

"Well?" Tieran demanded, looking annoyed at all three of them

"Considères comme un fils de France?" Blair said, eyes serious.

"Oui, tout comme tu," Felix said, eyes resolute.

"Then we're brothers," Blair said at last.

Felix gave a gracious smile.

"See?" he said to Leolin. "That wasn't so difficult, was it?"

"Ne me pousse pas, Québécois," Leolin warned.

Felix only laughed at her idle threat.

"I am already committed to this," he said, looking down the table. "But I will shore up more support where I can. I have a lot of friends in Paris, believe it or not."

"Good," Tieran said. "You two as well," he said to Leolin and Blair. "I assume you have French contacts."

"Most of mine are Italian now," Leolin said. "But I have a few left I could call."

"So do I," Blair said.

"And what if you're family is not part of the French aristocracy?" Ginny asked. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Talk to ever contact you've ever had, great or small," Harry said. "We need allies in all shapes and sizes."

"Right," Ginny said, nodding.

"You were a quidditch superstar," Oliver said, smiling. "And you're easy to look at. You wont have trouble getting support."

"Do you mind?" Blaise said, wrinkling his nose. "She's a woman, not a vase."

Oliver gave him a cool look in return. Despite being his being married, Ginny had told Leolin it had always annoyed Oliver that she'd ended up with Blaise. He said it made him feel like Blaise had corrupted their relationship with his influence, which of course he had.

"You know what I mean, Zabini," Oliver said in cool tones. "Don't be so touchy."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "If I had a knut for every petty, misguided, chauvinistic tug-of-war I'd seen since I got here, I'd be richer than Malfoy. All of you stop acting like such brutes; it's bloody annoying."

"Nikki's right," Grace said. "This would be an affront to feminism even if we weren't at war."

"And since we are it's doubly offensive," Pansy said. "Besides, aren't the two of you married?"

She said, her voice tinged with derision as she looked at Oliver and Kelly.

Kelly was gritting his teeth in annoyance, seemingly on the verge of saying something regrettable. He, much like Leolin, seemed fed-up with his feelings being called into question. She didn't blame him; it was humiliating to be accused of adultery when there wasn't any.

"Right," Harry said, reading his expression as well. "Then I think we ought to talk about Audige."

"Who is he, exactly?" Blair asked.

"He's a bokor," Leolin supplied. "You know, a witch doctor, down in New Orleans. He's sort of the big cheese down there. They call him the King of the Quarter. At least they did until he abducted him and kept him locked up at Hogwarts for sixth months."

"You did what?" Forest demanded. "Merlin's beard."

"Keep your knickers on," Blaise said, rolling his eyes. "It turned out fine."

"Why did you kidnap him in the first place?" Oliver asked.

"To keep him away from Adrian Pucey," Ginny said. "He was desperate to get his hands on Audige."

"What is this, twenty questions?" Forest snapped. "Why?"

The South Carolina crew exchanged dark looks.

"Because he's hunting for a necromancer named Jean du Bones," Max said. "And Audige is the only living soul who knows where to find him."

Oliver laughed unexpectedly.

"You're joking," he said, but the solemnity stole the smile from his face. "You're _serious_?"

Ieaun nodded.

"If we don't get to Bones first, it doesn't matter who we recruit; we're looking at open war again."

"Well did you get anything out of Audige?" Blair said. "Anything that can help us."

"I hope so," Draco said. "Otherwise we gave him a nasty weapon for free."

Everyone looked tense, though no one seemed to have the energy to ask about the aforementioned weapon.

"Well, out with it," Forest said. "What did he say?"

"He said we were looking for Clement's keeper," Ginny said. "That he would know Bones's price."

"Who the bleeding hell is Clement?" Oliver said.

"A prince," Harry offerd. "That's all Audige would say."

"Anything else?" Felix asked keenly. He was much less annoying when he wasn't clowning around.

"He said Lefevre might know," Draco said, eying her seriously.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"Me?" she demanded in a shrill voice. "Why me?!"

Harry shook his head.

"We don't know. We were hoping you might."

"I have no idea," she admitted sadly.

"That name doesn't mean anything to you?" Max asked. "Is Clement some king or something?"

"Audige said he was a prince, not a king," Vik pointed out.

"I don't know," Leolin said. "Nothing comes to mind. I mean obviously I will think about it, but it really doesn't sound familiar at all."

"Well lets just hope Pucey doesn't go after Audige in the meantime," Tieran said darkly.

"Let's hope he does," Draco said. "Audige has van Nydenael slaver's chains now. He might just take care of Adrian for us."

"Dare I even ask about that?" Blair said.

"Best not to," Tieran replied.

Leolin was only half listening. Clement. Clement. Clement. Did that name mean anything to her? If it did, the connection was buried fairly far down in her memory bank. She made a note to do a little digging that evening. That was, after she talked to Chaisson.

"Right," Harry said. "If we can't crack the riddle then maybe we should be done for the day. We'll have more to discuss tomorrow when Sharpe and the others get here."

Everyone nodded and murmured in agreement.

"So what time are songs around the campfire?" Leolin asked Ginny, who rolled her eyes.

"Oh ha bloody ha. Besides, shouldn't you be talking to Felix?"

Leolin bit her cheek.

"He annoys me," she said.

"Or does it annoy you that you sort of enjoy him?" Ginny said, nudging Leolin.

"Don't push it," Leolin snarled, her eyes on Draco again. "He's not my type."

Ginny followed Leolin's gaze before indicating she look at Kelly at as well.

"You don't have a type, and even if you did, this isn't about that. Now go over there."

Leolin looked at Draco again, whose arm was around Gen. He bent to kiss her ear and Leolin's mind was made up.

"Felix," she called. "Can I have a word?"

He turned and smiled, small dimples forming in his cheeks as he crossed his arms. Leolin watched Draco look casually over his shoulder at them and she forced herself not to bite her lip. At least Gen had gone along; as far as Leolin was concerned, three was always a crowd when it came to Draco.

"What can I do for you, bichette?" Felix said, settling comfortably on the table. "If you've come to ask me to a romantic dinner, I accept."

"You can keep your romance," Leolin said, coming closer. "But there is something I'd like to talk to you about in private, if you're willing."

Leolin told herself not to look at Draco and escalate things, but in the end she couldn't quite help it. In the muted lamplight, his eyes were as bright as Felix's were dark.

"I'm intrigued," Felix said, making a show of looking between Leolin and Draco before dragging his gaze back to her. "Though I'm going to have to insist you make it worth my while."

He smiled and she didn't return the gesture, painfully aware they had Draco's full attention now as well. She stepped forward, smiled, and slapped him in the face. It wasn't a particularly hard slap and his cheek wasn't red, but he cried out in surprise.

"Ouch!" He cried, frowning for the first time. "What was that for?"

She smiled again blithely.

"That's how I deal with sexual innuendos. What to try your luck a second time?"

"I only meant you can bring the wine," he said, scowling a little. "Merlin!"

"Good," she said cheerfully. "Then you and I won't have any problems! See you in an hour."

He frowned at Draco before slipping out the door and closing it behind him.

"You're off of Bentley already?" Draco asked when they were alone. "That's a crying shame."

"You're don't know what you're talking about with either of them," Leolin said evenly. "So why don't you do us _both_ a favour and for once, in your twenty-six years on this Earth, stay out of it."

"Should I be insulted?" Draco pressed, his pride getting the better of him. "For a girl who proclaims to love me, you sure have a lot of extraneous suitors in tow."

He'd come closer now, and she could see the stinging betrayal he felt shining in his eyes.

"Seriously, just drop it. You don't know what you've on about," Leolin repeated, meeting his gaze.

"Then why don't you set me straight?" Draco demanded, gripping her arm gently. "What are you up to, Lefevre?"

She let out a shaky exhale, her heart pounding wildly with desire. He could feel it, too, and he leaned down slightly, his lips in perfect alignment with hers.

"Would you even believe me if I told you?" Leolin said, breathless.

"Give it a go," he said softly, his voice an odd fusion of hateful and hopeful.

"I—" she began, eyes flicking to his lips. "I should go."

He relinquished his grip, expression ugly.

"You wouldn't want to keep Chaisson waiting," Draco sneered.

"No," she said softly. "I wouldn't. Goodnight, Draco."

He said nothing, and she took the opportunity to flee, not stopping until she could no longer smell his cologne or even see the light of the room. When she was alone in her room, she flopped on the bed, trying get her hammering heart under control.

She couldn't be vulnerable when she went to Felix, lest she let reveal something to him. Despite what Ginny had said about trusting him, Leolin was still hesitant. It wasn't that she was afraid he would run to Lucius—she'd decided she could at least trust him that far—but she didn't want to have to admit to anyone else what was going on. As far as she was concerned, this was between her and Draco, and she wasn't going to let anyone interfere with that.

She stripped out of her tight trousers and stepped out of her heels before changing into a legging and a soft jumper. She had no one she was trying to impress.

She quickly nipped to the kitchen to grab a bottle of Bordeaux before heading back to the meeting room. By this time the sun was setting, it's final light filtering in through the panel of windows along the south wall of the room. Leolin looked out, admiring the shimmering lake that stood not ten yards from the back door of the room. It reminded her of Hogwarts and home.

"It's pretty, isn't it?"

She whipped around.

"Chaisson."

"Bonsoir," Felix said, drawing his wand and lighting the room properly. "Did you bring the wine?"

She held it up, and a warm smile bloomed on his face.

"No glasses?"

She gave a flourish of her wand, and two appeared.

The smile grew.

"Very impressive! Did Malfoy teach you that?"

"What makes you assume it was a man who taught me?"

He smiled, holding up his hands.

"I didn't mean to offend you," he laughed. "But what you just did is rather tricky, and in the little time that I've known him, I've seen Malfoy perform some rather fantastic conjuration. It stands to reason that you learned it from him."

She uncorked the bottle.

"A fascinating theory," she said simply.

He sat on the table, his eyes jovial.

"You're not fooling me. You know that, right?"

"Not fooling you how?" she asked, pouring a glass and extending it to him.

He ignored her question by accepting the proffering glass.

"You're not going to decant it first?" he asked, eyes twinkling.

"It's a young Bordeaux," she replied evenly. "It doesn't need decanting. How am I not fooling you?"

Felix took a sip.

"That's lovely."

"Not fooling you how, Chaisson?" she growled

"I know you and Malfoy were engaged."

She bubbled her lips.

"That's hardly a secret. And besides, what possible purpose would I have for hiding that from you?"

"Maybe you're in love with me, and you're worried Draco will stand in our way."

She shook her head and took a sip, forcing herself not to smile. She had to admit that Chaisson had an inexhaustible good humour that made him harder to dislike.

"I assure you that I have less than zero interest in pursuing anything either romantic or sexual with you."

He shrugged to indicate he didn't agree.

"Okay," he conceded. "We'll see."

She rolled her eyes.

"Not even if your _wildest_ fantasies, drageur."

He only laughed, dark eyes sparkling like obsidean stones.

"So, bichette," he said. "What is it I can help you with?"

Leolin nodded, steeling her courage. She hadn't anticipated being this nervous.

"Right," she said, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Before we start, I just want to tell you that if you hit on me even one time, I _will_ allow Xavier Borgia to put cantarella in your wine—which he's already been threatening to do anyways—and you will ingest it and you will die. Tu me comprends?"

"Oui," he said, smile still warm. "I understand. But you don't have to threaten me, bichette."

"Don't I, _renard_?" she replied.

"Non," he said pleasantly, un-phased by her vitriol. "You just have to ask nicely."

"Fine," she said. "Please treat me like a person and not a pair of legs, at least for the next hour."

"As her highness commands," he said, giving a genteel bow. "But I'm setting a timer."

She gave a resigned laugh.

"Sadly, that's all I think that's all I can ask from you."

"It is," he said, eyes dancing merrily across her face. "Now, what is this about?"

"What do you know about physical gags?"

He shrugged, setting his wine down and hopping onto the table to sit.

"Everything. What do you want to know?"

"How do you break one?"

He considered her.

"Are you in some sort of trouble, bichette?" he asked, his voice teetering on serious for the first time.

"What?" she demanded too quickly. "Not at all."

"And yet you want to know about gags," he said, eyes dancing across her face. "That is something of a serious business."

"I—" she began, but she snapped her mouth shut when she realised she didn't know how to say it.

He raised his eyebrows expectantly. He was far smarter and far less oily than he seemed.

"You?" he supplied.

"I was in a rather unsavory profession in Italy," she said, allowing him to read her face and see the truth. "I have some—tangles left over that I'd like to sort out before this all really goes to Hell."

"So you want me to help you break this gag, am I right?"

"No," she said hastily. "I can do that myself. I just need some—guidance."

"My," he said, taking another sip of wine. "But you are independent."

"An independent woman," she sniped. "Novel, I know."

He laughed.

"No need for those claws," he said. "I only mean that this is a tricky business."

"And I'm a very private person," Leolin said simply. "I'm afraid this is how things are going to be."

Felix raised his eyebrows.

"Very well, then. Shall we begin?"

Over the next hour and a half, Felix explained the intricacies of a gag and the best way to break them.

He told her that the simplest way was to conjure the words of the document into physical form—most often a chain—then break the object, thereby interrupting the power of the words in the contract. This required knowing the precise wording of the contract—which Leolin already knew wouldn't be an issue in her case—as well as two wickedly difficult charms: the first to bring the words into physical form, and second the break the object in a way that severed their binding nature.

He had her practice with the word banana, writing it down and performing several charms before urging her to bring the banana into three-dimensional being. In the hour she'd spent trying, she only managed it twice.

"Bollocks," she cried. "This is so hard."

She looked up at him, and he smiled with encouragement. She had to admit that as much as she didn't want to like him, it was rather impossible. He was dedicated and patient with her, and he was damn good and what he did. Watching him work felt like a glimpse into who he really was, and Leolin felt she couldn't help but like that person. Besides, until his tutelage, Draco didn't feel quite so far away.

"Keep trying," he urged. "You're picking it up very quickly."

"But it's only the word banana," she said. "How am I going to do a whole contract?"

"Bit by bit," he said, taking a sip of wine.

She nodded.

"You're a good teacher, Felix," she said, and he smirked.

"I am," he agreed, the mischief in his eyes growing. "Now you should let me teach your something less parochial and more fun."

She rolled her eyes.

"You promised not to hit on me," she pointed out.

"Oui, for an hour," he said, raising his eyebrows. "It's been almost two. Let's take a break and skinny dip in the lake."

"Don't be predictable," she warned, setting down her wand and sitting next to him on the table."

"I'm anything but," he said blithely. "I assure you."

She considered this a moment before looking at him earnestly.

"Can I ask you a question?" Leolin said at last.

"Of course, bichette," he said, eyes flashing. "Anything."

"Who broke your heart and made you so gross?"

He laughed, clearly a bit disarmed by her question.

"Gross?" he said, laughing again. "You think I'm—_gross_?"

"Look, I know you know that you're very handsome—"

He gave a gorgeous smirk.

"Stop, you're embarrassing me."

She ignored his interruption and continued.

"—And I think you're clever and capable and perhaps even marginally kind. However, you still insist on being a slimy little man-slag, so obviously you have some deep-seated insecurities. Hence, my question: who broke your heart and made you this way?"

"Wow," he sad, his smile a touch less easy. "That was penetrative."

"My dad's owns a private practice," she explained calmly. "I know all the psycho-babble."

He laughed, though he seemed less comfortable than he had been before.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, but there's no story," he said, still smiling. "I suppose I'm just genuinely—gross."

"You're a shite liar, did you know?" Leolin said, studying him intently. "Max said you were the skinny, poor, foreign kid in school. That doesn't sound particularly easy, especially as a place as posh as Golden Gate."

"I'm not ashamed of growing up poor," Felix said resolutely. "My parents were Muggles, and they worked their fingers to the bone to send us to school in the States; I never took their sacrifice for granted."

"So you were a good student?"

"Very," he said. "It didn't really come easy to me, but I promised myself I would be the very best I could for them."

"I want you to be honest," she said, smiling. "Were you in the gobstones club?"

"I wasn't that much of a geek," he defended. "It was more like—" he paused, clearly not eager to relive the experience. "Je ne sais pais—I was invisible."

Leolin nodded sympathetically.

"Non," he laughed. "Don't condescendingly nod as if you understand what's that's like. I know your type. You probably had friends from day one, and a boyfriend the day your mamun would let you. How old were you when you started dating Malfoy? Fifteen? Sixteen?"

She flushed.

"That's what I thought," he said softly.

"You didn't?" she asked. "Have friends, I mean. Or boyfriends, I'm not bothered."

He only smiled a little, making hers fade.

"You didn't have friends?" she demanded.

She'd made friends with Ginny on the Hogwarts Express, even before they'd been sorted.

"It wasn't that bad," Felix said, visibly uncomfortable now. Much of the bravado had bled from his posture, and he seemed younger now, almost as if he was eleven or twelve again. "I wasn't really bullied or anything. Mostly I just kept to myself."

"What changed?" she asked.

"Brank," Felix said simply. "Don't ever tell him I told you this, but when we were in our third year of school he was failing potions and secretly asked me to tutor him. We were fast friends after that."

"But wasn't Max monstrously popular?" Leolin asked.

Felix laughed.

"Of course," he said. "And from that point on I was just his dweeby little best friend. I always helped him out of the scrapes he got into, and he kept the older boys from stuffing me in a broom closet."

Suddenly, something hit Leolin.

"Wait," she said. "They didn't call you Ren because you were slick with the girls?"

He laughed, too.

"They called me that as a joke because I was horrible with girls. Seriously, I was like the plague; no girl wanted to come within a hundred feet of me."

"You don't know that," she said.

"Oh yes, I do," he said, laughing a little. "Max was always trying to trick girls into going out with me. It never worked. I always went to parties and things pathetically alone."

"So when did you stop being—" she paused. "—Dweeby?" She didn't know that word. "You had to grow into—all this sometime."

Felix flashed a dazzling grin.

"University," he said, adjusting his tie. "I went back to Québec and worked for a year to help my parents before going to school in Paris."

She raised her eyebrows.

"Does that surprise you?" he asked.

"A little," she admitted.

"I know it's hard you for to imagine someone as lowborn and pedestrian as me in you're beloved Paris, but it's true."

"It certainly explains the chip on your shoulder," Leolin said.

Felix laughed

"So, Paris," she prompted, and he nodded.

"Yes, Paris. I moved there at nineteen and lived there for four years."

"So, what? You moved there and suddenly you were a model? Paris has really been holding out on me in the miracles department."

Felix laughed.

"No," he said. "But no one knew me there. I could be who I wanted to be instead of who I'd always been, and that really helped. And yeah," he smirked "By the time I was 19 or so, I wasn't so gangly or pimply anymore. That helped, too. I'd never had nice clothes or cool things growing up, so when I got out of school and started making some money, I styled myself as the man I'd always wanted to be. Now, as you can see, I'm impeccably well-dressed and gorgeous, and to this day I've never met a woman I couldn't convince to sleep with me."

He raised his eyebrows at her, and she curled her lip in disgust.

"Gross."

He bit his lip suggestively and she punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" he said, rubbing the spot. "That hurt!"

"Have you _ever_ been in a committed relationship?" she demanded.

His cocky smile grew.

"Never."

"Why the hell not?"

"You have to understand," Felix said. "I was like a starving man when I got to university, and by the time I was 21 there was a buffet of easy women who wanted to sleep with me. I wasn't going to waste time eating one thing. I had to try everything. Still do, in fact."

"Funny you should choose that metaphor, considering the food at a buffet may be cheap and plentiful, but it's rarely good, and more times then not you leave a buffet feeling disgusting and guilty."

"Well said, bichette," Felix said appreciatively.

"You should try meeting a woman of substance sometime. You'd be amazed."

"Maybe I've already met one," he said, dark eyes glittering.

She didn't like the look he was giving her.

"Oh please," she said, hopping off the table and wandering a ways away. "Spare me."

"Am I so unworthy of you, Lefevre?"

"You don't know me," she countered.

"I know you're beautiful," he said. "And funny, and if that banana in your hand is any indication, wickedly smart."

"That's surface detail," Leolin said. "That's not who I am."

"Then let me in so I can know you better," Felix said casually. "And if we happen to have sex on the way, so be it."

"Trust me," Leolin said firmly, fighting not to curl her lip at his last comment. "You don't want to step into the ring. It's overcrowded and frankly rather hostile."

"I think I can hold my own," he said saucily.

"You know why you think you're attracted to me?" she asked.

"Because you have a twenty-four inch waist and a thirty-two inch bust?"

She slapped him and he groaned but said nothing in his defense.

"First of all," she snapped, putting an accusatory finger in his face. "Don't _ever_ talk about me like that again. Second, it's because I don't want to sleep with you and yet I still like you. You don't have feelings for me, Felix. You're attracted to knowing that someone sees you for who you really are. Particularly a woman."

"More of your psycho-babble?" he queried, still rubbing his cheek.

"The truth," she replied. "I think deep, deep, _deep_ down below that slimy, chauvinistic veneer, you're actually a decent person. I like that person. In fact, I would like _you _more if you were that person more often."

"You're making me blush," he said, his voice rich and smooth as his eyes glittered.

She rolled her eyes.

"If I were you, I would start putting some of that to good use and stop slagging around. You're the only that told me you can never have enough friends. Why don't you try befriending a few women instead of treating them like objects. You'd be amazed at what good company we are."

"I could put it to good use right now, if you'd let me," he offered, and she rolled her eyes again.

"C'mon Lefevre, I'm very attentive. I guarantee you won't be disappointed."

"Gross," she said emphatically.

"If you don't believe me," he laughed. "Ask Genevieve. She knows."

"You've slept with Gen?" Leolin asked, curling her lip.

He looked triumphant.

"Many times. Want to know how she was?"

"Ugh," Leolin said, shaking her head in disgust. "And just when I was beginning to think you weren't a total creep."

"You aren't going to change me in one day, bichette."

"No that's the point," Leolin said, giving him a candid look. "I am never going to change you. This is all something you have to come to terms with on your own. Maybe if you're lucky, you'll have a strong, committed woman by your side to help you."

Felix gave a cat-like smile.

"Peut-être."

"Right, I think I've given enough unsolicited advice for today," she said, and he grinned. "See you tomorrow."

She turned towards the door, and he called out to her retreating back.

"Just out of curiosity," he said, coming towards her. "Who are the heavyweights in the ring?"

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"You said I didn't want to step in the ring. Why? Who's in there already?"

"I don't honestly see how that's any of your business," she said frankly.

He shrugged, keen gaze indicating he felt it was. She sensed he was looking to gain back a little of the ground she'd stolen from him with her candor. The real Felix had slunk back into the shadow of his caddish counterpart, and when she looked at him, she could see _le renard _peering eagerly back.

"Don't make me regret asking for her help," she warned.

He ignored her.

"Malfoy, obviously," Felix surmised, ticking off with his fingers. "He can barely keep his eyes off you, even when Gen's around. Besides, I hear your love story is one for the ages. I'm sure Malfoy hasn't forgotten that. Not to mention Atlanta."

"Draco Malfoy is a bully and a cad," she said, trying desperately to cover the truth.

Now that the penetrative gaze had shifted to her, she was admittedly less comfortable.

"And yet," Felix said, watching her closely.

She said nothing to this, only sneered a little.

"Then there's Kelly Troy, of course," Felix continued.

"Who is happily married, " Leolin pointed out.

Felix soldiered on as if he hadn't heard her.

"I admit I really don't see what you like about him. He's no Draco Malfoy."

"Don't talk about Kelly like you know him," she said, getting agitated. "He's three times the man any of the rest of you could ever hope to be."

Felix was still pushing, and his eyes glittered from the thrill of the hunt.

"I'm still confident I could take him," he said smugly, though his tone was still jovial and light, almost as if they were discussing the weather. "Though I do admit that I might have greatly underestimated your affection for him."

"Stop talking about my love life like you're betting at the tracks," she sneered. "It's annoying and despicable."

"It's really all comes back to Malfoy, though, non?" he said. "He's the man to beat. Always has been, seems like."

The irony of what Leolin prepared to say next wasn't lost on her. After all, she'd asked Felix here to help her with the gag, even if he didn't know it. Still, she'd always been impetuous when backed into a corner.

"There is nothing between Draco and I anymore," she said. "I wouldn't have him back even if I could."

He answered this by taking a casual step forward, gripping her cheeks firmly, and kissing her. His lips weren't on her for more than half a second before she pulled away and slapped his as hard as she could across the face.

"What the fuck was that?" she demanded, seething.

For his part, Felix only laughed, though his cheek was flaming an angry red.

"I knew it!" he said somewhat triumphantly, smiling at her. "I knew you were still in love with him."

She slapped him again, and this time he did hiss in pain.

"Why did you have to hit me again?" he demanded.

"You think I hit you the first time because I'm in love with Draco?" she said hotly.

"Didn't you?" he asked.

She raised her hand a third time, and he shirked away from her stinging touch.

"Okay! I'm sorry!" he said, still cradling his cheek. "Why did you do it, then?"

"I'm not property," she hissed angrily, her years of abuse bubbling up and fueling her fury. "None of you can claim ownership over me. Not you, Draco, Kelly, or anyone else. When I told you I wasn't interested in your tawdry, _pathetic_ physical affection, I meant it. I'm not interested, and that's all that you need to know. Whether or not I still have feelings for Draco is completely irrelevant."

She turned her back, but thinking better of it, she whirled around for good measure.

"And don't ever presume to touch me without my permission again," she sneered. "If I want you to kiss me, you'll bloody well know it. Until then, go prey on someone else."

"Lefevre," he said, sounding repentant. "I'm sorry. That was impolite of me. Please come back. I'm sorry!" he repeated, sounding almost sad now. "You don't have to go."

"You can shove that apology right up your arse," she snarled, heaving. "And stay out of my fucking way from now on."

"Wait!" he cried, following after her. "I'm sorry, okay? You're right? I've never had a female friend before!"

He caught up and scurried in front of her.

"But I like you, Lefevre," he said earnestly.

She rolled her eyes, but he edged in front of her again.

"I don't mean like that. And I'm sorry I kissed you, that was unkind. But I mean...can we start over? Be friends, maybe?"

"Thanks but no thanks," she snapped.

"Don't you want my help?" he asked hopefully.

"Not if it entails being your fucking friend," she snarled.

"What can I say?" he said. "What can I give you? Herpo's vessel? The Nile? The Keys of Saint Peter?"

She whirled around, something suddenly clicking in her mind.

"What did you say?"

"You know," he said. "The keys to the muggle church. Saint Peter was the rock."

"A prince!" she said, nodded hurriedly. _"_He was a prince!"

"What?" he said, confused. "No, he was a fisherman."

"A prince of the church," she said. "The first pope!"

"I mean I gues_—"_

She grabbed him by the collar.

"C'mon," she said, dragging him to her room. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" he asked as she rummaged through her things, drawing out two passports, two vials of hair, and what he was now coming to assume was a bottle of PolyJuice.

"To Rome," she said, slipping out of her leggings. "Turn around."

This time he did as he as told without complaint.

"Why?" he asked, turning to find her dressed in a revealing peacock blue dress and dangerous-looking stilettos. She shrugged into an expensive trench coat before adjust her décolletage.

"I know who Clement is," she said, pushing the passport to his chest.

"What's this?" he asked, eying the Italian crest on the front of the folio. He flipped it open to find himself staring face to face with a fierce-looking man, who dark eyes flashed unkindly. He read the name beside the picture as the man glared and bore his teeth menacingly at Felix. Xavier Borgia.

"Is this your friends Severina's husband?" he asked, feeling a little afraid. "What are we doing?"

"I'll explain later," she said impatiently. "For now just take this."

She thrust a polyjuice at him that smelled strong of Annis. He drank, it gagged, and began to change. In truth, he was scared to look into the mirror and face Xavier Borgia again. But this time Leolin was the impossibly beautiful Severina.

She raised her eyebrows.

"It's going to take more than this to fool the border patrol," she said in reference to the PolyJuice. "Hope you're ready to become one of the most feared men in Europe."

He gave a gulp.

"Lead the way."


	22. NEW! Chapter 21: Clement's Keeper

**THiS CHAPTER IS ALMOST 17,000 WORDS OF NEW MATERIAL. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO REVIEW**

**Chapter 22: Clement's Keeper**

"_He's gaining ground, tesora," Severina said, dropping the envelope and growling in frustration._

_Leolin looked at it but didn't touch it, opting for another sip of her vinsanto instead._

"_Who, Teller?" she said derisively. "Oh c'mon, Ri! He's an American; if anyone is going to catch La Genie, it __**won't **__be Crofton Bloody Teller."_

"_This is from the International Aurors' Office," Severina spit, gesturing to the envelope. "We need to starting treading more carefully."_

"_What is the IAO want?" Leolin demanded, sitting up and reading the letter at last._

"_They're trying to coerce our cooperation as informants in the la genie investigation by suggesting we're involved," Severina spit._

_Leolin read the letter several times, finally shaking his head._

"_Teller doesn't have anything," she said. "He's fishing. If he had __**anything **__on us, he wouldn't be asking for our help; he'd be demanding it."_

"_Fine," Severina said, seemingly calmed by Leolin's rationale. "So we tell him to shove this request up his culo and keep going."_

"_Yes," Leolin said, chewing her lip and thinking. "Or," she smiled. "I go and I help him."_

"_Scuzzi?" Severina demanded. "I must have heard you incorrectly. I __**thought **__you said you would go and help Teller catch La Genie. In case you haven't forgotten, tesora, ."_

"_Look," Leolin said, setting down the letter and coming to sit next to Severina. "We've always had this implicit agreement that we wouldn't ask about a client's background before taking on a job. You and I both know that we've worked for some pretty nefarious people."_

"_Leolin," Severina said. "I know you don't think so, but Teller is too dangerous. If you get too close he's going to rope you into saying something you will regret."_

"_Only if I go in as an adversary," Leolin said. "It's like this: I go into Teller's office suggesting I want to help bring La Genie to heel. We make a list of some of our most unsavoury clients, and we sell them out to Teller."_

"_That is not very honourable, cherie, even by criminal standards."_

"_Sod honourable!" Leolin said. "I am halfway through this gag, and I won't be jammed up now because we aren't willing to turn in some very legitimate criminals to the authorities."_

"_I don't like it," Severina admitted. "It's so—hypocritical. It feels unprincipled."_

"_Unprincipled?" Leolin said. "Are you mad? Severina, we're criminals! We don't have the luxury of principles! Besides, there's no honour among thieves, right? People know when they enter into these kind of endeavours that there can be consequences."_

"_This is going to hurt our credibility if people start realising we're turning our clients over to the authorities."_

"_Who will know? The IAO doesn't do many things well, but one thing they have mastered is protecting their rats. Besides, we won't be turning over every client; just the worst ones."_

"_Who are we to play judge and jury?" Severina said. _

"_Oh my gods, Sev!" Leolin said, exasperated. "This isn't the time for your fucked-up Borgia code of honour!"_

"_You don't know this world like I do," Severina said. "This could have horrible repercussions."_

"_Sev," Leolin said desperately. "Listen to me. I will take all the risk. You don't have to worry about being safe."_

"_You think I'm afraid of retaliation?" Severina said, laughing. "Tesora, I'm a Borgia by blood and by marriage; no one has dared stand against us since Ludovico Sforza marched on Rome in 1494. That's not what concerns me."_

"_Then what are you worried about, besides the supposed honour code of the criminal underworld?"_

"_I know you don't believe me about Crofton Teller, but he is clever and dangerous. You just sweep in there and solve these cases. He already thinks you are involved. He will read between the lines and trace all of this back to you. It would only take one slip up for him to catch you."_

"_Give me a little credit," Leolin said. "I know just how to handle him."_

"_And how is that?" Severina demanded._

"_Crofton Teller is a suspicious, over-worked, under-paid, sexually-frustrated time bomb. All I have to do is push all the right buttons, just like__** you**__ taught me. He's mistrustful of me? Fine, I lean away from the truth to send him right into it. I make bold, arrogant moves and come up short. I miss as twice as often as I hit. Look, I know how to weave a convincing lie because that's what __**you**__ taught me. Now you just have to sit back and have faith in me."_

"_And Teller's sexual frustrations?" Severina demanded. "What do you propose to do about those?"_

_Leolin's face split into a dazzling smile._

"_Absolutely nothing. That's the beauty of it. I don't have to __**do **__anything; it's the __**lack **__of doing that's going to drive him crazy. Look, he would never pursue someone like me because my arrogance and aristocracy upset his American sensibilities. That means I never have to worry about taking things too far and risking him touching me. The more I dress and act like a temptress, the more adamantly he will refuse to admit he's aroused by it, and the more it will addle his senses. You of all people should know that works."_

_Severina gave a grudging smile._

"_I taught you well," she said, touching Leolin's cheek. "And I admit your enthusiasm is infectious."_

"_Despite everything I've been through," Leolin said. "I'm still a Slytherin at my core. No one does two-faced quite like a Slytherin. "I'll be feeding Crofton lies, poisoning the well from the inside without him even knowing it. In the meantime, he'll be giving me everything we need to steer clear of his little traps." _

"_So you think you can really pull off being a double-agent? You do realise you'll essentially be spying on one of the most well-connected organisations on the planet, certo?"_

"_I know," she said. "And to answer your question. Yes, I do."_

_The beginning of a smile began to sparkle in Severina's bewitching eyes._

"_There is something poetic about having to reconnect with your Slytherin roots in order to get home to your Slytherin prince."_

_Leolin smiled as well._

"_Isn't there, though?"_

"_Alright," Severina said at last. "Here's to you."_

"_No," Leolin said wickedly. "To us. And confusion to our enemies."_

* * *

Leolin and Felix sat in their lavish box on the train bound for Rome, and the antique emerald steamer hissing like a green tree python as it prepared to depart. Though they'd yet to reach their compartment, Leolin and Felix could hear the Customs agents checking the tickets and passports of each passenger. Leolin was swishing an obscene diamond ring, which she'd produced seemingly from no where on their trip to King's Cross, back and forth on Severina's elegant finger. However, she did so casually, and Felix wondered if this was something Severina had a habit of doing and if Leolin was simply getting into character. He, on the other hand, was drumming his fingers against his knees to keep from shaking.

"Stop fidgeting," Leolin snapped under her breath. "You're going to blow our bloody cover."

"Why are we doing this?" Felix said nervously, not quite able to stop drumming. "And where did you get Borgia's passport?"

"She gave it to me," Leolin said, crossing one of Severina's lean legs over the other. It raised the slit in her dress, and he felt his throat going dry. "For situations like this. It's a fake, but a convincing one."

"Why can't we just go as ourselves?"

Severina's eyes glittered, and Felix could see the fear, Leolin's fear, in them.

"There was no way we would have made it. Adrian would have gotten wind of it and been all over us."

"And he won't be all over the Borgias?"

Leolin raised her eyebrows mildly.

"Have you looked in the mirror recently? He knows better than to tangle with the Borgias. Besides, Adrian's still busy looking for Audige, and he doesn't know Severina was involved with any of that. She wasn't in New Orleans with us. At this point he has to prioritise."

He studied her intently.

"What makes you so sure about him?"

She looked up.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, what if you're wrong?"

She pursed her lips. Or Severina's, rather.

"I'm not."

"But how can you be sure?" he repeated.

Leolin looked up, and Felix was sure that Severina Borgia had never looked so frightened. Finally she spoke.

"He was schoolmates with us, did you know? Adrian."

"Brank mentioned it," Felix said. "What does that matter?"

"I hated him," Leolin said in answer, still swishing the ring on her finger. "Pretty much from the day we were sorted. I have no idea why, he never really did anything to me, I just—I never liked him. He was smart, that was part of it probably, I didn't like competition in class. There was also just something nasty about him that rubbed me the wrong way. Still, we were friends. Or friendly, I guess. We ran in the same circle."

"With Malfoy and Zabini and those guys?" he asked.

She re-crossed her legs and nodded.

"And we played quidditch together. We made the squad the same year."

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked, but she didn't answer, simply continued as if she hadn't heard him.

"I'm not exactly sure what changed," she said pensively. "But he really started to irritate me when I started dating Draco. I suppose I was around him more or he always seemed weirdly jealous that we were happy together, I'm not sure. But by time we were sixth years, I had made a game out of doing spiteful things to him. I remember he liked this girl in our year, Astoria, and I went out of my way to make it difficult for him to pursue her. He was good-looking and thought he was so slick with girls, and it felt good to trip him up."

By now Felix knew better than to interrupt, so he just nodded.

"Go on."

"Looking back on it, I was kind of cruel to him. But then, he certainly wasn't afraid to dish it back, and he got his revenge after Draco and Blaise left and he had carte blanche to torture me."

"What do you mean?"

"After they left, it started to get...predatory. It wasn't scary, necessarily, it never felt like something I couldn't handle, but it was definitely unpleasant. Have you ever met him?"

"Pucey?" Felix asked. "No. But Brank said he's not a terribly big guy."

She nodded her assent.

"He's probably as tall as you," she explained. "But pretty slender. Pansy always said he reminded her of a jungle cat. It's something about the way he moves, I don't know. He always sort of slinks around. He grew into it more as we got older and he got bigger, and I admit it's...unnerving, at best. I would be lying if I said that I didn't try and avoid him our last year in school. Thankfully, by the time we graduated he pretty much ceased to exist for me. I mean I still saw him at parties and stuff, still convinced pretty girls not to talk to him and rubbed how much sex Draco and I were having in his face, but I never really had to interact with him directly."

"Were you afraid of him?" Felix suggested.

"Not really," she admitted. "He'd just increasingly grown to be a person I didn't want to be around. Draco was still mates with him, since found him tolerable I guess, but I can remember going to parties and looking across the room to find him watching me. It always felt like he was sizing me up, getting ready to pull something nasty."

"And did he?"

"No," she said. "In those days he never would have dared. He had a pretty healthy fear of Draco. I get the feeling that despite everything, he still does."

"What happened next?"

"I left England," she said. "And I can honestly say that in the five years I was gone, I didn't think about him once. He was just some mild annoyance of a bygone age."

"What changed?"

She looked at him intently.

"I came back. I used a Muggle passport to cross the border—"

He frowned.

"Why?"

She shook her head.

"That's a story all it's own. For right now, all that matters is that Adrian somehow got wind of it and tracked me down. He showed up to the restaurant where I was lying low and arrested me."

She paused thoughtfully.

"It only took me looking into his eyes one time to regret every nasty thing I'd ever said to him."

"Why?" he repeated.

"Because I could tell from just that one glance that everything had changed. _He'd_ changed. He had this sick glimmer in his eye that heralded all the amassed power, all the beautiful women, he'd managed to collect in my absence. He was gorged on self-satisfaction, and I could tell by looking at him how sorely he wanted to shove it down my throat."

"You're afraid of him now," he said softly.

"Yes," she admitted. "You should be, too. He's dangerous."

"Why are you telling me this?" he said again. "What does any of that history matter?"

She looked out the window for a moment before looking back, dark eyes teaming with stormy emotion.

"You asked me how I could be so sure about him," she said. "I know what he wants because he's told me. He tells me every chance he gets. This isn't just about Audige; it's about settling scores."

"Did he say something to you?" Felix asked. "Do something?"

"The last time I saw him," she admitted. "He broke my wrist."

"Lefevre—"

There was more that could have been said, certainly, but just then the door of the compartment slid open and Augustus Rookwood sneered at them. He was a haggard-looking man, his curly hair somewhat unkempt and graying at the temples. He had a long, gaunt face that he sought to disguise with a beard, though Felix didn't find it a particularly effective ruse.

Leolin uncrossed her lean legs and stood, watching with disgust as Rookwood's eyes bled from the slit in her dress to her face.

"Borgia," he said. "Leaving so soon?"

"Don't pry into my affairs," Leolin said in a undulating Italian accent.

"When did you arrive? I wasn't aware you were in England."

She sneered

"Tell Pucey he's going to have to hire smarter thugs than you if he really wants to keep tabs on me."

"You little bitch," he snapped menacingly.

Felix finally seemed to remember himself, or remember Xavier, rather, and he stepped forward and grabbed Rookwood by the collar.

He'd never been the type of man people feared, he simply wasn't big enough or intimidating enough, but it was clear that Borgia was. Rookwood struggled against him sullenly, and Felix tightened his crushing grip. This is what real power must have felt like.

"Apologise to my wife," he demanded in his best estimation of a Castilian accent.

"Or what?" Rookwood rasped.

Felix drew his wand, hoping Rookwood didn't know what Xavier Borgia's looked like. He didn't.

"Or I rip out your filthy English tongue and send it back to Pucey in a pine box."

He released Rookwood's collar, and the latter gave a hoarse cough.

"You're on thin ice, Borgia," he said to Severina.

It was fairly clear he didn't feel like looking Xavier in the eye again.

"Get out," Felix snapped. "Before I beat you like the dog you are."

Leolin gave a shimmering laugh, pressing herself against Felix and laying her head on his broadened chest.

"You heard him," she said to Rookwood. "Run along."

Rookwood growled his frustration, straightening his coat as Leolin bent her head back towards Felix. He obliged, giving her a short but sensuous open-mouthed kiss. This was, he was certain, his first and only chance to touch Severina Borgia, and he wasn't going to miss it. When he pulled away he gave Rookwood a final sneer.

"What are you still doing here? I told you to get out."

He finally obliged, slamming the door of the compartment so hard the glass shuddered nervously. Leolin immediately untangled herself, vanishing the dazzling ring with a flick of her wrist and wiping her lips with the back of her hand.

"You better hope I never tell Xavy you did that," she warned, settling back down. "Or worse, Sev."

"You told me to be convincing," he said, eyes glittering. "Besides, I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity that good."

He gave her a cheek wink and she rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, gross. Better hope I don't tell her that, either," she said, raising her eyebrows.

"They can't be as scary as all that," he said, running a hand through his unfamiliar head of hair.

"You'll find out for yourself in a couple hours. I want to go to Florence tomorrow, but we'll stay the night in Rome with them."

"Please tell me this PolyJuice will have worn off by then," Felix said, sobering up a little. "Something tells me I'm not going to want to meet Xavier Borgia as Xavier Borgia."

She laughed. It was the first time he'd seen her do it, and it was lovely.

"Very prudent," she agreed. "You don't. Luckily for you, you won't have to. The Polyjuice should wear off right around the time we get to Termini."

He nodded, and they fell into silence. Her hand went to her chest as she gazed out the window, and she was absently fingering the diamond lock around her throat. Severina's usually smooth brow was creased with worry. He watched her chew her lip for several long minutes before he finally spoke again.

"Lefevre," he began, and she turned to look at him. "About Pucey—"

She shook her head firmly.

"I don't want to talk about him."

"About what you said—"

"I said no!" she snapped, eyes flashing. "That's none of your business."

"Then why did you tell me about him breaking your wrist?"

She clenched her jaw and looked away, and he thought she wasn't going to answer.

"I don't know," she finally admitted, her voice less sharp. "I guess I—I just wanted to get it off my chest."

"Did you tell the others? Malfoy, or Weasley or anyone?"

"No," she said quickly. "And if you do I'll rip off your arm and beat you with it."

He considered this. He could see, behind the fiesty temper and elegant pride, a cold, sad shame. He wondered what else Pucey had done.

"Alright," he agreed at last. "I'm sorry."

She nodded, turning to look at the window again.

"Thank you."

* * *

Leolin had been right; by the time they stepped out of Termini Station and onto the bustling Via Marsala, they were themselves again. Leolin obviously knew the city of Rome well, and she dodged in and out of muggle taxis and around gaping tourists, moving with such purpose that it was hard to keep up.

"Where are we going?" he asked as they made their way Southwest.

"To Severina's palazzo. It's outside the city walls. We have to take a portkey there."

"Where are we going to get a portkey at this time of night?" he asked. "Maybe you and I should just get a hotel."

She turned to see if that was an innuendo, and when she found him smirking sinfully at her, she hit him forcefully with her handbag.

"Ow!" he cried. "What was that for?"

She turned and kept walking.

"You know what," she snapped.

Finally they reached a series of ancient columns, well worn by time and artificially lit.

"What's this?"

"Largo Argentina. It was a temple built by Julius Caesar, and its the entrance to the Wizarding Transport Office, which _is _ still open."

"I would have guessed the Colosseum," Felix said as they picked their way down through the ruins. Leolin obviously knew her way well.

"No," she said. "Vespacian was a Muggle."

"I didn't know—" he began, but she obviously knew what he was going to say, and she cut him off.

"The International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy wasn't implemented until 1692. Before that, Muggles and Wizards co-existed, though it was obviously far from peaceful."

"So Muggles killed Caesar?"

"Marcus Brutus was a Squib."

"Ah," he said, nodding in understanding.

By this time they'd arrived at a dark hole. Leolin jumped down it without hesitation, and Felix reluctantly followed. They'd ended up in a cramped, cozy office full of portkeys, brooms, and apparation stones.

"Naomi!" the fat man behind the counter exclaimed, waddling around to hug Leolin. He barely reached her shoulder, and she was by no means tall. "I didn't know you come back to Roma!"

"And I'd like to keep in that way," Leolin said, giving a charming smile. She'd masked her Anglo-Welsh accent with one that sounded vaguely French.

"Oh of course, tesoro," he said, putting his finger to his lips. "Of course. Always."

"Thank you, Giovanni," she said warmly.

"What can I do for you, tesoro?"

"I'm headed to the Palazzo Borgia," she explained. "I was hoping you could make me a quick portkey. And off the books, if you could. I'll pay you well for it."

If this request seemed odd to Giovanni, he didn't act like it. However, Felix was getting the feeling that there was more to Leolin's story then she'd let on.

"Of course," Giovanni said, already fashioning a key. "For you, anything."

He handed her an rusted gladiator's cascina, and she gave him a handful of Italian galleons, which were called monetedores.

"Grazie, tesoro," he said, kissing her cheek. "You come back soon."

She nodded.

"I will." she turned to Felix. "Are you ready?"

"I'm not sure," he said. "Why don't you give me a kiss for good luck."

"Hold out your hand?" she asked in response, and he frowned in incomprehension.

However, his confusion didn't last long, as she rapped him smartly on the knuckles.

"Bad dog," she chided, and he nursed his fingers ruefully but otherwise didn't offer a defense.

By this time, the cascina had begun to glow, and he held onto it. He was just about to ask in alarm how they were supposed to portkey out of an enclosed space, but Leolin apparated them to the surface just in time, and the next thing he knew they were spinning away. They arrived a few minutes later outside an opulent Roman villa. The four lavish fountains outside in the front garden, which had been manicured to perfetion, were bubbling, and Leolin heading for the portico that must have been the front entrance.

They were no more than halfway to the door when it swung open to admit two impossibly beautiful little girls. The older one, who looked about five, ran at full tilt. The younger, who was closer to three, toddered on unsteady legs, though she was no less boisterous in her excitement.

"Zia!" they cried in unison, and Leolin crouched to receive the older one in her arms.

"Angelina," she breathed, petting her hair and kissing her face. "How are you, cara mia? mi sei _mancato_."

"I have miss you, too," Angelina said in a pretty Italian lilt, tracing Leolin's nose and lips and eyelids with a gentle finger like she was trying to re-memorise her.

"Can I have a kiss?" Leolin said, still smoothing Angelina's silky ebony hair back. Angelina gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

By this time the younger had made it to Leolin, and she jostled with her older sister for Leolin's attention.

"Isa!" Angelina fussed. "Fermalo!"

However, Isadora didn't stop. Instead she threw her arms around Leolin's neck, practically crying with excitement and anticipation.

"Como stai, Isa mia bella?"

Isa didn't respond, just hugged Leolin tighter.

By this time two figures had emerged from the door, and Felix watched the Borgias warily as they approached. By this time Leolin had straightened, Isa on her hip and Angelina's hand in her own. Felix followed at a safe distance.

"Sev," Leolin breathed delightedly. "Hi."

Severina's hair was unbound and fluttering in the breeze, and her feet were bare underneath her floor-length silk gown. Even without makeup she looked like an Earth-bound Venus. She held an chubby baby pressed to her chest.

"Welcome home," Severina said, smiling brightly and kissing Leolin.

"Zia," Isa said, squirming to be put down so she could stand at her mother's feet. "Mira a Sonia."

"Sonia," Leolin said, extending her arms to have the baby. "My perfect little Sonia."

Isa watched for a moment before running to her father, who stood a good distance off. He scooped her up easily, holding on his hip and listening with rapt attention as she explained something excitedly to him in Spanish. She still wasn't used to being anything other than the baby.

By this time, Felix had approached, and Severina raised her arched eyebrows.

"You remember Felix Chaisson," Leolin said, kissing Sonia's soft head.

"Of course," Severina said coolly. "What are you doing here?" She said to him before turning to Leolin. "Ho pensato che stavi portando Draco."

Leolin glanced at Felix to see if he'd understood that Severina was wondering why Leolin hadn't brought Draco instead. His rueful frown told her he didn't speak a word of Italian.

"There wasn't time," Leolin said. "We're in a race against the clock. I didn't think I had the luxury of delay."

"Possiamo fidarci di lui?" Severina asked.

Leolin glanced at Felix, who had the decency to look sheepish. Leolin knew from experience how uncomfortable it was to listen to two people discuss you in a language you didn't speak. Severina used to do it to her all the time. Severina had asked if Leolin felt she could trust Felix. Finally, she nodded.

"Yes," Leolin said, giving a fussing Sonia back to her mother. "I think so. If he can learn to behave himself."

Severina gave him a cold look, but she didn't need to respond, because Xavier had finally reached them. His eyes flashed dangerously.

"I'll kill him if he doesn't," Xavier said, taking Felix in. He had the same sneer from his passport photo.

Finally he peeled his eyes away to advance and kiss Leolin's affectionately on the cheek.

"¿Como estás, cariña? Te ves bien."

"Thank you," she said, laying her head on his broad chest as Isa, who was still in Xavier's arms, touched her hair.

With Leolin tucked protectively under his arm, Xavier turned to Felix.

"Who are you?" he demanded, his tone sharp.

"Felix Chaisson," Felix said.

He extended a hand, but Xavier had no hands free. Not that it mattered; Felix didn't get the sense Xavier wouldn't have shook his hand if he did.

"Relajate, mi amor," Severina commanded softly. "Leolin trusts him."

Xavier's expression didn't soften, but he shifted Isa and received Felix's still outstretched hand.

"Welcome to Italy, then," he said in a hard voice.

"Thank you," Felix said, accepting his crushing grip without complaint.

Just then the door opened again and a third figure emerged, coming up the gravel path to join them.

The woman was olive-y with bright eyes and dark hair, though it began fading to a blood red as she approached. Leolin and Felix exchanged a look. It was always uncomfortable when metamorphagi changed without provocation, but they were prone to eccentricities, and did things without realising it made others uneasy.

"Leolin," Severina said. "This is Anaïs. She's Xavy's cousin from Madrid."

"Mucho gusto," Anaïs purred.

"You too," Leolin said.

Anaïs then turned to face Felix, her hair turning dark again as she smiled.

"And you?"

"Felix," he said, eying her appreciatively. She didn't seem to mind, and her eyes went from dark to a striking blue.

"Nice to meet you," she said somewhat seductively.

Her hair had begun to curl now, but slowly, the tendrils twisting almost painfully.

"Stop showing off, Severina chided. She turned to Leolin and Felix. "Venid. Come inside. Xavy made paella, and we have wine."

Leolin accepted Angelina's hand and they were pulled into the lavish foyer. She could see Felix trying not to openly marvel, but she knew from experience it was difficult. Having acclimated to Leolin's arrival, Isa was now watching Felix intently over Xavier's shoulder.

"Hello," he said as she continued to watch him. "What's your name?"

She buried her head into her father's neck.

"Questo è Isadora," Angelina said knowledgeably, leaning around Leolin to address Felix. She was proud to have the answer to his query. "Sono Angelina."

"Nice to meet you," Felix said.

She nodded. She seemed to understand English well, but she was clearly uninterested in speaking it. Felix didn't want to press her.

They finally reached the dining room, and Severina handed the baby back to Leolin as she disappeared through the doors Felix assumed lead to the kitchen.

"Ani," she called. "Come help me."

Anaïs smiled at Felix again.

"Excuse me," she said, and she disappeared after Severina.

Without Anaïs to ogle at, Felix watched Leolin coo at the baby, tickling her round belly and chubby cheeks and smiling as Sonia gurgled happily. Despite her dazzling smile, there was an underlying sadness in Leolin's face, something palpable but otherwise unidentifiable.

"She's perfect," she told Xavier, who came to sit next to Leolin before allowing Isa to scramble into his lap again.

He smiled down at the infant, and it seemed to transform his whole face.

"I know," he said softly as Isa leaned over to touch the baby. "Ten cuidado, Isadora," he said gently. "Está gentil."

She nodded, and he supported her as she leaned forward to press a delicate kiss to her sister's fuzzy head.

By this time Severina had emerged with the enormous pot of paella, and Anaïs followed levitating several bottles of wine. Leolin and Felix gratefully filled their plates as Severina poured five glasses of wine and passed them around.

"Dimmi," she said when they had finished eating. "What did you figure out?"

"Clement," Leolin affirmed. "I think its Clement VII. He was a Medici pope."

"Ah," Severina said. "I see. A prince of the Muggle church."

"Exactly," Leolin said, taking a heady sip of wine. "I still don't know what exactly to look for, but Chaisson and I are going to start in Florence. Go to the Palazzo Medici and the Laurentian library and see if anything jumps out."

Severina nodded.

"A good place to start. And a nice chance for you to go back."

Leolin nodded knowingly, aware that Felix was watching her keenly.

"Should I expect to see Teller?" she asked delicately.

"He went back to New York two months ago," Severina replied. "I don't know if this is good news or bad."

"If it is good news, it certainly doesn't feel like it. It could mean the ISO is gathering the troops. They know something we don't."

"How are things there?" Severina said, watching Leolin with a keen, mothering gaze.

"Tense," Leolin replied.

She and Felix locked eyes for a moment, and he knew they were both thinking about what'd told him about Adrian.

"And Malfoy?"

Leolin glanced sidelong at Felix again. This time he suspected she simply didn't want him knowing about her private affairs. She glanced at Anaïs as well, probably thinking the same thing. She'd said nothing the whole time, and Leolin suspected Severina and Xavier hadn't filled her in on any of the details. Xavier's brother had already died tangling with Adrian and Lucius, and she knew they were not eager to risk any more of their family members. Anaïs, for her part, didn't seem overly interested in the conversation anyhow, and instead she was changing her face from a duck's bill to a pig's snout to a cat nose and making Angelina giggle.

"Ne parleremo più tardi," Leolin said, and Severina nodded.

"Va bene," she said, standing. "Are you tired? I can show you to your rooms."

"We can just share," Felix said before anyone could stop him.

Xavier gave him a nasty look, but Leolin slapped him soundly on the back of the head before Xavy could comment.

"If you're going to act like a dog," Severina warned. "I'll make you sleep outside. C'mon, mijas."

Isa have fallen asleep on Xavier's shoulder and Angelina was yawning and rubbing her eyes as well.

"Angelina, ven conmigo," Anaïs said, extending her hand. Angelina did as she was told without a word. Severina scooped up Sonia and swept of the grand staircase, the hem of her silk gown brushing the stone steps.

"Leolin, your room is already made up. Chaisson, there is a room for you across the hall. The maid is changing the sheets now."

"Thank you for your hospitality," he said, and Severina nodded, kissing Leolin on the cheek and raising her eyebrows at him.

"Don't make me regret it," she said. "Goodnight."

When she was gone, Leolin turned her attention to Felix.

"I hope you're an early riser," she told him.

"I am," he affirmed.

"Good," she said. "I want to get to Florence as soon as possible. Who knows how long this could take us."

"Bien," he said, advancing a little.

"Goodnight, then," she said.

"No goodnight kiss?" he said. "Just a small one? No tongue unless you ask for it, I swear." She gave him a withering look and he wiggled his eyebrows."One hundred percent of the shots you don't take, remember?" he said cheekily.

Leolin narrowed her eyes in scrutiny, though he gaze was in no way unkind. "It's not going to be easy to civilise you, is it?"

He gave her an arrogant smirk.

"Certainly not."

She rolled her eyes.

"Bonne nuit, princesse," he said, giving her a wink.

"Goodnight, Renard."

With that they both closed their doors. When she was alone, Leolin sank onto the bed and put her head in her hands. It had been such a long and confusing day, and by now her skull was throbbing. She quickly traded the revealing dress for a cozy jumper, and there was a soft knock on the door just as she peeled back the covers.

"Come in," she said.

Severina entered, followed by Xavier, and they had the girls with them. Severina had Sonia on one hip and was holding Angelina's hand and ushering her gently in. Xavier still held Isa, who began to squirm when she saw Leolin. Angelina hopped up on the bed at once, and after several scrambling tries, Severina gave Isa a boost as well. Immediately they glued themselves to Leolin.

When they were settled Severina retreated several steps, laying her head on Xavier's chest as she watched them. He murmured something to her in Spanish before accepting Sonia and kissing her softly on the cheek. When he looked down at Severina again, he kissed her as well. Leolin turned casually away, trying not to be too pained. Their love for one another was so great that it always seemed to spill over, washing over everyone else in the room. As fiercely as she loved them, it had always caused a dull ache, and after what she'd suffered in New Orleans and Atlanta, it had began to distress her.

"We thought you might want some company tonight," Severina said knowingly, and Leolin nodded, grateful.

"You always seem to know just want it is I need," Leolin admitted, stroking Angelina hair softly.

Severina and Xavier exchanged a look, and he bent to kiss his wife again before looking back at Leolin.

"What are parents for?" he asked finally, dark eyes regarding Leolin with a warmth that didn't extend past the five women gathered before him.

"Thank you," Leolin said, trying not to choke up as Isa snuggled closer. This could be the closest she ever came to having children.

"Always, cariña," he said.

"Okay," Severina said. "Di andare a dormire. And remember that if you don't sleep, you can't stay. Zia is tired."

"Sappiamo," Angelina said. "We promise."

"Goodnight, mijas," Severina said, regarding each of them in turn.

"Nos vemos en la manaña," Xavier said. "Vos amamos."

"We love you too, Papa," Angelina said softly.

He gave her a wink, and she giggled.

"Goodnight," Leolin said.

The door closed with a soft click.

Isa was already half-asleep, curled into the crook of Leolin's arm like a cat. Angelina settled quickly as well, her breath soft and warm as she rested on Leolin's chest. Leolin's last conscious thoughts were of the children she and Draco had always dreamed of having, and she allowed their memory to lull her to sleep.

* * *

That night, Draco dreamt of Leolin again. However, this time they weren't in bed.

They were in a meadow, and the sun was shining brightly overhead. He recognised the landscape at once; they were not far from Malfoy Manor. He felt something odd welling up, some sort of responsibility, and it didn't take him long to realise what it was. Two children brushed past him, engaged in a game of tag. The eldest was a boy around six, and he was being chased by his little sister, who looked about four. They were both impossibly blonde, with deep, dark blue eyes and full bow lips. They were beautiful and they were his and they were perfect. He watched them play and thanked Merlin they'd overcome adversity and reached the other side. After everything he and Leolin had been through, after the sectumsempra, and Bones, and Adrian, and his father, they were finally free.

He didn't hear her approach, but he felt Leolin wrap her arms around his waist and lay her cheek against his back. He rotated to tuck her under his arm and she smiled, tipping her head back to kiss him. Her diamond engagement ring sparkled magnifiscenty in the light.

"They're perfect, aren't they?" she said happily, watching them scream and laugh.

"Yes. But Elias is too rough with Seren," he commented. "I don't like it."

"Oh let them be," Leolin said. "Everyone needs to skin their knees once and awhile."

"She's a Malfoy," he said imperiously. "Malfoys don't have skinned knees."

"You're so imperious," Leolin laughed, leaning into him.

"I want another," he said, smoothing her hair. "Look how quickly they grow up."

"Merlin, I don't know if I'm ready to feel that fat again. I was a whale with Seren."

"No you weren't," he scoffed. "Don't be daft. You were gorgeous."

"You're just saying that so you can get your way," she laughed.

In response, he titled her chin up with his thumb and forefinger and kissed her softly again.

"If you're not ready, we'll wait," he said, rubbing his nose to hers. "You're not even thirty yet; there is plenty of time for more kids later."

She nodded, biting her lip and smiling.

"What?" he laughed. "What is it?"

"I do love having a baby in the house," she said, smiling conspiratorially up at him. "Seren's still a baby to me, but she isn't really one anymore. She's a little girl now."

He smiled.

"And smarter than both of us combined."

"They both are. All three of them will be."

"Three?"

"Elias, Seren," she began, smiling at him. "And the baby."

His eyes widened and he beamed.

"Was that a yes?"

She nodded, throwing her arms around his neck and giving a merry laugh as he lifted her off her feet and twirled her around.

"Let's have another baby!"

Draco woke up smiling. He immediately wanted to wake the children so he could hold them. Both of them. However, as he felt Gen stirring beside him, he realised with horror it had all been a dream. There were no children. It was slow to sink in: the banality of the fantasy had made it feel that much more real.

He pulled Gen tighter to his chest, running his fingers through her silky hair. Those children wouldn't be Leolin's, he reminded himself. They would be Gen's. He imagined them with brown eyes instead of blue. They were just as beautiful. Still, he couldn't avoid the fount of sadness which welled up at the thought. It was crushingly painful.

"Drake?" Gen said sleepily. "Are you alright?"

She must have sensed the tension in his chest and arms.

"Fine," he said, still stroking her hair. "I just can't sleep."

She labouriously she pulled her head off her pillow so she could look at him. When they met eyes she smiled, bending to brush a kiss on his lips.

"Better?" she asked, brushing the tip of her nose against his.

He smiled too, surging up to kiss her again.

"Much," he said huskily, desperate to forget the dream and the way it had felt to kiss Leolin again.

He wrapped a strong hand around the back of Gen's neck so he could kiss her more heatedly, and she began to rock back and forward in his lap, and he responded by grabbing her hips to control her movements. He was already getting hard, but as she kissed his neck, he felt himself slipping back into the fantasy. It was Leolin straddling him now, and they were going to try for another baby. He mentally slapped himself, focusing on Gen's pert breasts and soft moans. He was ready now, and he didn't want to waste any more time. He pulled off his briefs before he guided Gen down onto his shaft. He groaned in pleasure as she swirled her hips.

"Tell me you love me," Gen demanded as she increased the pace.

Draco opened his eyes and started. Leolin's long dark hair tumbled over her shoulders to her waist and her cheeked were flushed.

"Drake," she repeated in Gen's voice. "I need to hear you say it."

Draco had never experienced this hybridity before, and it was freaking him out.

"I—" he told Leolin, whose spectre refused to be dislodged. "You know I love you."

He was getting close now, dangerously close, and he desperately wanted Leolin to go away. He wanted it to be Gen he climaxed for.

"I love you, too," Leolin told him in Gen's musical tone. "For all the days of my life."

"Genevieve," he groaned, surging up and closing his eyes to kiss her.

She rotated slightly against him before her body began to shudder with orgasm, and when he opened his eyes she was herself again. He ignored a small pang of something that felt too close to disappointment at seeing her tousled blonde hair again. However, he savagely pushed that feeling down and focused on the way she was moving against him, and it only took him another minute or two to reach climax, When it was finally over he relaxed onto his back as she gently climbed off and nestled under his arm.

"I know now's not the right time," she said softly, tracing the delicate lines of the falcon tattoo. "But I want to at least start talking about having children."

He fought not to tense.

"What about them?" he said simply.

"I mean, how many do you want?"

"I don't know," he said flippantly, eager to change the subject. "I've never really thought about it."

She propped herself up so she could meet his eye.

"Yes you have. I _know_ you have. I could see it in Leolin's eye in Atlanta that you two had discussed it at length."

"Gen—" he began, rising from the bed and stepping back into his briefs.

"No," she said firmly, rising as well. "I'm not going to keep letting you do this."

"Do what?" he demanded, his mind still trying to cling to the two children from the dream.

"Stop holding out on me," Gen said in a clipped tone. "Why does it always feel like there are so many things you would talk to her about but not to me?"

"I'm not doing this with you right now," he seethed. "I'm getting in the shower."

"No!" she said more emphatically, getting in front of the bathroom door and barring his way. "Answer me! Surely you owe me that much, at least."

"I don't even know the question!" he snapped, exasperated.

"When you two discussed children, what did you say?"

He didn't respond, only ran a hand through his hair.

"Did you agree on a number?" she probed.

He gave an agitated sigh.

"No," he grit out. "We discussed it, but we never settled on a definitive number."

She pursed her lips, and it was clear that despite her inquiries, some part of her really didn't want to know.

"Did you discuss names?"

His throat felt dry and it was hard to swallow let alone speak. He wished he could remember the children's names in his dream.

"Drake—"

"Yes!" He burst."We did! Are you happy?"

She looked hurt, and instantly he felt guilty for being so biting.

"G," he said softly, pulling her to his chest. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell or hurt your feelings, and it doesn't matter about Leolin. Our kids are the only thing that matters now. Yours and mine."

She wound her arms tighter around him.

"You're right," she said, seemingly soothed. "And I'm sorry, too. I don't know why I'm acting this way; it's not like you could even have children with her now, anyway."

"Gen," he said sternly, surprisingly pained by that comment. "Don't be unkind."

She pulled away slightly to look at him, brown eyes wide and penitent. However, he wasn't fooled. He knew her well enough to know when she was being disingenuous.

"Well it's true," she pressed in a light, innocent tone. "That's not my fault."

"Merlin," he snapped, pushing her gently away and running a distressed hand through his hair as he turned his back on her. "That's enough!"

"What," she said. "So now you're defending her again?"

He turned on her, eyes glittering dangerously now.

"That curse was meant for me; it's _my_ fault she can't have children."

"Well how noble of her to sacrifice herself," she sneered.

He grabbed her by the arm.

"What do you want me to say, huh? That I'm _glad_ this happened to her? I'm not!"

"Of course you aren't," she snapped petulantly.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" he demanded, releasing her arm and shaking his head in disgust. "Are you really so insecure about us that you need Leolin to suffer to feel better? Are you _really_ that selfish?"

"No!" she said. "But I just want her to go away!"

"She's not going to," he said stonily. "Accept that."

"That's not fair."

He growled in frustation.

"I'm done discussing this. I need a shower."

"Just look me in the eye and tell me some part of you isn't in love with her!"

Before he could stop himself, Draco thought about the dream and Leolin's joyous laughter and his chest constricted painfully.

"I have done!" he roared, wheeling on Gen. "Many times! Stop asking me, and _for Merlin's sake_, stop antagonising her. I'm bloody sick of listening to it."

She looked hurt again, but this time he just sighed and turned away.

"I'm getting in the shower," he said in a flat tone.

"Can I join you?" she asked, clearly worried that she'd pushed too hard.

"No," he said quietly. "I need a second alone."

She nodded, brushing a tear away. Seeing her cry tugged at him a little, but when he remembered what she'd said about Leolin having children, his resolve hardened.

"I'll see you when I get out," he said, closing the door solidly without another word.

He emerged twenty minutes later to find the bed made and Gen gone. He was sure she'd probably run to Brankovitch's room to cry, and the thought made him clench his jaw. Gen had never admitted it to him and he'd never particularly cared to know for sure, but he suspected that Gen had been sleeping with Brankovitch before they met. He knew that shouldn't bother him. After all, she hadn't even known him yet; she couldn't have been expected to take a vow of chastity until her arrived in her life. Still, it irked him.

What irritated him even more was the fact that Gen had thrown Brankovitch at Leolin and the slick git had somehow managed to convince her to shag him, too. As much as it annoyed him to imagine Gen pinned under Max, the thought of Leolin in the same position made his blood boil.

Still shaken from the dream and frustrated from the fight with Gen, he dressed sullenly and headed downstairs. Almost everyone was already there, including Ginny, Blaise, and a rather disdainful looking Max Brankovitch. Gen wasn't with him, but it was clear from his expression that Draco had been right; she'd run to him with her tale of woe and he'd eaten up every word. Draco wondered what he'd think if he knew what Gen had said about Leolin. He doubted that it would have bothered Brankovitch, and that thought made his wand hand twitch.

"You alright?" Ginny said, drawing him from his reverie by softly touching his arm. "You look—out of sorts."

Draco rubbed his tired eyes from beneath his frames.

"Gen and I got into a bit of a row this morning."

"About what?" Blaise asked. Draco gave him a knowing look and Blaise nodded. "Oh, I see."

"Well," Ginny said, trading a look with Blaise. "I don't think you have to worry about that today."

Draco looked at her keenly.

"What do you mean?" he demanded, trying to quell a rising disappointment.

"Leolin left for Rome last night. I had a note off her this morning saying that she had a breakthrough about Clement's keeper."

"She went to Rome by herself?" Draco said, instantly feeling protective.

"No," Blaise said, studying Draco's reaction keenly. "She took Chaisson with her."

"Tell me you're joking," Draco said in a vitriolic tone.

"Jealous, Drake?" Ginny said mildly.

"Of course not," he spit. "By why of the earth would she bring him, of all people? Tell me she's not sleeping with him, too."

"Well not that's its any of _your_ business," Ginny said pointedly. "But no, she isn't. Her note said that it was half one and she didn't want to have to waste time. She was worried about getting across the border, so she just grabbed Chaisson and brought him with."

"And just what did she need him from in the first place?" Draco demanded, ultimately unable to deny how jealous this news made him.

"Again," Ginny said. "None of your business."

"Like hell," he sneered.

Blaise opened his mouth to reply, but by this time Gen was hurrying up and plastering herself to Draco's side.

"I'm sorry," she said, pressing her lips against his even before he could speak or reciprocate the kiss. "Do you forgive me?"

Draco glance up at Ginny, who raised her eyebrows to signify she wasn't impressed with this apology. He ignored her, clenching his jaw.

"Of course."

"Good," she said in a self-satisfied voice before turning to Ginny and Blaise. "You look lovely this morning, Ginevra," she said brightly. "You're glowing."

Ginny gave an unenthusiastic smile.

"Thank you. Shall we, darling?"

She extended her hand to Blaise, and they went to sit down. Draco and Gen joined them, and Draco tried not to tense as Gen drew lazy circles on his inner thigh under the table. He imagined Leolin caught in one of Pucey's King's Cross sweeps and his palms began to sweat. He fended off the sensation by sneering at Kelly Troy as he settled across from Draco and gave him a cool look.

"Don't look so glum, Troy," Draco sniped. "Surely there's someone other than Leolin you can slaver over in your wife's absence."

"I would say that same to you," Kelly shot back. "If your fiancée wasn't sitting right here."

Gen looked mildly affronted, but Kelly ignored her outright.

"Fuck off," Draco snarled tartly.

"You first."

"Right," Tieran said, giving them each a withering look. "Are you done?"

"For now," Draco said in a cold voice.

Kelly rolled his eyes but didn't reply.

"Good," Tieran said seriously. "Then where are we?"

* * *

Leolin heaved a sigh of frustration and sank down on a stone bench outside the Laurentian Library in Florence, running her hands through her long hair.

"Damnit," she seethed. "I have no fucking clue what we're looking for."

Felix sank down next to her.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, bichette. We'll figure it out."

He made to touch her back soothingly, but she gave him a hard look and he retracted his hand at once.

"Sorry," he said. "Just trying to help."

"Clement was a Medici," she explained, partially to him and partially to herself. "They were most powerful family in Italy. I thought somehow there would be a key to the coins here."

It was twilight, nearly dark, and they'd yet to catch a break. They'd been all through the city, which Felix noted Leolin knew as well or better than Rome, but they'd eventually been forced to admit they were at a dead end, at least temporarily.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. "I'm starving. And I need wine. Why don't we talk about this over dinner? Then we can have a chance to get to know each other better."

She gave him a withering look and he held up his hands in defense.

"For once, I am not hitting on you. I'm just _starving. _I mean, don't you eat? Oh, don't give me that look, you're the one who dragged me on this quest in the first place."

"Fine," she said, seemingly satisfied with his defense. "Let's go, then."

She led him to a small, dingy-looking door, but before he could protest, he realised it was probably led to Wizarding Florence. They'd been weaving between Muggle and Magical all day, and Leolin navigated them both seamlessly.

He was right, and they emerged onto a now-familiar cobblestone street where witches and wizards hurried by, the older ones wearing robes and caps and the younger ones dress more stylishly, like Felix and Leolin. Owl hooted and books snarled in the shop windows. As a muggleborn, Felix never got tired of the wizarding world. Eventually Leolin led him off the main street into a more narrow passage, eventually pointing to a small but luxurious restaurant.

"Here?" he asked, she nodded, allowing him to hold the door for her.

"Naomi!" the maitre'd cried happily. "Bona sera, bella! Como stai?"

"Bene," she said in her same French accent from the portkey shop in Rome. "Good to see you, Michele."

He nodded.

"Who is this?" he said, eying Felix appreciatively.

"A friend," she clarified in the same musical tone.

"You a francese?" the man asked Felix. "You look like a Francese."

"Québecois," he said, daring the man to make a disparaging comment.

"Same thing, non?" he laughed. "Avanti, mia bella. we make your regular table ready. No Severina tonight?"

"I'm afraid not. She just had a new baby."

"Si, Bernardino tell me this. Another girl?"

"Yes" she said. "As beautiful as the other two."

"How could she no be, with two Borgia for parents."

Leolin gave a lovely laugh, though Felix was afraid to. They were ushered to a discreet table near the back but away from the kitchen.

"Thank you," Leolin said, kissing the man's cheek. "As always,you're too generous."

"For you, Naomi? Anything."

He was the second person to tell her that. Felix wondered why.

"Wine?" she said before he could comment, snapping her fingers to catch the attention of the server, who she also seemed to know. They conversed in Italian for a long while before she ordered.

"Do you like Sangiovese?" she asked.

He nodded.

"So," he said, folding his hands and resting them on the table. "After today, I think you owe me some answers."

She studied him, his slender face, his long, straight nose, his dark eyes. They were sparkling with the ghost of a smile, but his expression wasn't its usual arrogant smirk.

"Alright," she said at last, still studying him. "That seems fair. You get five questions."

"Twenty," he countered easily, a cocky tone emerging.

"Seven."

"Eighteen."

"Seven."

"Fifteen."

"Seven."

"Fine. Seven and I get to have sex with you."

She growled in frustration and he laughed.

"C'mon, Lefevre, can't get something for nothing! Ten."

She had to fend off a smile, though even she wasn't sure quite why.

"Fine, ten."

He smiled, happy to have won their negotiation.

"But I get two vetoes."

He considered.

"Fine."

"Fire away, then," she said, taking a sip of wine.

"Why does everyone here call you Naomi?"

"Veto."

"What was it you did while you were here?"

"I was an art dealer."

"Why art?"

"I studied at the Louvre for a year and I love it."

"How did you meet Severina?"

"We met in England when I was still in school and dating Draco."

"So you've been friends all this time?"

"No, I hated her when we met."

"Interesting," he mused. "How did you get so close, then?"

She considered this for a full minute, trying to decide if she wanted to use a veto.

"I came to her with the art business, and she was reluctant, but she liked the idea and decided she wanted in. Once we started spending time together, we just sort of fell in love."

"Does _she _know why people here call you Naomi?"

"Of course," she said flippantly.

He nodded, taking a sip of his wine as he contemplated his next question. He was silent so long that Leolin began to fidget. Finally he spoke.

"How long were you together with Malfoy?"

She narrowed her eyes. She clearly didn't like this line of questioning.

"We started dating when I was sixteen, we got engaged when I was eighteen, and we were getting married when I was twenty."

He considered this, nodding and taking another sip of wine. Finally he looked at her, his gaze penetrative.

"Why did you leave him at the altar?"

"Veto," she said immediately, her eyes sad.

"Alright," he said, not wanting to press what was clearly a painful subject. Instead he changed angles.

"You're an art dealer," he said. "So you must know a lot of people."

"Is there a question in here somewhere?" she said dryly. "If there is, I would very much like to hear it."

"There is," he assured her, raising his eyebrows.

"Go on, then," she prompted. "Let's not wait for the grass to grow."

"Do you know La Genie du Mal personally?"

"Veto," she said automatically.

"You've used your vetoes up," he pointed out, giving her a smirk.

She pursed her lips.

"Fine," she said simply.

"Well?" he pressed.

"Yes," she admitted. "I know them."

"How?"

"That's your eleventh question," she said, seemingly relieved. "So none of your business."

He smiled, drinking her in.

"It was still very illuminating," he said. "Though I should have asked the Naomi question last. I have a feeling it might have answered the La Genie question."

"But if you'd asked the La Genie question first I would have just vetoed it," she parried easily.

"Which would have been an answer in an of itself," he countered.

She gave him a look that was a mix of mild annoyance and admiration.

"You're not nearly as stupid as you look," she said appreciatively.

"Not sure if that was an insult or a compliment, but I'll take it."

She gave a laughed, the first he'd managed from her, and it warmed him from the inside, like a pleasant sip of expensive whiskey.

"I misjudged you," she said in response. "You're not the man I thought you were."

"Again, not sure—"

"That was a compliment," she said, smiling a little.

"In that case," he said, beaming and raising a glass to her. "Thank you."

She touched it with hers.

"You're welcome."

They ordered their food then lapsed into a comfortable silence, and when Leolin caught him looking at her again and smiling, she gave another warm laugh.

"See, it's pleasant, isn't it?"

"What is?" he asked, running his finger around the rim of his wine glass. By now they'd drank nearly a bottle and a half.

"Being friends with a woman."

He grinned.

"It is, especially one as smart as you. However, in the name of full disclosure, you should know that I still desperately want to sleep with you."

She shrugged affably, less offended than she had been before.

"That'll fade."

"Peut être," he conceded. "But you could just sleep with me tonight and help me get over it immediately."

She didn't respond, instead taking another sip of wine as she eyes him with a glittering gaze. She set the glass down and gave him a seductive smirk, extending an elegant hand across the table as if she wanted to hold his. Foolishly feeling as if he was gaining ground, he smirked, though it faded when she grabbed his fingers quick as a snake and slapped his hand with great force.

"Stop doing that!" he said sullenly.

"Then stop doing that," she said mildly.

"How is that helping?" he demanded, still nursing his throbbing fingers.

"I'm training you," she said with a blithe smile. "Like a puppy. The first rule is to teach boundaries."

"Would you beat a puppy like this?" he asked.

"I could spray you in the face with water, if you'd prefer."

"Fine," he said, laughing in spite of himself. "Friends, then?"

He extended his hand this time, and she eyed it warily.

"I'm not going to hit you," he said, laughing at her unease. "And even if I tried, you'd probably just break my wrist."

Her face fell slightly as she shrunk farther away from his touch, and his brow synched in sympathy.

"I'm sorry," he said immediately. "I didn't think before I said that."

"I know you didn't," she said softly, her palm sliding into his. "And it's alright. I'm tougher than I look."

He gave her a warm smile.

"I have no doubt."

When there plates were cleared Felix split the rest of the bottle between their two glasses and sighed.

"Alright," he said. "What's our next move?"

She considered.

"I don't know. Medici popes always answered to the family in the end. I was sure "Clement's Keeper" was something to do with them."

"Well have we exhausted all possible Medici places?"

"Yes," she said. "I think I'm just on the wrong track."

"Okay," he said. "Let's think about this more generally. No wrong answers, just ideas. He was a pope, right? So he lived in Rome?"

"During his pontificate, yeah."

"Did he have a villa or anything there?"

She shook her head.

"Well where did he live?"

"In the Vatican palace. In the Julius apartments, I think."

"Maybe his 'keeper' was a physical place; the literal roof over his head. Is the Vatican open this time of night? Maybe we should go there."

She gave him a critical look he couldn't interpret.

"What?" he demanded. "Did I say something wrong?"

"The Vatican is closed," she said cryptically, as if there was more to the story.

"Okay, so we go back to Borgia's and—"

"Can I trust you?" she interrupted.

"What?" he asked, caught off guard by the question.

"Can I trust you?" she repeated.

"Of course."

"Then we're going to the Vatican tonight."

"I thought you said it was—"

"There is more than one way into the palace," Leolin said, throwing down a handful of monetedores and standing. "Luckily for us, I'm not accustomed to using the front gates."

By the time they'd arrived back on the main street, she was on the floo with Severina.

"We're on our way back to Rome," she said. "We're going to the Vatican palace."

"Va bene," came Severina's reply. "Will you want to come back here after?"

"Yes," Leolin said. "Probably."

"We will wait up for you, then."

Leolin clicked the floo closed and dragged Felix down the street.

"How are we getting there?"

"Portkey."

"Another one of Naomi's shops?"

She shook her head.

"I don't trust Florentines as much. C'mon."

She took a hold of his shirt and disapparated, eventually landing them in from of a lavish palace.

"What is this?" he said appreciatively.

"The Palazzo Capponi. It's been here since the fifteenth century."

She drew her wand and the front door clicked open. She swept through the halls and he followed, distracted by the classical statues in the niches and the extraordinary frescoes on the ceilings.

"Merlin, this place is incredible," he breathed. "Who owns it?"

She gave him a grave look over her shoulder.

"I do."

"You do," he pressed. "or Naomi does?"

"It's a—joint venture," she said flippantly.

"What are you looking for?" he asked, practically chasing her she flit from room to room.

Finally she arrived at a lavish office, a beautiful Renaissance painting on the wall that he could have sworn he'd seen in a Muggle museum before.

"Isn't that—" he began, but he cut her off.

"Shut up," she replied, digging in a drawer she'd opened with her wand.

"What are you lookin—"

"Shut up," she repeated, but this time she looked over her shoulder at him in a penitent gesture. "Please."

He nodded, pretending to lock his mouth with the key. She drew out what she was looking for, an ancient-looking seal, and muttered a spell. He raised his hand like he was in class, and she caught a glimpse of him in her peripheral.

"What?" she snapped somewhat breathlessly.

At first it seemed like she was annoyed, but he realised after a beat she was nervous. Fretful, even.

"What's wrong?" he asked, lowering his hand sheepishly. "Are you alright?"

"We shouldn't have gone out. We should have eaten here."

"Why?" he said. "I thought you could trust—Michele, or whatever."

"I wasn't thinking," she said. "But now I am. We have no idea who could have seen us. C'mon. We need to get out of here and get to Rome. I feel better there. It's a much bigger city."

He nodded his agreement, and they clung to the seal as it glowed. When it stopped spinning, he found himself staring at a crinellated stone wall.

"What's this?" he asked even as she was tugging him by the collar.

"The outside wall of the Vatican palace. C'mon, hurry up."

He followed her, admiring the way she slunk gracefully along the wall, effortlessly becoming part of the structure as well. Normally she exuded a magnetic feminine energy that made her irresistible to look out. However, now that she was in stealth mode, she truly felt invisible. Some form of recognition began to stir in his brain, and somehow the fact that she admitted she knew La Genie seemed one billion times more relevant. However, by now he knew better than to question her, so he followed as she dodged around several security measures, hopped a few low fences, and finally unlocked a door that could only be found by someone who cared to look could find.

"C'mon," she said again, unmoved by his gaping. She didn't seem to have time to worry about whether or not he'd realised the truth about her by now.

He nodded, almost in a daze, and followed her in, at which point she pulled to door shut behind her. There were a number of security measures inside, all of which he assumed must have been Muggle, and she hurried cautiously along.

"Lefevre," he hissed in a whisper. "Slow down. There's no one here."

She turned to glare at him but eventually heeded him, slowing to a normal pace so he could fall into step with her.

"Where are we going?"

"You're a Muggle. Have you ever heard of _The School of Athens_?"

"I suppose," he said.

"That's where we're going."

"Into the painting?!" he exclaimed in alarm.

Even to a wizard it seemed absurd. She rolled her eyes.

"First of all, _The School of Athens_ is a fresco; it's painted on the wall. Second, no, you're an idiot. I mean to the room where the fresco is. La Sala della Segnatura.

He nodded as if that meant something to him if only to avoid being chided by her again. However, he didn't allow her barbs to sink in too deep; he could tell by her stance that she was still extremely uneasy, and he thought about what she'd told him about Adrian Pucey. From where he was standing, he didn't blame her for being scared. Eventually they reached the apartments that had belonged to Julius II, who Leolin had informed her was also a squib, and while he marveled at Raphael's magnificent frescoes, she scowered them for clues.

After some time she shook her head.

"There's nothing here; we have to keep moving."

She started down a set of stone spiral steps, and he scrambled after him.

"Where are we going now?"

"The Borgia apartments," she said.

"Borgia?" he repeated stupendously. "As in Severina Borgia?"

"As in Rodrigo Borgia, later Alexander Sextus, the 214th pope of the holy church."

"Severina's ancestor was a Muggle?!"

She laughed.

"Julius may have been a squib, but Alexander certainly wasn't. He and his son Cesare were two of the greatest wizards of their age."

"So what are we looking for here?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "It's a long shot, but it might be useful."

She then ushered him in the most resplendent room he'd even been in. The walls were dripping with gold leaf and brilliant colour, and everywhere he looked the imperious Borgia bull heralded the family's power. A power, he noted, that had not been dimmed in the five centuries that had passed since Alexander first commissioned the apartments. Leolin seemed unaffected by the room's spendour, making it clear she'd spent an abundance of time in them. She scanned the frescoes quickly and efficiently, shaking her head at him.

"Nothing?" he asked.

She shook her head again before starting through an arched entryway.

"Where to?"

"I need to think," she said simply, and he viciously bit back his mounting wave of questions and nodded.

When they reached their destination, he nodded in understanding.

"The Sistine Chapel," he said knowledgeably. "I know this place."

"Very good," she said, striding to the centre of the chapel and sitting down on the ground. He watched her but didn't followed.

She gestured him over and he followed, copying her as she lay on her back.

"What are we—"

"Shh," she said. "Just look."

Leolin cast an illuminating spell that made the room glow dimly. The centuries had ceased to lessen the power of Michelangelo's frescoes. He had always had such a keen sense of _terribilitá, _and it was almost overwhelming. The figures had such a power to them, and her eyes traced each line, each figure, imagining them coming to life.

Her eyes bled down to the sibyls on their perches, their precarious poses graceful yet unbalanced. The Libyan sibyl was her favorite. Powerful and strong yet fair of face, she felt like an odd inspiration.

Leolin laid there a long time, letting the art envelop her as she pondered, and Felix didn't complain. Finally she stood, striding forward towards the door she entered through. Felix scrambled up and followed.

Leolin stopped about ten feet away to take in Michelangelo's _Last Judgment. _It was so crowded and so fierce Felix found it hard to look at, but Leolin stood staring. Jesus sat in the middle, passing judgment.

"Merlin," she said quietly. "Oh my days."

"What?" Felix demanded. "What is it?"

"Clement's Keeper," she pleaded, voice quaking. "_Maleficent_, how did I not see this before?"

"See what?!"

"This is _The Last Judgment_," she said. "It's the only piece of art Clement VII ever commissioned. I can't believe I didn't think of it before."

"Why didn't you?" he ventured.

"Clement commissioned a resurrection scene for this wall, but after he died Paul III decided that _The Last Judgment _was a more fitting theme in 1530s Rome. I didn't—" she paused "Everyone also associates this work with Paul."

Felix looked up again, trying to see what she saw. She was still staring at the fresco, growing increasingly fretful.

"So Clement's Keeper is who, Jesus?" he said, trying desperately.

"No,' she said. "Audige wasn't taking about Clement at all! Oh my _gods_!"

"Lefevre!" he burst. "Tell me what's going on! Please!"

"Michelangelo hated Biagio da Cesena, who was the Papal Master of Ceremonies. He kept records of the goings on of each pope's pontificate, including Clement. He was Clement's keeper! The guardian of his records!"

"What does that matter?"

"Biagio hated this fresco," she said. "He said it was shameful, so Michelangelo painted him as Minos, the judge in Hell. There he is, right there!"

She pointed to the figure with ass's ears wrapped painfully by a snake.

"So what does that have to do with Herpo's Vessels?" he demanded.

She turned to his, shaking her head.

"It doesn't! Oh my gods. That's why Adrian laughed when I mentioned them. Oh my _gods_."

"Leolin," he said, gripping her shoulders. "Breathe. What's going on?"

"I was wrong," she said, biting his lip.

"Okay," he said. "How?"

She pointed up to a wild creature whose bulging eyes, which were harsh and stark, looked malevolently down on them.

"Do you know who that is?"

"No?"

"It's Charon," she said quickly. "He's the ferryman. He ferries the souls down the river Styx to the underworld. He's Bones's master. He's the one who taught Bones how to paddle back and forth up the river; he's the one that taught Bones to raise the dead."

Felix's blood went cold.

"Has Brank told you about the painting Adrian stole from Draco's stepdad?"

"A little."

"Did he tell you about the figure in the background?"

He nodded.

"He said it was Herpo."

She shook her head.

"It wasn't. It was Charon. Bones's price isn't Herpo's Vessels. I don't even know if those are real. Bones's price is the same as his masters."

"And what was Charon's price?" Felix asked.

"Coins," Leolin said gravely, a fear mounting in her eyes. "That's what Adrian's hunting. Charon's obols. This changes everything," she continued. "And it means that Adrian is miles ahead of us. He's known this from the start, and I've had my thieves chasing a myth. Oh my gods."

The statement was so overwhelming to Felix that he latched on to the only part he could easily comprehend.

"Thieves?" he repeated stupidly.

She looked at him.

"Surely you've guessed by now," she said softly. "I'm La Genie."

"I—" he stammered, trying to read and memorise the look on her face. "Yeah, I suppose I did."

"C'mon," she said. "We have to get back and tell the others."

Suddenly there was a disturbance at the other end of the chapel. A priest had appeared, and Muggle torch in his hand.

"Who is there?" he demanded in Italian, the artificial light of the torch swinging back and forth. "You cannot be here!"

Felix made to draw his wand, but Leolin waved him off. Leolin narrowed her eyes, heart pounding. Something insidious and dark had began settling around her heart, inspiring a cold sweat.

"Who are you?" she demanded, staying glued to the back wall.

"What are you doing in here?" the man demanded, his eyes snapping to Charon. "What are you looking for?"

"Who says I'm looking for anything?" she said warily

"Don't lie to me," he said, drawing a wand.

Leolin and Felix did the same and they exchanged a fearful glance.

"It's one of the Muggle world's great masterpieces," she countered, breathless. "It's not uncommon to stare."

The man's eyes flitted over her shoulder.

"Is it Charon?" he asked. "Have you puzzled it out at last, Leolin?"

"How do you know my name?" she said, trying to distract the man so Felix could strike.

However, the man seemed to sense this, and he fired a quick hex at Felix, knocking him unconscious as he disarmed Leolin.

"I know a great deal about you," he explained in a rasp.

Leolin hurled a curse, and the man dodged it with amazing dexterity. Her eyes flitted to Felix, who lay motionless on the the floor.

"Give up, Lefevre," the man said. "You're defenseless.

"Who are you?" she demanded, backing away. "Did Adrian send you?"

The man laughed.

"Do you have so many enemies that you don't know who you fighting?"

"Is that a yes?" she said, stalling for time. She tried not to think about what was going to happen if she failed to escaped and this man, whoever he was, dragged her back to Adrian.

"He'll be pleased," the faux priest said in answer. ""He was getting worried you might be gaining on him." he laughed again. "He'll be happy to know you're miles behind him."

Leolin felt a force slouching towards her solitary mind, and she immediately put up a defense.

"An occulmen, I see," he said. "How interesting. I suppose then I will have to cleave the answer from you as I strip the flesh from you bones."

He hurled a terrible curse, and Leolin narrowly dodged it. She had to do something. Seeing no other course of action, she tore forward, knocking the man off his feet as she crashed into him. He was strong for his age, and Leolin felt herself losing control of the fight. The priest drew a knife from his cassock that wasn't so terribly different from the one that Severina had given her. He immediately turned the knife on Leolin and they grappled with it. Finally, Leolin knocked it from his hand and it skittered off across the floor.

Leolin was off like a shot, falling to Felix's side and frantically trying to revive him. He was stirring now, albeit slowly, and she shook him.

"Felix! Get up!"

By then the priest had recovered, grabbing her by the collar and dragging her back as she tried to scramble away. She swore that he'd aged in reverse and grown in bulk, but the idea was absurd that he was somehow transforming before her eyes, and she shook her head.

"Let me go!" she screamed as they continued to struggle.

Finally the man managed to wrestle her under his crushing grip, and he began squeezing the life out of her with his bare hands.

"Please," she croaked. "Adrian! He wants me alive."

However, he know seemed a man possesed. His eyes, which had seemed dark at first, were suddenly an eerie maroon.

"Please. Stop."

She was flitting in and out of consciousness now. Was this really how she died?

Vainly she sought to pry the hands away, but there was no stopping him. She thought grimly of Adrian. Her only solace now was knowing she would be lost to him. Her vision was going black at the edges, and the darkness was closing in quickly. Her last thoughts were of Draco. She wished she could have told him that she loved him one final time...

Suddenly the pressured weakened, and Leolin screamed when she saw the knife protruding from the man's chest. He groaned, blood pouring from the wound and onto her, before collasping on top of her, dead. She frantically pushed him off and stood, meeting Felix's eye for the first time.

He stood numbly holding the knife, his hand shaking and his face white as a sheet. She ran forward, throwing her arms around him. For a moment he was immobile, but after several seconds he let the knife clatter to the ground, his arms wrapping numbly around her.

"I killed him," he said in a hollow voice, watching the dark blood slither farther and farther across the resplendent marble floor.

She gently grabbed his face and kissed him solidly on the lips. She did so several times before wrapping her arms around his shoulders again.

"Thank you," she breathed in his ear, dragging her nails through his hair. "You saved my life."

He nodded, and as she pulled away he looked down at his hand, which were stained crimson.

"I can't believe I killed someone," he said numbly. "Oh my gods."

"Look at me," she breath softly. When he did as she commanded, she kissed him softly on the lips again. "It fades," she assured him, touching his cheek again. "This feeling, I promise it goes away."

"You?" he asked dazedly.

She nodded.

"In New Orleans," she clarified.

"I feel—" he began, and she nodded again.

"I know. But we have to go. Someone else knows we're here, and we have to be gone by the time they arrive."

She peeled her blood-soaked jacket off and dropped it on the ground, her breathing beginning to grow tapered again. She then offered him her hand, and they tore off. She flicked open her floo as they ran.

"Sev," she said. "Meet us at Termini."

"What's happening?" she demanded.

"Adrian," Leolin said, voice quaking. "I don't know how, but somehow he knew where to find us. He sent someone."

"Are they following you?" Severina asked.

"No," Leolin said, pausing. "They're dead. Felix killed them. Sev, Adrian knows I'm here. He's going to be waiting at the border."

"No,' Severina said. "There are other ways. Non ti preoccupare."

"Come to Termini," Leolin said, almost begging now as she and Felix exchanged a panicked look. "I need you."

"I'll meet you there, tesoro," Severina promised gravely. "Don't do anything until I tell you."

"Okay," she said, exhaling a stale breath. "Okay."

By this time they'd reached Termini, she and Felix, and they passed through the abandoned shop that lead to the Wizarding side. Severina was already waiting for them.

She pulled Leolin into a tight embrace before embracing Felix as well. She then grabbed Leolin by the shoulders.

"Go to the window and buy a ticket to Paris. There is a man in the farthest both called Ambrogino. Go to him and make sure he sees your passport. He works for Pucey, I am positive, and if he thinks you're going to France, he'll pass the message along."

Leolin nodded.

"Then what?" this is where it grows thorny, cara mia. You need to board to France train, and you must wait until the customs agent sees you. After they do, you need to apparate onto the London train."

"How can I—"

"With this," Severina said, holding up what looked like a flat river stone. "It will help you bypass the train's wards. However, it is still going to be very resistant. You need to focus or it will splice you. Capisce?"

Leolin accepted the stone.

"Yes."

"Bene," Severina said, touching her cheek. "We will see you in a few minutes. Come with me Chaisson."

Felix, who'd regained some normalcy, gave Leolin a weak smile.

"Kiss for good luck, bichette?"

She laughed feebly, allowing him to take a trembling hand.

"We will see you soon."

She nodded, heading for the ticket window. She found Ambrogino, a tall, sallow man of no more than twenty, easily enough, and she made a great frantic show of buying the ticket to Paris. He eyed her passport keenly as he fixed her ticket and she prayed to Merlin that he'd bought her ploy. Numbly she boarded the train, waiting until she heard the London-bound steamer scream it's departure. Gripping the stone tightly and picturing the car as best she could, she apparated.

It was, as Severina had intimated, excruciating. It felt as if the normal tube of apparation had been heated until it glowed white hot, and she was sweating by the time she appeared in the train car. She collapsed again's Severina's chest, and the latter stroked her hair.

"You made it," she said soothingly. "You're safe."

"What about when we get to England?" Felix said, looking unsettled as well.

"I have someone I can trust there," Severina assured him. "We'll be safe."

He nodded, and they fell into a silence that lasted a solid two hours. Severina had fallen asleep, and Leolin and Felix were both staring out the window at the blackened landscape.

"Chaisson," Leolin said finally, looking at him.

He turned to meet her eye but didn't otherwise respond.

"Are you alright?"

He considered this question thoughtfully.

"It's been a long twenty-four hours," he admitted.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this," she said.

"I admit I've never gone to this great of lengths to sleep with a woman before," he said, smiling despite everything.

She raised her hand to strike him and he shirked away, laughing.

"Don't hit me," he demanded. "Haven't I been through enough tonight?"

She lowered her hand, unable to fend off a smile.

"I suppose I will allow that comment considering you did save my life."

He nodded, smirking.

"Much appreciated."

"But next time—"

"I know, I know," he said in a good-natured voice.

They lapsed into another silence, this one less definitive, until Felix finally broke it.

"Does he know?" he asked.

"Who?" Leolin said, pulse quickening. At this point she felt she owed him some answers, but she still didn't want to have to talk about Draco.

"Malfoy," Felix said. "Does he know about La Genie?"

"Yes," she said simply.

"What does he think about it?"

"Why does it matter?" she said in mild agitation.

She didn't want to have to think about Draco right now. She was too raw from everything she'd learned.

"Because you're still desperately in love with him," Felix replied evenly.

"I told you last night," she warned. "_Don't _pry into my affairs."

"I can help you," he said. "I _want_ to help you, if you'll let me."

"I don't," she sneered. "Butt out."

"Lefevre," he said seriously, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees. "If you want to get out of this mess you're in with Malfoy and this gag, you need my help."

"At what price?" she snapped.

He looked a little pained.

"None."

"I don't want you help," Leolin said angrily. "And I don't need you snooping into my business with Draco or Adrian or anyone else."

"_You_ dragged _me_ into this, remember?" he snapped. "You came to me for help!"

"My first mistake," she said in a caustic tone.

"You want to know why I only sleep with women and never date them? _This_ is why. I'm _trying _to fucking help you, and you're being a bitch."

"I told you I don't want your help," she snarled. "And you're despicable for even thinking that about women, never mind saying it out loud."

He made to respond, but Severina was stirring now, and she gave him an incredibly fierce look. Knowing he was now out-numbered, he shook his head in disgust and looked out the window. However, he didn't have long to sulk. The train was slowing now as it heralded its arrival into King's Cross with a shrill shriek.

"Are you ready, tesoro?" Severina said, smoothing Leolin's hair back.

"No," Leolin admitted, throwing a glance at Felix.

"Don't worry," Severina assured them as they stood. "I do this often."

She stood and took Leolin's hand and Felix followed them as they made there way off the train and to the entrance to the street. Though she usually shone like the sun, Severina, much like Leolin, seemed to be able to become almost invisible when it suited her. She made her way discreetly to the gate she wanted and slipped inside it without much trouble.

"Severina," the man said when he said her. "Il capitano Pucey è qui, e lui sta controllando sempre la linea, anche il mio. Non è la solita routine. Lui sa qualcosa."

Leolin froze, blood suddenly ice cold.

"What did he say?" Felix demanded, seeing Leolin beginning to fret.

"Adrian," she breathed. "He's here. He's looking for us."

"Severina," the man said. "You be careful. Please."

She nodded, grabbing Leolin firmly by the crook of the elbow and leading her and Felix to the short tunnel that separated the entrance from the main terminal in which the aurors most often conducted their sweeps. She waved drew her wand and muttered a spell, and a heavy ring materialised from nothing and fell into her palm. As she was doing so, Leolin was yanking off her boots and stuffing them into her purse. Before Felix could question any of this, Leolin extended a shaky hand as Severina prepared to slide the ring onto her finger.

"Ready, cariña?"

"What is that?" Felix interrupted. His stomach had began to ache so fiercely he wanted to vomit. He didn't.

"It's a ring of invisibility," Severina explained.

"Well where has that been all this time?" he demanded, growing more anxious as he watched Leolin slowly melting down.

"It's not permanent," Severina snapped. "It lasts ten minutes, maybe less. That doesn't give us a big window if we get jammed up, so try forgot Leolin is even with us, follow me, and don't look anyone in the eye. Capisce?"

"Yes," he said, glancing at Leolin again.

He was torn between resenting her and feeling guilty for what he'd said.

"Ready?" Severina repeated to Leolin, who took a shaky breath.

"Yes," she said, extending her hand again.

Severina slid the ring on her finger and Leolin promptly disappeared. As they started off, Felix realised why Leolin must have taken off her shoes. In stocking feet, she wasn't making a sound. Severina was attempting her disappearing act, but before anything even happened Felix could tell it wasn't going to work. Everyone was on a razor's edge, even if her smallest iteration, Severina couldn't completely suppress her powerful aura. Besides, the space was small. There was no way around the blockade. As instructed, Felix tried not to think about Leolin, whether she was in front of them or behind or beside them, and he kept pace with Severina easily.

"Joder," she pleaded to herself, and Felix sensed that she too was scared. "Leolin, stay close to me."

Felix didn't have time to ask what was happening, because by that time the answer was slinking towards them gracefully.

Adrian Pucey was just as Leolin had described. He was tall, though not extraordinarily so, and very lean. He was very predictably and indeed almost stereotypically dressed in villainous black from head to toe. It was only his camel-coloured coat, its collar turned up, and the gleaming badge at his hip that interrupted the monotony of the ensemble. He had fierce, unnaturally light brown eyes that were almost gold in the terminal's light, and when his lips skinned back from his teeth in a feral sneer, his teeth were unnaturally white.

"Severina Borgia," Adrian sneered, crossing his arms across his chest. "What a nasty little surprise you are. Who's your friend?"

His gaze bled to Felix and he eyed him contemptuously.

"None of your business," Severina replied unflinchingly. If Felix hadn't just seen her shaking, he would have said she wasn't afraid at all. "and I could say the same to you."

Adrian wasn't really listening; he was still studying Felix. He sorely wanted to reach for Leolin's hand. But he knew he dared not. Finally Adrian gave a cold, unkind smile.

"I know your face," he told Felix. "You're part of Brankovitch's crew. Chaisson, isn't it?"

Adrian raised his eyebrows expectantly. Felix wasn't sure how to respond, particularly considering his instinct was to draw his wand and crucio Adrian, but Severina saved him the trouble.

"Always so pathetically eager to show off how smart you are," Severina said pityingly. "You ready are still just an eager schoolboy at heart, aren't you, Adrian?"

Adrian gave Severina one of the ugliest looks Felix had ever seen, and if he said it wasn't frightening he would have been lying.

"Watch you tongue, you miserable little whore," Adrian snapped at her, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her forward. "Your husband's not here to save you today."

"I don't need saving," Severina said, wrenching away. "Get out of my way."

She made to brush past him and he grabbed her, this time by the arm.

"Not so fast, my little Italian princess. You have something of mine, and I want it back."

Severina pursed her lips.

"And what's that?"

Adrian gave dark grin, leaning in as if were a secret.

"Lefevre."

Felix felt a slight pressure on his right wrist and he knew it must be Leolin. He forced himself not to react, even in comfort.

"I know she was in Rome with you tonight," Adrian continued. "Give her back to me."

Felix tried to tally the minutes. Time was running out, and quickly.

"I don't 'have' her," Severina sneered. "And you can't either."

"Can't I?" he shot back.

Severina curled her lip further, giving him a look as ugly or uglier than the one he'd given her.

"You don't frighten me," she said solidly.

He smiled, eyes glittering like monetedoros.

"But I frighten her, don't I? Did you tell her what I did to her wrist?"

She raised a hand and he clucked his tongue, wagging an elegant finger back and forth.

"Ah, ah, ah, Rina," he said mockingly. "Lay one finger on me and I haul you in."

She smiled as if suddenly realising something.

"Unless I do, you have no authority to keep me here," she said. "We both know that."

"Give. Me. Lefevre," he snapped. "_Now_."

"She went to Paris," Severina said, her tone finally betraying her unease.

"Don't lie to me Borgia.I know what she found in Rome. Now she's running back to Malfoy to give him the good news. Where is she?"

She shook her head, and Felix felt the grip on his wrist tighten. They had three minutes at the most.

"I told you—"

"It doesn't matter," he interrupted imperiously. "I'll tear that train to bits. She can't hide from me."

"Evidently she can," Severina said. "Since she's hiding from you right now."

"Ah," Adrian said, smiling. "So she _is _with you!"

Severina didn't reply and his smile widened. He'd set that trap perfectly, and she'd walked right into it.

"Would you like to stay and wait for me to find her, or do you prefer I allow you to scurry back to Malfoy so the two of you can concoct some half-baked plot to sneak her out of here? I don't care either way."

Felix fought not to look at his watch. They couldn't have more than ninety seconds now. Severina must have realised this by now, but she remained—at least outwardly—languid and calm.

"Take this place apart brick by brick for all I care; I would think you're going to have un _diavolo _of a time finding her in London when she's actually in Paris. As for keeping me here, you don't have that authority."

He grit his teeth. Merlin, they had less than a minute now.

"Not yet," he said. "But that day is coming, I assure you."

"Perhaps," Severina agreed. "But until it does, you have no dominion over me."

He sneered.

"Step. Aside, Pucey," Severina grit out.

Felix could tell that even she was starting to panic. Finally, Adrian acquiesced.

"I'll give Leolin you're regards when I find her, shall I?" Adrian said.

Severina was already striding away, Felix on her heels. Leolin had brushed so close by his she'd almost touched Adrian, and Felix could tell, even without seeing or hearing her, that she'd taken off at a dead sprint. He only hoped she reached the door before the charm wore off.

"Not if I give her yours first," Severina snapped. "Andiamo."

When Adrian finally turned back, Severina grabbed Felix's wrist. Her palm was clammy with a cold sweat.

"Don't hurry," she breathed. "No sudden movements."

He nodded, and it felt like an eternity before they finally pushed through the doors and into the chilly night. As soon as they were free, Severina looked wildly around. However, it was unnecessary. Leolin flew into her arms, sobbing and shaking.

"Shh, cariña," Severina said, smoothing back Leolin's long hair. "It's over. You're safe."

"Take me home, Sev," she begged. "Please take me home."

Severina nodded, grabbing Felix's wrist while Leolin was still pressed to her chest, and in a snap they were gone and spinning towards the secluded manor. Felix held open the gate for Severina and Leolin, who'd never put her shoes back on. Instead she picked her way up the gravel drive, no longer crying but still shaking a little.

They ushered her into the foyer and upstairs, at which point Severina touched her cheek.

"I have to call Xavy," she said softly. "I promised him I would. Will you be alright? I won't be long."

Leolin nodded.

"Go," she said, sounding more steady now. "I'll be fine."

"I'll sleep in your bed with you tonight?"

Leolin nodded again, and Severina kissed her cheek and swept off.

"Leolin—" Felix began.

She shook her head, arms wrapped around herself like she was afraid she would fall apart if she let go.

"Go away," she said in a soft but stern voice. "I haven't forgotten what you said, and I just want to be alone."

"Leolin—"

"I said go!" she said.

"Fine," he said, half in frustration and half in defeat. "I will see you in the morning."

She slammed her door in his face in response. He hung his head, which had grown absurdly heavy, and trudged to his own room, flopping onto the bed. He was exhausted from the day's going on and his lids immediately swept closed. However, the minute they did he found himself haunted by Adrian's Pucey's creepy golden stare and the pool of blood that had crept outwards from the corpse of the priest. Leolin had been right; he ought to be afraid, and as he lay there in the dark, Adrian's taunts and Charon's bulging eyes swirling in his mind, he realised for the first time just how afraid he really was.


	23. Chapter 22: Hit 'Em High, Hit 'Em Low

**FIVE THOUSAND NEW WORDS AND BOATLOADS OF NEW CONTENT. PLEASE REVIEW.**

**Chapter 21: Hit 'Em High, Hit 'Em Low**

"_So how are things with Ginny? It feels like I haven't seen her in an age."_

_Draco and Blaise were in a private booth at The Em, their feet propped on the glass table in front of them as they smoked expensive cigars._

"_As if you have to ask," Blaise said, a rare but genuine smile spreading across his face._

"_That's great." Draco said._

_"I didn't know it was possible to be this happy," Blaise admitted._

_"Good for you," Draco said._

_"The crazy part is that she's going to say yes!_

_Draco laughed._

"_Isn't that the point?"_

"_Well obviously," Blaise said. "But I never imagined I'd actually get here."_

"_Would that I could time travel to eighteen-year-old you," Draco laughed. "He would piss himself when he found out you were going to marry Weasley."_

"_I really thought I was going to lose her to sodding Carmichael," Blaise said. "Shouldn't have brought Riley to your wedding."_

_Draco bowed his head, obviously thinking about it._

"_It all sorted itself in the end. Can't fuck with fate, I suppose."_

_There was a charged silence, and Blaise was sure they were thinking the same thing. If one truly couldn't fuck with fate, then Draco was still destined to marry Leolin. However, Blaise prudently didn't point this out._

"_No one actually believes in that shite, right?" Draco said at last, clenching his jaw._

"_I don't," Blaise said. "I wouldn't have been sweating bullets for eight years if I did."_

"_Good point," Draco said, leaning back and sipping his scotch._

_Blaise, wanting desperately to change the subject, gave soft frown. "Can I ask you something?"_

_"Didn't you just?" Draco replied dryly._

_"Have you and Gen started taking about kids yet?"_

_"We had a scare about six months ago, but other than that, no. Why?"_

_"Ginny brought it up last night, and I can't decide if I find it exhilarating or terrifying."_

_"Like I said," Draco said flippantly. "I wouldn't really know."_

_"Right," Blaise said. "I just thought_—"

_"Thought what?" Draco demanded sharply._

_Blaise licked his lips._

_"I thought you and Leolin might have discussed it."  
_

_"So what if we did? That was a lifetime ago, and it has no bearing on me and Gen's plans."_

_"I know," Blaise said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject again."_

_"No," Draco said, sighing. "I shouldn't have gotten so shirty. I just_—_I had a dream about her last night. About Lefevre."  
_

_"Where you two_—?" _Blaise began delicately, but Draco shook his head, running his hands through his pomaded hair._

_"No, thank Slytherin," Draco sighed. "We weren't really doing anything. We were just lying on this beach, and she was smiling at me. Then all of the sudden she jumped up and took up and I ran after her. Every time I got close she disappeared again, and right as I was about to finally catch her, I woke up."_

_"What do you suppose it means?" Blaise asked, considering. _

_"I don't know," Draco said. "Nothing. I mean it's just a dream, right?"_

_Blaise shrugged._

_"Did you tell Gen?"_

_"Why would I? She's riled up enough about Lefevre enough as it is. It's driving me mental."_

_"Well at the risk of hacking you off, do you think it might mean_—?"

"_No," Draco snapped. "Don't even start."_

"_I'm sorry."_

_"I love Gen, Blaise," Draco said forcefully. "As much as I ever loved Leolin. Maybe more."_

_Blaise blinked back his surprise. He hadn't Draco say her name out loud if over two years._

_"You have to accept that, and tell Ginevra the same. I can't deal with her secret agenda anymore."_

_Blaise nodded._

_"I'm sorry, know we just want you to be happy."  
_

_"I am," Draco affirmed. "More than I've even been."_

_Blaise nodded._

"_Right," Blaise said. "Enough about the womenfolk. Let's get legless."_

* * *

Leolin woke up and blinked several times before slowly sitting up. She'd had a dream where she'd been sleeping in Draco's arms. Or perhaps it hadn't been a dream at all, just a half-conscious longing. Either way, it was painful to accept it wasn't true. The last before had left her feeling naked and raw, and she yearned for Draco's comfort so much that she considering to going to him for a moment. However, she knew she couldn't, and the reality of that fact ached bitterly.

She sat up more fully, rubbing her eyes and looking over at Severina, who sat on the opposite side of the spacious room on the floor, trying to soothe Isadora though the floo.

Isa was wailing, fat tears rolling down her cheeks as she reached out for Severina. Xavier was trying to calm, whispering gently to her in Spanish. She didn't seem swayed by him, but eventually she collapsed onto his shoulder, too spent to cry. Severina tried to continue to soothe her, but Isa was having none of it.

Anaïs appeared now, holding Sonia on one hip and ushering Angelina forward, who sank down, ignoring her sister and speaking to her mother. She too seemed distressed.

"Per che, Mama?" she begged.

"Mama!" Isa sobbed, beginning anew.

"Me despiace, bambinas," Severina said softly. "Zia needs me here."

"I need you, too!" Angelina said, tears welling in her big blue eyes.

"I know, tesoro," Severina said. Leolin could tell from the rounding in her friend's slight shoulders how distressed she was. "I will be back by tonight, I promise."

Angelina nodded dolefully, retreated to Anaïs, whose hair and eyes went dark to match Severina's. Severina watched with a pained expression. The gesture was likely meant to be comforting, but like many of the things Anaïs did, it was uncomfortable. No longer able to bear watching the girls cry, Severina looked desperately at her husband. Anyone who knew the fierce Xavier Borgia would scarcely have been able to believe his face was capable of such genuine anguish.

"Te quiero," Severina whispered to him. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head.

"Don't be. And take your time. We're fine here, vale?"

She nodded, looking back at Isa again.

"Isadora," she said softly. "Mira a Mama." Isadora didn't turn, only cried in Xavier's shoulder. "Me despiace, cariña. Te quiero and te extraño. Te veo pronto."

Isa only clung tighter to her father.

"Isadora," Xavier urged her gently. "dígale adiós a tu madre."

"No," Isa said quietly.

"I love you," Severina said to Xavier instead.

"A tú tambien," he told her. "Come home to me soon, il mio Rina."

She nodded, and with that the call ended in a soft wisp of smoke. Severina gave a short, soft sob. covering her eyes with a manicured hand. Even in private she hated to show weakly. Leolin stood and went to her.

"Sev," she said.

Severina stood and wiped her eyes.

"Leolin," she said, recovering quickly. "Me despiace. I didn't mean for you to hear that." There was a pitcher of water sitting on a side table, and Severina flicked her wand and filled a glass before levitating it to Leolin. "How do you feel?"

Leolin took a grateful sip.

"Better," she affirmed. "Much better."

"Good," Severina said, making the bed with another flick of her wrist before settling on top of it.

"I'm sorry to tear you away from the girls," Leolin said, but Severina was shaking her head.

"Never apologise for needing me, tesoro. I will always be here for you, just as I always know you will be here for me."

"About last night—" Leolin began, but Severina shook her head.

"That wasn't your fault," Severina assured her. "It was Pucey's. His cruelty isn't on you."

Leolin bowed her head.

"I feel pathetic for being so afraid of him," she admitted.

"Don't be," Severina said. "He frightens me, too."

"I just feel like if I had been—"

"Stop punishing yourself, cariña,"Severina ordered. "What's done is done, and you're not to blame for his cruelty. That's his problem, not yours."

"I just wish I could stop feeling so guilty all the time," Leolin said.

Severina scrutinised her gently.

"Are we still talking about Pucey?" she said in a soft voice.

Leolin bit her lip.

"I know Draco is hurting," she said. "But can't he see I am, too? How can he not realise how much I love him?"

"You've said it yourself," Severina pointed out. "The gag is making him sick, tesoro. He will come around, just give him time. I also think you have to accept that you love a difficult man."

"I know," Leolin said. "And I have. It's just—ugh! Why does he have to be _so _difficult all the time?"

Severina laughed.

"You're asking the wrong person. Xavier has ten times the temper Draco ever could. But in the end we have to love them as they are, not as we'd like them to be."

Leolin nodded.

"You're right, as always."

Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Leolin called.

"Ginny," came the reply. "I come bearing breakfast."

"The door's open," Leolin replied.

Ginny came in smiling at Leolin and levitating a large tray casually in front of her.

"Good morning," she said, and Leolin returned her smile gratefully.

It was here that Ginny's eyes flick to Severina.

"Borgia," she said evenly, setting the tray done on the bed.

"Weasley," Severina replied in the same tone.

Leolin looked between them before plucking a grape off the tray and popping it in her mouth. Seemingly having no more to say to Severina, Ginny turned her attention back to Leolin.

"How are you, Bug?" she asked affectionately. "How was Rome?"

She tucked a piece of Leolin's hair gently behind her ear, and Leolin seemed soothed by the action.

"Tense," she admitted.

"Did you figure out Clement's Keeper?" Ginny asked.

Leolin nodded.

"Then someone tried to killed Chaisson and I, Adrian got wind we were in Rome, and he was waiting for us at King's Cross."

"Oh Merlin," Ginny murmurred. "Did he see you?"

Leolin shook her head.

"Rina has a short-term invisibility ring. If she didn't we would have been properly fucked."

"Good thing, then," Ginny said, giving Severina a small smile she returned.

"I know," Leolin said. "Still, it was stressful. He's getting bolder."

Ginny shook her head in disgust.

"How did he bloody get like this? I don't remember him being nearly this bad at Hogwarts. He's changed."

"No," Leolin amended. "This has always been him. The only difference is that in school Drake was always there to keep him in check. You know how much he intimidates Adrian even now."

"Was he was unpopular in school, then?" Severina asked, trying to get a better sense of him.

Leolin shook her head.

"No, he had tons of friends, and you've seen him; he's attractive. He rarely, if ever, slept alone."

"Not to me, he isn't," Severina sneered.

"I know," Leolin said. "But he always had _loads _of girls after him. It used to drive me mental."

"I can't believe Eleanor Riley slept with him," Ginny said in disgust. "She's so sweet."

"Is she?" Leolin asked mildly. "I don't remember you being particularly keen on her when Blaise brought her as his date to the rehearsal dinner."

Ginny pursed her lips.

"Well considering how that shook out," she said. "Can you really blame me?"

"Suppose not," Leolin said.

"Didn't he also sleep with both of the Greengrass sisters?"

"It wasn't just that," Leolin said. "We're fairly positive they had a threesome after the party celebrating Draco not being expelled."

"You're kidding," Ginny said, wrinkling her nose.

"I wish I was," Leolin said, feeling a little sick to her stomach. "But the three of them disappeared suspiciously early, and Astoria never came to bed that night. Pansy said Daphne didn't either."

"That's foul," Ginny said.

"Why are we talking about this?" Leolin said. "Please, can we change the subject?"

"Of course," Ginny said sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Lai."

Leolin shook her head to indicate it was alright, but Severina and Ginny both noticed she's wound her arms protectively around herself.

"We have to focus on the real problem," Ginny said. "How the bleeding hell did he find you so quickly?"

Leolin shook her head again. "I have no earthly idea."

"Could have he tracked you out of England? Had someone waiting in Rome to follow you?"

"No," Leolin said firmly. "He's good, I'll give him that, but no one is that good. I left using Sev's passport, and Rome is huge."

"Maybe one of your Genie contacts tipped him off?"

"Again, it's just not possible. None of those people even know who I really am. There is no way Adrian would be able to get to them."

"Who all knew you were there?" Ginny asked.

"No one," Leolin affirmed. "Just me, Chaisson, Sev, and Xavy."

"Are you sure we can trust Chaisson?" Severina asked.

"He was with me all day," Leolin said. "He wouldn't have had time to get a message to anyone. Besides, he killed the priest, and I saw the look on his face; it wasn't staged."

"Who does that leave?" Ginny said, and her eyes slipped over Severina before snapping back to Leolin.

Severina's expression darkened.

"Lei è grave?" She demanded to Leolin, gesturing to Ginny. "Lei _mi_ avrebbe accusato? Dille di affanculo!"

"Gin please," Leolin said, sounded hurt. "Severina and Xavier are family to me. You know that."

"Lei mi deve delle scuse," Severina sneered, and Leolin nodded.

Ginny look ashamed, cheeks flushing as she addressed Severina. "I'm sorry, Borgia," she said. "I didn't mean that."

"I would sooner die than betray my family," Severina snapped.

"I know that," Ginny affirmed. "I'm sorry."

Severina glowered at her before finally nodding.

"Vale," she said stiffly. "Then I accept your apology."

Leolin took both of their hands.

"Thank you," she said. "As for Adrian, we can worry about him later. Right now I need to shower. Meet you two downstairs?"

They both nodded, and she stood. As soon as the door of the bathroom closed, Severina regarded Ginny with bright eyes.

"I'm not your enemy, you know," she said casually, watching Ginny.

"I know that," Ginny said, fighting not to cross her arm defensively across her chest.

"We aren't in competition for Leolin's affections," Severina continued calmly. "She talked about you and Zabini often while she was away. She never forgot about you."

Ginny exhaled a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding.

"I think you and I could even be friends," Severina continued. "If only you could learn to stop fighting me and start trusting me."

"I never said I didn't trust you," Ginny said, defensive again.

"I can see by the way you look at me that you don't," Severina replied, dark eyes glittering.

"Well, I haven't forgotten what you tried to do to Leolin all those years ago," Ginny admitted.

"And yet you've long since forgiven Draco for the same transgression," Severina pointed out evenly. "Besides, have I not made up for it since then?"

Ginny eyed her but said nothing.

"I assure you its much more pleasant to be my friend that my adversary," Severina said, voice calm. "I don't think you'll like the pressure I'll exert if you try force me from my place at Leolin's side."

"Some might consider that a position you gained through usurpation," Ginny said, her tone a touch cold.

"You can't sit at both her left and her right," Severina pointed out. "Don't be petty."

Ginny let out another stale breath before surveying Severina again. Severina raised her eyebrows as if waiting for Ginny's answer.

"I'm sorry," Ginny bit out at last, sinking next to Severina. "But it's—hard to see you two together and not be—"

"Jealous?" Severina offered. "You're beginning to sound like a spurned lover, Ginevra."

"I've missed Leolin every day she was gone, and I never stop wondering where she was or what she was doing," Ginny defended. "It was exactly—easy to hear she'd been gallivanting around Europe with you, of all people."

"You make it sound like she left you all to on an extended holiday. It wasn't like that. Even after we became friends, she was still sick to be separated from you."

Ginny considered this before finally nodding. Severina extended her hand, and Ginny looked at it for a moment before shaking.

"Friends, then," Severina said, eyes dancing across Ginny's face.

"Yeah," Ginny said. "I suppose so."

Severina smiled.

"Don't look so glum, Weasley," she said. "I've been told that being my friend is rather enjoyable."

Ginny laughed softly at this.

"Good to know," she said, and with that she slipped out of the suite.

* * *

Draco woke feeling latently agitated, and he tried to relax as Gen nestled closer to him. He brought a hand to be back, taking what he hoped would be a calming breath. However, it didn't really help. If anything, it only made him more restless. When Gen readjusted again, mewing contentedly, he fought the urge to nudge her off gently so he could get up.

Despite forgiving her following their spat the previous morning, he couldn't deny how much her words had bothered him. However, it wasn't just that. Leolin had arrived back late the night before, Severina in tow. Draco took from Severina's presence that Leolin had likely run into trouble getting back into England, and the thought made his stomach clench. There was no pointing in denying how desperately he'd wanted to go to her when she'd arrived, and in truth it was only the unpleasant prospect of tangling with Severina that had stopped him. He'd settled for waking Gen up for a round of slow, passionate sex instead, assuring himself that the feeling would be gone by morning.

However, it wasn't. In fact it was worse. He knew he shouldn't, but as his eyes swept closed he allowed himself to indulge in a quick fantasy about Leolin. He justified it by assuring himself it was better than worrying about her and Adrian. He let his mind go, and she unexpectedly appeared to him in an evening gown. He had it hiked to her waist, and he watched her expression of ecstasy in the mirror as he plowed into her from behind.

"Drake," she moaned. "Fuck."

He responded by nipping at her ear, and she shuddered with delight.

"Harder," she demanded, and he happily obliged. Just as he was about to lose it in the dream, his eyes snapped open. He wasn't nearly as close to climax as he'd been in the fantasy, but he could feel his cock beginning to stir.

At this he did nudge Gen off, preferring to shower rather than wake her. He wasn't in the mood for sex.

He was up before she could protest, and in his absence she simply snuggled into the warm indent his body had left. Heaving a soft sigh of relief, he padded to the luxurious bathroom and turned on the steaming tap. The water felt good on his skin, and he tipped his head contentedly back onto the tiles as it washed over him. The steady stream was making it easier to relax, and the knot work of tense muscles in his back slowly released.

He thought of Leolin again, though this time she looked frightened, and Adrian had her tightly by the arm as she struggled vainly against him. He clenched his jaw, teeth grinding painfully together at the thought. He pictured poor Leolin stripped to bra and knickers and trembling in Scabior's filthy coat, and Draco slammed his fist against the wall. He had a sudden urge to find Adrian and rip his upper mandible from his lower, and the thought of it had him so keyed up that he started and Gen's unexpected touch, grabbing her wrist reflexively.

"Sorry," he said, releasing her at once. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Are you alright?" she replied.

"Fine," he said. "I just have a lot on my mind."

She nodded knowingly, sliding her fingers into his wet hair and pulling him down for a kiss. He obliged before pushing his forehead to hers and licking his lips, eyes closed.

"You seem tense," she remarked casually, pressing her palms to his chest and kissing him squarely again. In truth she was probing from information.

"A bit," he admitted, peeling her palms away and kissing each one. When he released them, she slide one down his quivering abdomen, kissing the corner of his mouth and breathing, "I can help with that." She wrapped a hand around his thick shaft and he inhaled sharply.

Understanding what she intended, he gave a soft laugh, urging her hand away.

"You don't have to," he assured her.

"I _want _to," she purred, already sliding down to kneel at his feet.

"Gen," he began, but when her tongue touched the sensitive head, his protestation faded to a groan.

He tipped his head back again, sliding elegant fingers into her hair and pumping gently against her mouth. Before he could stop himself, he was fading back into a fantasy. Or was it a memory? He was standing by the mantle in Leolin's bedroom in the Chateau Lefevre, half-drunk and fighting to keep control. The thought of it made him buck his hips. Oh _gods _he was close. Forcing himself to picture Gen's pink lips around his cock instead of Leolin's, he let go. When it was done she stood, smirking.

"Better?" she asked.

He smiled.

"Much."

She looked pleased, turning her attention to washing her hair and lathering her skin with a fresh-smelling soap. He watched her hungrily before making a decision. He pushed her against the tiles and kissed her.

"Drake," she protested weakly. "I still have shampoo in my hair."

"Then I'll be quick," Draco promised.

It took no time at all to get her ready, and within minutes he was pumping inside of her. He suddenly had to urge for something different. Maybe it as being in the shower, which were Leolin and Draco did most of their experimenting, but suddenly he could think of nothing else.

"Flip over," he commanded hoarsely.

"What?" she said dazedly.

"Turn around," he laughed quietly. "Be a good girl for Daddy and turn around."

She did as she was bid and turned, and he sunk into her tight arse with no preamble. Perhaps she'd been expecting this or perhaps she wasn't as much of a stranger to this act as she'd let on, but she didn't complain, only pushed back against him, making him moan.

"Fuck," he groaned quietly, grabbing her hips and getting impossible deep.

"Oh gods," she pleaded, and he fought not to freeze at the utterance.

That was Leolin's voice.

"Don't stop," Leolin airy lilt instructed.

Fuck, why had he allowed himself to indulge in that fantasy earlier? He should have known this was going to happen. He still hadn't moved, vainly hoping to dislodge Leolin from his brain. However, Gen took the initiative and began pumping along his length. The minute she did he knew it was over. She was Leolin now, totally and completely, and it was driving him wild with desire. It felt so good he had to bite back her name, which had been dancing along the tip of his tongue since they'd begun.

"Draco, gods," Gen screamed, drawing him back.

He rode her faster in response, knowing he wasn't going to be able to dislodge the thought of Leolin and just wanting to get it over with. He was close, dangerously close now and when he spilled into her he moaned, "I love you."

When he pulled out, Gen turned in his arms.

"I love you, too," she said desperately.

He let her kiss him a final time before pushing her back under the pretext was rinsing her hair. She tilted her head as he washed her clean.

"I love you," she repeated when he was done.

He gave her a dazzling smile, feeling guilty it was somewhat faked.

"I need to get out," he laughed. "I'm starting to look like a sodding prune."

She laughed, too.

He turned away from her just as the merriment faded. He couldn't say why, exactly, but he was thinking about Leolin again, worrying about whether she'd hit one of Adrian's blockades coming back into England. The very thought drove him a step or two farther away from Gen.

"See you when you get out," he promised, and with that he slipped quickly from the room.

* * *

When Leolin got out of the shower, the room was empty and she dropped the towel, stepping into a black bra and knickers and throwing on a robe before sinking down at her vanity and studying herself. For someone who'd suffered a pathetic emotional meltdown the day before, she thought she looked pretty damn good. She dried her waist length hair with a flick of her wrist before pulling it over her left shoulder and beginning to weave a fishtail braid. When someone knocked on the door, she didn't turn, still vainly admiring herself in the mirror.

"Who is it?" she called.

"Chaisson."

"Go to hell please," she said evenly.

"Please bichette, can we talk? I come in peace, I swear."

"Fuck your peace."

"I also come with champagne."

She considered.

"C'mon, bichette. I know Möet is french woman's water."

"Fine," she said. "Entre."

He nodded gratefully, pouring a flute and extending to her. She didn't move to take it, and he gingerly set down next to her. He looked sheepish, his eyes cast mostly to the floor to keep from ogling her her lean legs, which were not covered by the robe.

"Merci," she said finally, finishing the braid and taking a sip.

"You're welcome."

"Right," she said at last. "What do you want?" she asked flippantly, watching him in the mirror for a moment before going back to applying makeup.

"To apologise," he admitted. "I'm sorry, Leolin. I said some terrible things last night I didn't mean."

She looked down but said nothing.

"And I'm sorry about pushing you about Pucey," he said sincerely, advancing a little. "He's a brute. I could kill him for last night, and myself for not doing more."

She considered this carefully before answering.

"That's not your fault," she said in a soft voice. "I'm—I shouldn't have dragged you into this. He's not someone you want to tangle with, believe me. It was selfish to drag you into his sightline."

"Non," he said somewhat fiercely. "I'm glad you did. I meant what I said last night. I want to help you, if I can."

She nodded.

"I know that," she said. "And I know I was being a brat last night, but you should know that I am grateful. I just—I'm not used to letting people in."

"I don't blame you," he admitted. "Especially after meeting that _putain _Pucey."

"I would like your help. You're right about Drake; I'm still desperately in love with him, and I think I'm running out of time to win him back. The only thing I ask is that you don't push me. I'll tell you everything eventually, but I have to do it in my own time."

"Of course," he agreed. "Whatever you want."

She eyed him warily.

"And about this renard business—"

He gave a sheepish laugh.

"Regarde, I know I still have a lot to learn about having female friends, but I—I'm willing to learn, if you're still willing to teach me. And I promise I won't—on you again."

"Good," she said. "Because I reserve the right to keep slapping the shit out of you."

"That's fair," he admitted with a laugh.

She nodded, standing and dropping her robe as she disappeared behind a changing screen to get dressed.

"That was a test," she called mildly. "You failed."

"Non!" he cried. "C'mon, that was unfair! And you can't expect me _not _to look at those beautiful—"

"Don't make me slap you again," she warned, poking her head from behind the screen.

"Sorry!" he laughed hastily. "Je ne vais pas le faire à nouveau."

"Yeah, you better not do it again," she said, emerging in a pair of white jeans and a loose grey shirt. She gave a turn to show that the long-sleeved garment had a deep v-neck in the back, showing off her lithe muscles and her definitive lack of bra.

"How do I look?"

"Is this a trick?"

"No."

"Incredibly beautiful."

"If you were Genevieve would you cower in fear?"

"I'm not Genevieve and I'm cowering in fear."

She laughed.

"Shall we, then?"

He nodded, extending his arm in a genteel manner. She accepted the gesture with a smile.

* * *

The first person she saw when they arrived was Draco. He wasn't currently facing her, but she studied flawless features in profile before he turned to drink her in. He eyed Felix contemptuously first before his gaze slid to her. She could tell from his expression that Ginny must have told him about King's Cross, and he looked fiercely protective. She wanted very desperately to run into his embrace, and something in his glittering eyes seemed to signal he wanted that just as badly. However, when she noticed Gen eying her hatefully as well, a pang shot through her. She glanced at Felix, who gave her a sympathetic smile.

Luckily, she was only forced to endure the pain for another moment before her attention was blissfully diverted elsewhere. Draco sneered hatefully as Kelly approached with Blair, but Leolin smiled.

"There she is," Blair said, folding her into his arms. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes! And where's the rest of your shirt?"

She laughed.

"Blair, I'm 25. Love me as I am."

He laughed too as she smiled at Kelly and he winked at her.

"Hey Kel," she said affectionately.

"You alright, darling? Heard you got into a spot of trouble yesterday."

Merlin, did word travel fast.

"Oh, you know me."

" Unfortunately we do. That's why we're asking," Blair said.

"I think it's been greatly exaggerated in the re-telling. It was nothing really," Leolin said, trading a glance with Felix and warning him not to tip his hand. "You can ask Ren or Severina."

Blair and Kelly both gave Felix a dismissive glance, but neither said anything.

"Where is Sev, by the way?"

"On the floo, I think. She has been pretty much all morning."

Leolin felt a pang of guilt at the memory of Isadora's pained expression.

"Have you seen Potter?" Blair said abruptly.

Leolin shrugged.

"No, why?"

"He left cryptically this morning as well. Bit annoying, if I'm being honest."

"Well I'm sure he had a good reason," Leolin said. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. Though I suppose if you're that concerned, you could just ask Grace."

"She didn't know," Blair said. "That's the annoying bit."

"What?" Kelly laughed. "You have a crush on him or something?"

"He was just acting dodgy, is all," Blair explained. "But whatever, you're right. He's Harry Potter."

"Indeed he is," Leolin agreed.

By this time Ginny and Blaise had arrived and were talking to Draco. Leolin smiled at Blair, squeezing his hand affectionately before smiling at Kelly, who winked. Leolin released Blair's hand and gravitated to Ginny's waiting embrace, and Felix trailed after her.

"You look lovely, as usual," Ginny said pointedly. "I love the back!"

She turned Leolin so they could all see. Leolin could feel Draco's gaze slipping pleasantly down her bare spine.

"Don't you love that, Z?" Ginny said to Blaise, who laughed.

"I feel like I'm supposed to say yes?" he said dubiously, and Leolin laughed.

"Oh stop it darling, you're embarrassing me!"

Ginny smoothed the tail of Leolin's long braid affectionately between thumb and forefinger, and Leolin was instantly soothed.

It was at this point she turned to face Draco and Gen. His eyes were sparkling with something warm and inviting, and she had to fend off a blush.

"You alright, Lefevre?" he said in a rich, smooth voice. "Heard you got into a bit of a scrape with Adrian last night."

"Hardly," she said breezily. "More like the world's most boring game of hide-and-seek. He's shite at the seeking bit."

"You shouldn't be so flippant," Gen chided mildly, as if genuinely concerned for Leolin.

"I don't need a lecture on the dangers of Adrian Pucey, thank you," Leolin said tartly.

"Don't you?"

"No," Leolin shot back. "I don't. I know him a hell of a lot better than you do."

"Well isn't that part of the problem?" Gen asked sweetly.

"Genevieve," Ginny snapped. "Lay off."

"That's enough," Draco added sternly.

"Who are you talking to?" Gen demanded. "Her or me?"

"Both of you," he replied, though it was abundantly clear he meant the latter more than the former.

"Sod this," Leolin said, turning away. "I don't have the patience for her today."

"Lefevre—" Draco began, but Leolin ignored him, turning on her heel.

Felix, like an obedient pup, followed.

""If you need ammunition," he offered helpfully. "Just say the word. I could tell you stories about Gen that would make your hair curl."

"My hair is already curly, thank you," Leolin said. "And thinking about you and Gen in bed together makes me want to bathe in bleach and take a vow of chastity.

Felix shrugged, and seeing Max he nodded and headed over. Leolin gave the latter a cool look he returned. She turned away, wholly uninterested in speaking to him when he was still so obviously intent on playing Gen's white knight. Severina had appeared, anyhow.

"Sta bene?" Leolin queried.

Severina nodded.

"Fine. The girls are—fine."

Leolin bit her lip, feeling bad all over again.

"Me despiace, Severina mia," she said, tucking some ebony hair behind Severina's ear.

Severina gave a dazzling Borgia smile in return.

"No te preocupes. They can survive without me for one day."

"Right," Tieran said as they took their seats. "Shall we begin?"

"What about Sharpe?" Ginny asked. "I thought the whole point of today was that she was going to be here."

"And so she is."

They all looked up to watch Reagan Sharpe make her entrance, a superior smile on her face as she did. The first gaze she met was Gen's, who'd been unable to hide her revulsion. Reagan winked at her in response, closing her right eye so that only her eerie green eye was left staring back at Gen.

Reagan seemed to revel in the attention she was receiving, and between her eye, her bright hair, and her provocative outfit, it was hard for anyone to look away.

She wore a tight black skirt that barely covered her bum with sheer black tights underneath, and her suede thigh-highs were so tall they practically touched her hem. Felix watched her with particular interest, his dark eyes skating wolfishly up her frame.

"Nice boots," he commented as she passed behind his chair, and she replied by using the clutch in her left hand to slap him upside the head.

"Sharpe," Ginny said. "How nice of you to make us wait."

"Punctuality isn't really my strong suit, Weasley," Reagan said. "Ask your fiancée."

She made a show of winking sensuously at Blaise, which only further inflamed Ginny.

"Enough messing about, Ray," Ieuan said impatiently. "Do you have any news?"

Reagan sank down into a vacant chair near Forest and kicked her feet up on the table.

"Jaime Quinn is still a terrible lover, just in case any of you were wondering."

"We weren't," Leolin supplied.

"Lefevre," Reagan said, eying Leolin with interested. "Nice to see you again."

"I sort of doubt it," Leolin replied.

Reagan shrugged, a smile glimmering in her good eye.

"Fair enough," she said,

"Right, seriously," Pansy said. "What have you found out?"

Reagan sobered up a little, retracting her feet to the floor before glancing around.

"It's mostly confirmation of things you lot already know," she said. "Pucey's back to square one on luring Audige out, but they seem to think it's only a matter of time. They're after something, I don't know what, but apparently once they find it it's going to be game, set, match."

"What are they looking for? Greek vessels?"

"I don't know," Reagan repeated tartly. "But I heard Jaime talking to Adrian on the floo last night. Adrian kept saying _them, them, them_. Whatever they're looking for, its more than one."

"I know what it is," Leolin said. "It's coins."

"Coins?" Max repeated. "I thought we were looking for pottery."

"Blimey," Reagan said casually, eying him. "Are you Max Brankovitch? You really have put together a star-studded team here, Malfoy!"

Max ignored her.

"Well I thought so to," Leolin said. "But that was before Clement's Keeper."

"Who's Clement's Keeper?" Reagan asked.

She was promptly ignored.

"So what did it mean?" Max pressed.

"Well, it's complicated—" Leolin began, and he cut her off.

"Then explain it to us like we're stupid, which clearly you think we are."

"Will you cut it out already?" Blaise snapped.

"Right," Leolin said, annoyed. "Essentially, Clement was this Muggle pope who commissioned this Last Judgment scene in the Vatican. In it, the Papal Master of Ceremonies, Biagio de Cesena, is on a boat bound for Hell."

There was a silence.

"I don't get it," Pansy announced.

"Biagio was 'Clement's Keeper'," Felix explained. "Because he kept all the records for Clement."

"So how do we know it's coins?" Blair prompted.

"Because Biagio was on the boat bound for the underworld, which is captained by Charon, who was Bones's teacher. He was the one who taught Bones necromancy," Leolin explained.

"Bones's price is just like Charon's," Felix explained. "Two coins."

"Merlin," Kelly said appreciatively. "How long did it take you to sort that mess out?"

"Awhile," Leolin admitted. "Though we didn't solve it a minute too soon, because right when we did one of Adrian's goons showed up and tried to kill us."

"How is he always able to be everywhere at once?" Ron asked. "Am I the only person who's noticed that? Not being funny, but it's completely mental."

"There is a leak somewhere," Leolin said. "There has to be. We need to find it and eliminate it."

"Oh, it's that easy, then," Max sniped.

"Will you kindly shut the Hell up?" Blair snapped. "For fuck's sake."

"What else, Sharpe?" Tieran asked, perpetually annoyed by their backbiting.

Reagan glanced at Leolin.

"Pucey's bloody desperate to get his hands on you, Lefevre," she said quietly, looking almost sympathetic.

"Tell me something I don't know," Leolin said.

"Did he call Thivierge back to the UK yet?" Draco said.

"Not that I know of. But he has that Russian girl now. Annalysse Blake, I think. She's taken the spot temporarily. Her and Tate Rawle."

Felix and Max glanced at each other meaningfully, but no one seemed to notice.

"What's her story?" Ginny asked. "I've never heard of her until now."

"She just came out of the woodwork," Reagan said. "But she's a serious handful. She's not nearly as nasty as Thivierge, but she's no picnic, either."

"She's Russian?" Severina said. "That's odd. They aren't ones to stick their business in anything this far West."

"No," Reagan said, trying to remember. "I think she's technically American. Or she's technically Russian, but he dad was a diplomat so she grew up in the States somewhere. I want to say Philadelphia, but I'm not entirely sure."

"What else do we know about her?" Severina said.

"She has a Russian's foul temperament," Reagan said. "Though between her and Thivierge, she's the calm one. She's not one to stomp around; I get the sense she is more into sulking and throat-slitting. I don't know, I'm getting all this second-hand from Quinn. I haven't seen Adrian directly yet and I'd like to keep it that way."

"So Thivierge is out of play for now," Blaise said. "That's good. Though at some point he's going to call her back here whether they find Audige's weak spot or not."

"How's that going, by the way?" Kelly asked. "Dare I ask what kind of havoc he's wreaking with those slaver's chains?"

"I don't think so, no," Severina said tightly. Only Leolin knew her well enough to understand how guilty Severina felt for giving a weapon to a monster.

"Where did he get this Thivierge, anyway?" Pansy said. "It feels like she came out of nowhere, too."

"Adrian recruited her straight out of Hogwarts," Draco said, his look darkening.

"Seduced her, more like," Ginny said contemptuously.

"Ugh," Grace said. "Is there _anyone _he won't try and sleep with?"

"If there is," Leolin said bitterly. "We've yet to run across her."

"Thivierge," Blair said, refocusing. "What's her story?"

"Recruited straight out of school," Draco repeated. "She's only nineteen, but she's a serious handful. Leolin's stepdad thinks she murdered her own father."

"Merlin's white beard," Oliver Wood said. "Where does Pucey _find_ these people?"

"Three guesses," Forest Lawrence said sarcastically. "And the first two don't count."

"She was a Ravenclaw, if that's what you're implying," Blaise spit, and Forest curled his lip.

"Ravenclaw and Slytherin are two sides the same sickle," Seamus said.

"Oh stay out of this, Finnegan," Ieuan demanded. "You don't know a thing about either of us."

"Don't I?" Seamus bit out, and he and Forest shared a look.

"What else?" Luke pressed Reagan.

She looked at Ieuan then down at the table.

"Jaime's having drinks with the Faulkners tonight," Reagan said, sounding serious for the first time. Reagan had also dated Leon for two years when they were in school.

"No, I know them," Ieuan said. "They would never work for Adrian. Never."

"You obviously don't know them that well," Oliver pointed out.

"They could be playing double agent," Ieuan defended.

Blaise shook his head slowly.

"They would have come to us first," he said. "They're followers, not leaders."

"There was a reason we were keeping them at arms' length," Draco said. "I was worried this might happen."

"Great," Seamus said. "How are we supposed to make any progress when you lot keep betraying us?"

"Do you know who else works for Adrian? Kai Morris. And Dom Godfrey. Ryann Moody. None of them are Slytherins," Pansy said with vitriol. "In fact, two of them are Gryffs. Wake up, Finnegan! We aren't in school anymore; that's not what divides us anymore."

"She's right," Kelly said. "This has gotten bigger than Gryffindor versus Slytherin."

"What else, Sharpe?" Blaise said. "What about Quinn?" Grace asked. "Does he suspect you?"

"Jaime's lazy and vain," Reagan replied. "It's not in his nature to be suspicious. Besides, it's not really in mine to be patriotic, so he has no reason to suspect I'm paling around with you lot. I can still hardly believe it myself."

"We're so titillated you deigned to join us," Ginny sniped.

"Bite me, Weasley."

"You going to let her get away with that, Weasley?" Felix asked, smiling.

"Not now, Ren," Max demanded.

"Just trying to keep things light," Felix said.

Reagan narrowed her eyes at him.

"Who are you, anyway?"

"He's our other curse-breaker," Ieuan said.

"Felix Chaisson," Felix said suavely. "Delighted to meet you."

"I don't like him," Reagan announced, narrowing her eyes.

"Well you don't have a choice, so deal with it," Blaise said.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Reagan continued.

"In my defense, dear lady," Felix said, eyes sparkling. "Of the two of us, I'm the only one _not_ sleeping with the enemy."

Reagan wrinkled her nose.

"You wretched little ferret," she seethed. "I should make you pay for that."

"You're more than welcome to try," Felix said, tone still exceedingly pleasant. "I'm not as nice as I seem."

"Are you threatening me?" Reagan demanded, drawing her wand and kicking back her chair.

Max and Felix both rose and drew theirs.

"Only because you threatened first," Felix said, dark eyes dancing across Reagan's face.

"Enough!" Leolin said, rising as well. "Put your bloody wands away. This isn't the time for a pissing match."

"Wouldn't be much of a match," Felix said casually, gesturing below his belt with his eyes.

"Is he serious?" Reagan demanded. "I'll rip off your todger and slap you across the face with it!" she seethed.

"Just ignore him Sharpe, Merlin!" Leolin gave Felix a cold look and he sobered up a little. "Everyone else does."

"Right, enough of this rot," Tieran said, frustrated. "Did you overhear Jaime say anything about the minister? His plans? Anything."

Reagan gave Felix another disapproving glare before turning to Tieran.

"Nothing," she said. "I'm sorry. Jaime's Adrian's man, not Lucius's. I don't think he's ever even met the minister. To be honest, I don't know how much help I'm going to be with all this. Jaime's on the peripheral. Everyone knows he's rubbish at keeping his mouth shut, and I don't think Adrian really trusts him."

Luke raised his eyebrows.

"Clearly with good reason," he said softly.

At this point the doors swung in to admit Harry, and behind him trailed a fetching Asian woman. Her dark hair was stylishly dyed ombré, the black roots fading from brunette to copper to platinum at the tips, which brushed her tiny waist. She accentuated her sloping eyes with an elegant cat eye and long false lashes. Her pert mouth, which was currently fashioned into an imperious smirk, was blood red. She wore a tasteful black dress with a mesh cut out to the waist, hitting at cleavage without actually showing any. She had large pillowy fake breasts underneath, and the way she held herself suggested she was very proud of them. Her long almond shaped nails where painted a matte black, and she wore what looked like a diamond engagement ring on her right hand. Like most women of her pedigree, it was almost embarrassingly large.

Leolin took one look at her and stood, snarling.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" She growled "Get the hell out."

"Relax, Lefevre," she said coolly in a clipped Londoner's accent. "I came to help you."

"We don't need your help," Ginny sneered, standing and drawing her wand as well.

"That's not what I hear," the woman purred.

"Sorry," Max said, half in appreciation and half in agitation. "Who are you?"

She gave Felix, who was trying and failing not to ogle her, a seductive smirk.

"My name's Isabel Lorde," she said. "I went to Hogwarts with this lot."

"Lorde?" Blaise repeated contemptuously. "The last I'd heard you still hadn't changed it back from Pucey."

"What? I'm confused," Felix said, still eying Isobel somewhat hungrily.

"She's Adrian's ex wife," Draco said stonily. "Isn't that right, Is?"

"Emphasis on the ex," she said, frowning for the first time.

Kelly was already shaking his head and standing, too.

"Get out," he snapped, giving Leolin a latently protective glance.

"You don't even want to hear what I have to say?" She goaded nastily.

Leolin was staring hatefully.

"How dare you come in here still wearing that ring, you foul little bitch," she seethed.

"Why shouldn't I?" She snapped back, wiggling her finger so it sparkled. "It's a beautiful ring."

"Don't make me regret helping you, Harry warned her, and she shrugged.

"I'm not going to apologise," she said imperiously. "Least of all to you."

This was directly at Leolin. Having had enough, Leolin lunged at her, and Kelly caught her by the waist just in time.

"She's not worth it," he told her as she struggled against him, and Isobel watched in amusement.

Draco was glaring now. His eyes were fierce and his gaze protective.

"Wipe that look off your face before I do it for you," he said in cool voice, casually twirling his handsome wand through elegant fingers.

At this, Isobel did stop smiling. It seemed that like her ex-husband, she harboured a healthy fear of Draco.

"How could you bring her here?" Ginny snapped at Harry.

"She's right, Gin," Harry said resolutely. "She can help us."

"No," Leolin said derisively. "She can't. In fact, she's part of the reason we're in this mess in the first place."

Isobel crossed her arms across her pillowy chest, and as she did, the obscene diamond on her right hand winked. Leolin imagined Adrian presenting it to her on one knee and she grit her teeth.

"And how's that, then?" Isobel sneered.

"You set him _off_," Leolin accused. "He was a powder keg, and you lit the fucking fuse."

Isobel cocked an eyebrow nastily.

"Said the black pot to the kettle," she sniped, and Leolin flushed scarlet.

"Don't you dare compare me to you. I'm not the one who married him. I'm not the one who cheated on him and stole all his money in the divorce. _I _am_ not _you."

"Maybe not," Isobel agreed. "But don't for one second pretend like you didn't have a hand in this. You don't think Adrian talked about you? You're a spoiled, nasty, selfish little _brat_, Lefevre, and you were petty and vindictive just because you could be. Just because Daddy and Uncle Blaise were always there to have your back."

Both Draco and Blaise glowered at her, and she met their gaze evenly. Her eyes then flicked back to Leolin and grew cold again.

"Who wouldn't hate you after eight years of that? I certainly do, no matter how I feel about Adrian. As for marrying him," she paused to fiddle with the ring. "We did love each other, in our way."

"In our way?" Kelly repeated contemptuously. "Spare us, Lorde."

"Back to the question at hand," Pansy said in a hard voice. "Why should we trust anyone who's willing had sex with our enemy?"

Isobel bared her pearly teeth at her new challenger. However, after considering for a moment, she turned her glittering amber gaze on Grace and gave a nasty smile.

"Well that doesn't seem particularly fair, does it, Gracie?"

Grace flushed.

"Nobody calls me that anymore," she said in a quiet voice, cheeks pink.

Isobel ignored her, instead making a show of looking around at everyone, eventually letting her gaze rest on Harry.

"Oh _Gracie_!" she said cheekily. "Don't tell me you never told your poor husband? Or Parkinson, at the very least!"

Grace looked ashamed.

"Please," she pleaded. "Just stop."

Isobel wasn't finished.

"And it wasn't just a one-time thing, was it, Gracie? It went on for almost a year! Should I tell everyone what Adrian said you like in bed? Potter and I can compare notes."

Grace was close to tears now, and she glanced fearfully at Leolin. Despite their newfound friendship, Leolin couldn't deny how bitterly this news ached. She thought of the Hell Adrian and Grace had rained down on her their last year at school, and it made her a little sick to imagine them shagging then laughing themselves sick at her expense. Still, Isobel's jabs had hit their mark, and Leolin had to admit that some of the torture Adrian had inflicted the final year was recompense for her harsh treatment of him the previous six. She caught Grace's eye.

"_I'm sorry_," Grace mouthed.

"_So am I_," Leolin mouthed back.

"Right," Harry said sternly, wrapping a protective arm around his wife's shoulders. "That's enough, Lorde."

Isobel sneered.

"Then all of you stop pretending like I'm the _only _woman who's ever succumbed to that man's charms."

"Lorde's right," Max interjected. "You're all acting like dicks." This seemed at least partially directed at Leolin, who rolled her eyes. However, Draco came immediately to her defense.

"Stay out of this, yank," he sneered. "You don't know a thing about it."

"I know enough," Max shot back. "And from what I've heard, this isn't Lorde's fault. If Pucey's pushing on Lefevre, we need to start pushing back."

"Easy for you to say!" Leolin said indignantly. "Considering he's not trying to ram his cock down your throat."

"Leolin, _please_!" Gen said in perfectly-feigned shock. She'd finally seen her opportunity to pounce on Leolin, especially knowing Max would back her up. "That was so vulgar."

"The same goes for you," Leolin snapped at Gen. "You have no _idea _how this feels."

"Well!" Isobel said, sinking down into a vacant chair next to Flex, letting him eye her discreetly again. "I think we've established you need my help after all."

There was silence, and her smirk widened.

"That's what I thought."

"First things first," Tieran said. "What is it you want in return for your help?"

Her expression grew grave.

"I want you to help me disappear." Here she glanced at Draco, who had the most influence and means to help her do so. "Adrian came calling the day the minister promoted him, and he took almost everything back."

"Cry me a river," Reagan said in a bored voice.

Isobel ignored her and continued.

"I think at the time he was preoccupied and was satisfied with turning me out and humiliating me. Now he's back in London, but he's so obsessed with Lefevre that I've been able to keep a low profile. Still, Adrian's not one to forgive and forget, and I know some day he's going to come after me. I intend to be long gone by then."

"You're afraid of him," Hermione observed quietly, speaking for the first time.

"Aren't you?" Isobel said in a meek voice, glancing at Leolin. "If you aren't, you should be."

"Was he violent with you?" Hermione asked, and Leolin's wrist just ached at the thought.

Isobel pursed her lips.

"No," she said tersely. "But he certainly has a way with unkind words."

"If we do this for you," Kelly said. "What is it specifically you're going to give us in return?"

Isobel considered Kelly, swishing the diamond on her finger back and forth as she did so.

"You lot think you know Adrian, but you don't; not like me. I know how he thinks, what motivates him. I also have an item I suspect you'll need if you want to beat him to whatever little trinket he's after."

They all exchanged tense glances. This was all intel they sorely needed.

"Go on then," Ron Weasley piped. "Out with it."

She gave a glittering smile that lit her whole face up.

"Adrian has very few people in this world he genuinely cares for, but as the only woman he's ever loved, I can tell you where to hit him where it hurts."

Ginny considered this.

"Tommy," she said at last.

Isobel nodded.

"Who's Tommy?" Blair queried.

"Adrian's little brother," Draco supplied.

"He's five years younger," Isobel explained. "When Adrian's parents died, Tommy was only fourteen, and Adrian took full guardianship of him. He practically raised Tommy. He's Adrian's weakness."

"No," Blaise said at once. "We're not stooping to his level. Besides, haven't you already proven taking things from him _doesn't _work?"

Isobel's eyes flashed behind her coloured contacts.

"Before you get all noble defending Tommy," she snapped. "You ought to hear the whole story. Your sweet friend Merys Rhydderich?" She said to Leolin.

"Gareth's little sister?" Blair said darkly.

Isobel nodded.

"About two years ago, Tommy developed this outrageous fancy for her, and thanks to you three," she gestured to Leolin, Draco, and Blair. "Big brother Gareth wasn't there to protect her."

"Why?" Felix asked. "What did you do?"

"Because of Malfoy and his team of snarling barristers," Isobel explained tartly. "Gareth was busying serving a six year sentence in Azkaban."

"Merlin," Felix breathed, eying Draco's cool look. "For what?"

"None of your sodding business," Draco sneered, diamond eyes flashing. "That's what."

"No," Max snapped. "That doesn't work for me."

"Is that supposed to sway us?" Severina demanded. "Affanculo."

"No," Gen said in feigned distress. "Maximus is right. If you expect us to decide what to do about Tommy Pucey, we need all the facts."

"She's got a point, Lefevre," Reagan said sympathetically.

"Stay out of this, Sharpe," Ginny growled.

"Leolin," Blair began protectively. "You don't have to ans—"

"He raped me," Leolin said in a flat voice. "When I was fourteen he got me legless at a party and took advantage of me."

Everyone bowed their heads and looked ashamed, even Isobel and especially Gen.

"That enough information for you, Brankovitch?" Leolin said softly.

"I'm sorry, Lefevre," he said penitently. "I didn't know."

"That's exactly my point," she said. "Just because we slept together one time doesn't mean you have me all figured out. What you lot know about me couldn't fill a sodding thimble."

Max looked down at the table, thoroughly cowed.

"What about Tommy and Merys, then?" Grace asked.

"Well Merys, smart little thing that she is, wanted nothing to do with Tommy, and when he started getting aggressive she went to Lefevre's stepdad James for help. Even without his auror's badge he had no trouble scaring the Puceys off, and they immediately backed down. By then it seemed sorted, and I honestly think Merys forgot all about it. Tommy didn't, though. He's just like his big brother; he's not one to let things go. About eight months after James went after him, Tommy had Tate Rawle slip something powerful in Merys's drink on a night out and separate her from her friends. When she was well and properly fucked up, Tate brought her back to the Em, where Tommy proceeded to strip her naked and fuck her on the bar while everyone else stood around and laughed."

There was a somber silence.

"Still want to protect him?" Isobel sneered at Blaise.

Max and Felix exchanged a dark look, clearing storing this information for a later date.

"If you want my opinion," Isobel said evenly. "I think you should hunt Tommy down and kill him."

"You don't think that's just going to fuel the fire?" Kelly asked.

"Maybe if it were someone else," Isobel conceded. "Someone he likes and trusts, like Tate or Thivierge. But their deaths would only hobble him, and he'd recover quickly. Tommy's different. If he dies, I guarantee it will break Adrian's heart. You do that, you buy yourselves some serious time to catch up to him."

Draco and Leolin traded a look, and she knew they were thinking the exact same thing. Draco longed to kill Tommy for no other reason than making Adrian suffer for everything he had done to Leolin and everything he still longed to do. Leolin would have been lying if she'd said some dark part of her heart didn't want the same thing.

"You said you have something to show us?" Tieran said, and everyone seemed relieved to change the subject.

She nodded.

"Besides the flat in London, one of the best things I got in the divorce was this charming little summer home that had belonged to Adrian's mother."

"Merlin," Reagan breathed. "You really are despicable."

"Yes," Isobel said caustically. "Poor, poor Adrian."

'She's got a point there," Felix pointed out, seemingly keen to win a bit of favour with Isobel. She gave him an approving smile.

"Besides," Isobel snapped at Reagan. "It's not like he didn't get it all back in the end. That house was the _first _thing he came for."

"How devastating for you," Reagan replied.

"Whose team are you on, Sharpe?" Max demanded.

"Team 'suck my cock', Brankovitch."

"Ray," Ieaun said, trying to keep the peace."

"Right," she huffed. "Fine. Whatever. Then what?"

"Well about six months ago, I realised I'd left something there that _my _mother gave me, and I wanted it back. By that time Adrian was going to America for weeks at a time, so I just waited for him to leave and headed over there. The trouble was, I couldn't find it. The house was gone."

"What are you suggesting?" Blair said. "It just sprouted legs and wandered off?"

"No," Isobel sneered. "I'm suggesting that he decided, for some dark reason or another, to make the house unplottable."

They all traded meaningful looks. Isobel, ever the perceptive Ravenclaw, continued.

"Heard your stepdad went missed a few months ago, Malfoy," she said evenly. "I wonder where on Earth he could be."

"Where is this place?" Draco replied.

"Berkshire," she said. "About seventeen miles from London. But that's not all. I did some renovations when I first moved in."

"Bitch," Reagan muttered.

"Can it," Max ordered.

"So I had blueprints made up."

"Tell me you kept them," Blaise said.

"As a matter of fact," she said, producing several scrolls from her bag. "I did. I had every intention of getting the place back one day, and I knew I wouldn't want to hire another architect."

"Oh Merlin," Pansy growled.

Leolin wordlessly extended a hand for them, and Isobel obliged. Leolin unfurled them and tapped with with her wand, and the plans slithered from the parchment onto the table so everyone could see them. She glanced at Draco, then at Felix. She knew they were all thinking the exact same thing. This was a task for La Genie. Judging by the chateau's size, they would only need a five man crew. Draco, Leolin, Felix, Effie, and couldn't be more perfect if they'd planned it.

Leolin flicked her wand and the plans sprang back onto the parchment, which she re-rolled and vanished into her cache of hidden objects. If anyone thought this was odd, they gave no indication of it.

"I told you you needed my help," Isobel said smugly.

Leolin clenched her jaw but said nothing.

"Thank you," Tieran said diplomatically. "We needed this."

Isobel gave Felix another glittering smile, which he readily returned.

"Right," she said. "You're welcome. And as a parting good will gesture, I have one more free piece of advice for you: if you really want to make headway, you need a man on the inside."

"Are you volunteering?" Kelly said.

Isobel pursed her lips.

"No," she said. "After today, I have no intention of seeing any of you ever again."

"It's impossible," Blaise said. "Adrian's not stupid. He'd never believe any of us if we claimed to flip."

"True," she conceded. "But he needs someone in your camp just as badly as you need one in theirs."

"What are you proposing?" Severina prompted.

"You don't send someone in. You let Adrian catch one of you, let him torture you and think he's broken you. Once you get through that, your inside man could feed false information back and get valuable intel in return."

"Torture them?" Hermione repeated. "Isobel, that's barbaric."

"This is war, Granger," Isobel said grimly. "If you aren't willing to make some sacrifices, you lot don't have a prayer of winning."

Isobel turned to Draco.

"You send in a skilled occlumens and they will be able to withstand the pain and the desire. It won't be pretty, but it's doable. I know you know that, Malfoy."

"Easier said than done," Max pointed out. "You're looking at the only accomplished occlumens in this room, and we can sacrifice Malfoy."

Isobel considered, shrewd tactical mind working. Finally she turned to gaze at Leolin.

"So send Lefevre in. Adrian won't be keen to hurt her, and she could just pretend to break easily. All she'd need to do is withstand a bout of the Imperius. Two at the most."

"How can you even suggest that?" Ginny croaked. "You know what he wants to do to her."

"Like I said," Isobel intoned in a sober voice. "Sacrifices."

"Stop," Gen choked unexpectedly. Her throat was strangled by genuine emotion. "That's barbaric and you know it."

Isobel shrugged.

"Then you're back to square one, then."

"No," Kelly said. "We're not. I'll do it.

"What?" Leolin said, heart hammering in her ears. "No!"

"Don't be bloody noble, KT," Forest said. "Weasley's right; you could die."

Kelly's face was white as a sheet, and he'd clasped his hands together to keep them from shaking.

"I know none of you think I can pull this off, but I can."

"Shut up," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "I don't have time for this drivel."

"It can't be someone like you," Kelly pointed out. "And I know what everyone thinks about me. I know you think I'm self-righteous and weak, and so does Adrian."

"You _are _self-righteous and weak," Draco snarled. "And if you fail, you'll blow this whole bloody thing to kingdom come."

"He's right, Kel," Leolin said softly. "You're not a soldier."

"My grand-da was an auror," Kelly said, looking at Oliver, who must have known this. "He taught us Occlumency when we were wee. I've been practicing it all my life."

"It's true," Olive said. "I've seen him do it. He's brilliant at it."

"You honestly expect us to believe that?" Draco demanded.

"Yes," Kelly said solidly. "I do, because it's the truth."

"Then prove it," Draco said, standing and drawing his wand. With a flick of his wrist the entire table disappeared, leaving no barrier between him and Kelly.

Kelly, who'd sat directly across from Draco, stood as well, his face still pale but resolute.

"Go on, then," he said. "Do your worst."

"Are you mad?" Leolin cried, stepping between the two of them so Draco's wand was pointed at her instead. "Absolutely not."

"Bloody Hell, here we go," Ron muttered.

"Leolin," Blair said gently. "Malfoy's got a point. We need to know if Kelly can take it."

"You're going to let Malfoy crucio your best friend? Blair, he might kill him!"

The look in Draco's eye was making Leolin grow fretful. She knew her interference was only making it worse for Kelly, but someone old and forgotten was welling up, and she refused to move from where she stood.

"Who's going to do it, then?" Draco asked coldly. "You?"

"It's not like I haven't done it before," she spit back, feeling like a wounded animal. "You should know that better than anyone."

"Damn," Felix said softly. "This must have been one fucked-up love affair."

"Stow it," Ginny demanded, and he fell silent.

Leolin could feel tears burning in her throat as everyone watched them. She noticed Gen standing behind Draco looking upset, and for once Leolin wished she would intervene. However, she seemed to sense that there would be no dissuading Draco, and she remained silent.

"It's alright, Lai," Kelly breathed softly. "I'm stronger than you think."

Leolin looked at Draco, and she could see him wrestling with the same demons she was. They both knew how the Crucio ate the caster. She didn't want that for Draco any more than she wanted to watch Kelly suffer it's effects.

"Don't do this," she said softly to Draco. "It's misguided and wrong."

"Step aside, Lefevre," he said softly, a danger glinting in his light eyes.

"Please, Draco," Leolin said. "I'm begging you; don't do this."

"It has to be done, Lefevre," Tieran said. "Now step aside."

"No," Leolin said. "Isobel's right. Just let me go."

Draco gave her a searing, damaged look.

"Don't even say that."

Leolin turned to look at Kelly, and she saw fear in his face. However, he nodded bravely.

"Kelly, please," she said softly. "Don't do this."

"It's alright," he said. "I'll be fine."

Leolin bit her lip but eventually nodded, going to stand in Blair's secure embrace as Draco rolled up his sleeves.

"A standard bout of torture is four rounds of crucio, ten seconds each," Draco said, voice razor sharp. "After the first bout, I try to imperius you. If you resist me, we go again. Resist me after the second round, and we go again. Resist me after the third round, and you pass. Ready?"

Kelly clenched his jaw, visibly afraid. He squared up.

"Fire away."

"Crucio!"

Leolin buried her head in Blair's chest as the first scream was ripped from Kelly's throat. After what seemed like eternity his screams stopped.

Draco raised his wand again.

"Crucio!"

This time Kelly bent double, the veins in his neck protruding as he fought not to make a sound. After the third time he fell to the floor, tears in his eyes.

"This is so awful," Ginny said, curling against Blaise.

"Don't look," he said.

After the fourth time, Kelly lay panting on the ground, and Draco pointed the tip of his wand at the broad plane of Kelly's back. Leolin could see the conviction waning in his eyes. As much as Draco hated Kelly, he was not his father; this was clearly killing him. Leolin yearned to go to him and take the wand from his hands. Instead she remained rooted to the spot, feeling sick to her stomach.

"Imperius," Draco whispered.

They all watched as the curse seemed to wash over Kelly, relaxing the knot work of muscles in his back. Kelly sat up and looked straight at Draco.

"Kiss my boots, Troy," Draco said in a tight voice.

Kelly looked down at Draco's feet before lumbering to his own.

"Fuck you," he spit out.

"_Crucio_."

Leolin could see that Draco had long since burned off the hatred he bore Kelly, and the Cruciatus was now feeding on his self-loathing instead. With every scream Kelly gave, Leolin watched a small piece of Draco die.

"You don't have to keep doing this," Leolin demanded. "What is this achieving?"

"Leolin, stop," Blair said.

"Can't you see it's killing both of them?" Leolin demanded, looking to Gen for support.

"You don't have to stay, Lefevre," Draco said, watching as Kelly lay gasping at his feet.

"Imperius."

Again Kelly fell still.

"Kiss my boots, Troy," Draco demanded again.

Leolin could see the muscles in Kelly's neck straining as he fought the Imperius.

"You first," he wheezed.

"Crucio."

"Draco, you could kill him!" Leolin said. "Look at him!"

"Lefevre, stop!" Max said. "You have to trust Malfoy to know what he's doing."

"Leolin's right," Hermione said, covering her mouth as Kelly screamed again. "This is so barbaric! Stop already!"

Draco finally let up his wand after the third bout, a monstrous sadness welling in his eyes.

"Imperius," he whispered, and Kelly collapsed flat onto his back, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Leolin made to go to his side, but Blair held her back.

"Kiss my boots, Troy," Draco demanded, and Kelly rolled labouriously onto hands and knees.

"Don't tell me he's going to do it after all that," Reagan said, horror-striken. "This is sick."

Finally Kelly was huddled in a pathetic heap at Draco's feet.

"Go on, Kelly," Draco goaded, his voice tight and pained. "Do it."

Kelly raised his head to look at the gleaming leather before dropping his forehead onto the oak boards of the floor.

"No," he whispered. "I won't."

Everyone let out a stale breath, and Blair relinquished his grip on Leolin so she could melt to the floor at Kelly's side. Draco watched the scene with tortured gaze, and Leolin was only able to catch his eye for a second before he all but fled from the room.

* * *

Hours later, Leolin sat cross-legged on her bed, staring blankly at the blueprints. She knew she ought to be planning the rescue, Draco and the others were counting on her, but she simply had too much on her mind. It was painful to admit, but everything Isobel had said had been true. She _had _been unkind, and now she was reaping what she'd sown. She thought of Kelly lying flat on his back in agony and Draco's anguish as the Cruciatus ate away at him, and she felt a cold, crushing guilt.

Perhaps Isobel was right; perhaps she ought to go instead. This was her fight, after all, she'd picked it, and it seemed unfair to let Kelly finish it for her or die trying. It was true Adrian would go easy on her. He was more interested in posessing her than he was hurting her. And besides, it wasn't as if she'd never done something like this before. She thought of Lucius's teeth raking across her skin and Christian's hands roaming her body and she shuddered. Still, if this was the path to victory, to freedom, to _Draco,_ she ought to suck it up and take it. She would just have to do what she'd always done; detach and simply become someone else entirely.

She groaned. She needed advice. She wished Severina was still here. However, she'd all but fled the manor when the meeting adjourned, promising Leolin she would see her in Bamberg for the world cup if not before. Leolin thought of Isa's anguish and the pain in Xavier's eyes and she felt guilty all over again.

She mulled the Kelly dilemma over again, weighing it against the sickingly idea of voluntarily going to bed with Adrian. She bit her lip. She needed counsel. She considered calling Severina, but it was half one in Rome, and she knew if Severina wasn't already asleep, she would be making love to Xavier.

Blaise and Ginny, then. She knew they'd rejected it outright, at least initially, but Ginny was probably the only other soul on Earth who understood Leolin's love for Kelly. If anyone was going to understand her need to spare him, it was Ginny. As for Blaise, he would be extremely resistant, but ultimately Leolin knew he would defer to Ginny.

Labouriously Leolin rose, padding softly to Ginny and Blaise's room. The door was slightly ajar, and she could hear voices from within. She dropped her hand from knocking.

Ginny was lying flat on her back, Blaise smiling beautifully down at her as he drew soft circles on her bare stomach.

"Ginevra Weasley," he breathed, tucking a strand of copper hair behind her ear. "What did I _ever _do to deserve you?"

Ginny rewarded his question with a kiss.

"I love you," she replied. "You are the greatest and best thing that has ever been mine. I hope you know that."

"I do," he said, pushing his forehead to hers. "Thank Merlin for you. I look at Leolin and Draco and I feel so lucky. I can't imagined being seperated from you like that."

"I know," Ginny said, and Leolin's heart clenched painfully. "She's the bravest woman I've ever known."

"We have to do something," Blaise said. "Before it's too late."

"I know," Ginny agreed. "We will."

Leolin, having by this time lost her nerve, backed away from the door. She knew they meant well, but their pitying, hopless tones were making her heartsick. However, as she trudged back to her own room, she still felt restless. She yearned to go to Draco, but she didn't have it in her to spar with Gen. Her mind wandered to Felix instead. She ought to go to him.

She reached his door several minutes later and knocked, but he didn't answer. Still, she could hear movement beyond the door, so she knocked again. Just as she was going to knock a third time, the door burst open and he gave her a dazzling smile. She noted that he kept the door opened only wide enough to admit his slender body. His hair was a mess, sticking up in every direction, and he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Bichette!" he cried jovially. "What a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?"

"I—" she began, frowning at his odd behaviour. "Is this a bad time?"

"What?" he said, giving an over zealous laugh. "No, of course not! Why would you ask that?"

"Then may I come in?" she said.

"Oh!" he said, laughing again. "Well, I'm actually headed to bed."

"It's not even eleven," she pointed out suspicously.

"I know," he said. "But it's been a long weekend. Besides, I'm still on Canadian time."

"They are six hours behind us," she pointed out.

"Oh!" he laughed a third time. "Right, well you know what I mean! Traveling always messes with your sleep schedule."

"Listen," she snapped. "Not to be pushy, but this is important. I just need five minutes."

Before he could stop her, she shouldered to door open, and her face fell as she took in Isobel Lorde lying completely naked on the bed. There were clothes strewn all about the suite, including a pair of wantonly red knickers that lay a foot from Leolin. It was exceedingly clear they'd already have sex more than once.

"Oh my gods!" Leolin squealed, shielding her eyes and spinning around.

"Oh don't be such a prude, Lefevre!" Isobel goaded. "We're all adults here!"

"Fuck you," Leolin snapped, eyes still closed. "And you ought to get your galleons back for those horrid fake knockers."

"They were a gift from Adrian," Isobel spit, clearly intent on torturing Leolin one last time. "He can't resist a good handful. You can look forward to that when he finally gets his hands on you."

"Isobel!" Felix admonished fiercely.

Leolin whipped around.

"You fucking bitch."

She finally turned attention to Felix and gave a hurt frown.

"Leolin please!" he said, grabbing her wrist lightly.

"Don't," she snarled. "Touch me."

With this she took off, and he was hot on her heels, trying to struggle into a shirt as he ran.

"Wait, bichette, please!" he called, follwoing her down the grand staircase and out into the back garden. "Just let me explain!"

"No!" she cried, shoving him so hard he stumbled back several steps. "Go away. Leave me _alone._"

"Can't we at least talk?"

"I have _nothing_ to say to you," she snapped. "Nothing."

"Why are you jealous?" He demanded in frustration. "You said you weren't interested in me!"

"Jealousy?" she repeated incredulously, shoving him roughing again. It made wrist ache, but she ignored the jolt of pain. "You honestly think that's what this is about?"

"Isn't it?"

"No, you sodding prick!"

"Then I don't understand why you're mad at me!"

"How can you _not_ know the answer to that?" she demanded.

"Enlighten me, then."

"Do you not see what she represents to me?"

"This is about Pucey again? Leolin, how is that in any way fair?"

"She set him off!" she cried.

"Well from what I've heard," he said, getting heated now. "So did you!"

She stopped as if he'd struck her. It stung as bad or worse than a physical slap.

"Leolin," he said, immediately. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that. That came out wrong."

"Six months," she said in response. "Six months the two of them were married, and in that six months she cheated on him, humiliated him, took him to court, and _wiped him out_. She ruined his fucking life, and it was only by the grace of Draco's sick father that he gained any of it back. You know what he gave her in return? 'Unkind words'. You know what he gave me?"

She dropped the glamours on her wrist and face. The black eye had faded to lilac and pale yellow, though it was still visible, and her wrist was an angry violet, the bone still set at the slightest incorrect angle.

Felix's face went white.

"Leolin—"

"No," she grit out through tears. "Stay the hell away from me. I never should have trusted you. You're fucking despicable."

"I didn't know—" he defended gently, grabbing her wrist reflexively.

She yanked it away, hissing in pain and cradling it protectively to her chest.

"Leolin," he pleaded penitently, trying to touch her battered cheek. She slapped his hand away.

" ' . Just leave me the hell alone."

Finally, he acquiesced, looking ashamed as he slunk away, allowing her to sink down on a bench and put her head in her hands.

* * *

Draco stood staring out the window, watching Leolin at the lake's edge. He had been on the deck smoking when she and Chaisson had burst into the garden, arguing heatedly. Finally Felix had given up and left, and Leolin had sunk down on a bench and begun to cry. Seeing her so distressed tugged at Draco, and he didn't know if he wanted to go to her and hold her and rip Chaisson's beating heart from his chest and smash it down his throat.

Suddenly, he felt arms sliding around him as a cheek pressed to his back, and he started.

"Gen?" he said.

"She wishes," came the reply, and Draco smiled wryly, rotating and opening his arm so Ginny could tuck more fully underneath it.

"You sneaky devil," he murmured appreciatively as she hugged him tightly.

"I didn't sneak up on you," Ginny said, laying her head on his chest. "You were just engrossed."

There was no point in being overly coy with Ginny; she knew him too didn't bother to deny it, just looked out the window again. Ginny did the same.

"She looks sad," Ginny said in a soft voice.

Draco clenched his jaw, warring with himself.

"She and Chaisson got into it," Draco explained tightly. "I don't know about what."

"Why don't you go down there and ask her?" Ginny prompted

"Gin—"

"No, Drake, listen to me. I've been quiet about this whole thing since it started, and I let Blaise speak for both of us; I regret that now. You should know what I think."

"I bet I can guess."

"Then this should be easy to hear," Ginny said, unperturbed by his resistance. "There is a reason we always end up back here, Drake. It's your heart telling you what it really wants."

"She betrayed me," Draco said, breaking away from her embrace so he could brace his arms on the windowsill. "And she's been lying to me since she got back. She's hiding something."

"Have you ever considered that she has a good reason for doing it?" Ginny asked.

"That's not enough anymore," Draco snapped, and Ginny felt her heartbeat quicken.

She could see it, almost as sure as if it had a physical form. She could _see _the gag working on Draco, its binding snaking around his heart and mind until he couldn't see straight.

"Do you still love her?" Ginny said bluntly.

Draco's eyes snapped to hers, and she could tell some of the haze had faded.

"What?"

"You heard me," Ginny said. "And for the record, I think you do."

"It's not about that anymore," Draco said. "I have obligations now; I'm not going to forsake them just to gamble on her."

"You're not married, yet, Drake," she reminded him softly. "And you can't deny your heart's desire forever. It will eat you up inside."

"I love Gen," he countered.

Ginny nodded.

"If you say it then I believe you. Just promise me you won't throw something sacred away because of your pride."

"This isn't about my pride," he said hotly. "You're short-sided if you think it is."

"Maybe," Ginny said. "Like I said, only you know what you're really feeling. I'm only asking you to make the right decision for you, even if it isn't the easy one."

She drove a hand into her pocket, drawing out a dazzling pendant. Draco's heart convulsed painfully as he watched the moonlight dance across the diamonds of Leolin's key.

"I think it's time I gave this back to you," Ginny said softly. "I've been holding onto it for long enough."

He made no move to take it, so she pushed it into his palm before closing it with both of her own.

"Gin—" he began but she shook her head, grabbing his cheeks and softly brushing her lips to his.

"Forgiveness isn't a weakness, Drake."

He turned his back to her, silently indicating he wanted to be alone. Reading the gesture, she nodded.

"I'll leave you alone; I know you have a lot on your mind."

She walked about halfway to the door before turning back.

"Oh," she said, as if she'd just realised something. "I almost forgot. I was cleaning the other day and I found this," she said, extending the thin disc of the pensieve. "This is yours, right?"

He nodded.

"Cheers," he said numbly, accepting it.

Ginny gave him a soft smile.

"Goodnight," she said. "See you tomorrow."

He nodded again, waiting until she'd left the room before spinning the pensieve and watching as it assumed depth. Glancing at the pendant in his hand, he tipped in head-first, unsure what was awaited him at the bottom.

At first he saw only fleeting shapes and shadows, but after a second a specific memory emerged, and he watched as the Hogwarts infirmary materialised around him. His younger self stood at the window, staring hopelessly outward.

At the sound of the door seventeen-year-old Draco didn't turn, though adult Draco did. He watched as the air shuddered for a second before revealing Leolin. She looked impossibly young and innocent, despite the worried look creasing her smooth brow. Finally, past Draco turned, and Leolin immediately flew into his arms.

"What are you doing here?" younger Draco said incredulously, brushing a hand across Leolin's cheek.

"I told you I would come back if I could."

"Where'd you get—"

"Ginny. She sent it to me."

Younger Draco nodded then detangled from her and wandered away to the window, bracing his arms on either side of it. Adult Draco watched Leolin's expression of pain as she came to embrace him, her cheek against his broad back as her arms encircled his trim waist.

"Have you talked to McGonagall?" She asked quietly.

"She came last night," younger Draco said. Draco could still remember the terror he'd felt that morning. "She's going to expel me."

"She said that?" Leolin demanded.

"She said I was lucky Cormac doesn't want to press charges in the Wizengamot. They were able to undo the memory charm. I guess he told a very moving story about how I jumped him on Saturday. Some kind of hate crime, I guess."

"Did you defend yourself?"

"I tried. She wouldn't listen to anything I had to say. She said I would get my chance today." He gave a frustrated sigh. "Not that it matters."

"Draco, please don't give up hope. I promised you that I would sort this out, didn't I? Please, just trust me one last time. Blaise and I have a plan. He's coming to speak on your behalf, and so will Pansy."

"That won't do any good!" younger Draco snapped, pushing Leolin's arms off him and pacing away. "McGonagall knows Slytherins would do anything to protect their own."

"Ginny, then," Leolin said.

"Yes, Ginny!" Draco said nastily. "Tell me, have you talked to Ginny lately?"

She looked down, and Draco felt an odd guilt welling up for the way he'd treated her. She'd come to help him, and he'd been cold and curt.

"No, I—"

"Exactly. Inter-House loyalty only extends so far. Weasley's not going to put her neck on the line for me."

"What then?" Leolin said, half-angry and half-defeated. "You're giving up?"

"What else can I do?" younger Draco said softly. "I'm going to lose everything!" He grit out, anguished. "My father was right. "No good deed goes unpunished."

"Draco, please, listen to me," Leolin said, her blue eyes glittering. "Do not give into him. I can fix this, and I will!"

"You can't!" past Draco said miserably, shaking his head and tugging at his perfect hair. "No one can. And even if I stand my ground against him, McGonagall will snap my wand, and then I have to crawl back to him in shame. It's better I at least do it while I'm still on my feet.

"That's not true," Leolin defended. At sixteen she was wise beyond her years. "Please, the die's not been cast yet, and I won't let you give up until we're sure it's over. I know this seems grim and it is, I admit it, but I'm still fighting for you." She touched his cheek. "And I won't stop. Please, I know it's not easy to relinquish control, but I am begging you, just trust me this one last time. Please, darling," she gripped the back of his neck and pulled his face close. "I love you."

Seventeen-year-old Draco slowly raised his head, and when he did, she dipped forward to capture his lips. Their tongues tangled for a moment as she kissed him desperately.

"Please," she said a last time, stroking his cheek. "Don't give up. You're better than the irons your father wants to slam you in. Let me fight for the life you deserve."

"It's a lost cause, Cal."

"Then I'm going to stay right here to defend you until the bitter end. Please, have faith in me."

They were quiet a moment, gazing intently at one another.

"Please, Draco," she whispered, and he only nodded in response.

"You should go," Draco said at last, rising to retrieve the cloak and handing it to her. "The last thing I want is for you to get mixed up in this."

She nodded and he walked her to the door, She leaned against it and looked up at him once more, and seeking silent permission and finding it in his gaze, he bent to brush his lips against hers again.

"I love you," she breathed, and younger Draco looked pained.

"You need to go," he said, but even as he did, they heard voices echoing up the stairs.

The scene began to fade even as a warm feeling crept up Draco's spine. The look in Leolin's eyes had seared him. He'd forgotten how hard she'd fought to keep him free of his father's influence, even after they'd broken up. He'd forgotten how brave she'd been, and how she'd kept the faith even when his had ran out.

A new scene was forming now, and soon he was standing in the ballroom on his eighteenth birthday. Judging by the commotion that was swirling around him, Blair Lefevre had already beaten Gareth Rhydderich to a bloody pulp. He could see Police lights flaring and healers milling about.

His younger self was striding away from the throng of healers tending to Gareth, headed to speak to the head officer in charge.

"Draco!"

Both older and younger turned to watch Leolin tear across the ballroom, her feet bare and her fancy dress hiked to her knees.

As soon as she was close enough she launched into Draco's arms, holding him as if she never meant to let go. Adult Draco felt his throat tighten uncomfortably as he watched the pair. He felt like he could still remember the sound of Leolin's heart beating in his ears as he held her that night.

"I'm sorry I was so harsh earlier," past Draco breathed. "I—I had no idea."

"How could you?" She replied, and he simply nodded, holding her closer.

"I need to go. They're charging your cousin with deadly assault if I don't get there in ten minutes."

Leolin nodded, and Draco kissed her head before starting briskly away.

"Wait, Draco! Wait!"

Adult Draco looked into her face, so warm despite what she'd endured, and he wished her could travel back and time and be in her presence again.

"What is it?" Draco said.

"Do you still have the necklace?" Leolin asked, breathless.

"The one you gave me? Yeah, I'm wearing it."

She shook her head frantically.

"The pendant! The key! Draco, do you have it?"

Confused, he produced the box from his pocket.

"Put it on me," she commanded, holding up her hair.

"What?"

"Put it on me."

He did as he was told, and when it was fastened she kissed him soundly.

"I love you, Draco Malfoy," she said. "I love you."

"That's against the rules," he breathed, dazed.

"Not anymore. I love you, Draco. We're still not together, but I need you to know after tonight that I never stopped."

The scene was shifting again, and even in the pensieve Draco could feel the actual pendant digging into his palm. A new memory was surfacing, and he was in another ballroom, this time at the Hogwarts Graduation party.

He watched his younger self scurrying through the crowd, an irate McGonagall on his heels. He craned his neck, catching a first glimpse of Leolin hurrying along the balcony.

"Mr. Malfoy!" McGonagall seethed. "Come back here _at once!" _

Nineteen-year-old Draco didn't seem perturbed.

"Has anyone seen Leolin Lefevre?" he called mirthfully.

Leolin was finally approaching now, and adult Draco's could hear his heart in his ears, even now. She had no idea she was about to change both their lives.

"Draco," she hissed, "what the bleeding hell are you doing here?"

"Hey Cal," younger Draco said casually as they met somewhere in the middle of the ballroom. "Sorry, I'm late. I had a little…trouble at the door. Seems McGonagall lost my invitation."

Leolin didn't smile.

"Draco, seriously, you need to leave. My parents are here. They can't see you."

Draco only smirked.

"Relax, darling. They know I'm here."

She gave him and incredulous look.

"What?" she demanded.

His smile only widened.

"My hand to Merlin."

"No," she said in disbelief. "No fucking way."

"Yes way," he said, raising his eyebrows. "Turns out your dad and I are mates now."

"What?" Leolin said. "How—" But Draco cut her off. He looked over his shoulder as McGonagall closed in. She was no more than forty-five seconds from catching up to him.

"Leolin, listen, I would love to sit here and chat about your dad, but I haven't got a lot of time."

He glanced over his shoulder, grinning mischievously.

"I still don't understand what you're doing here," she said, still half-whispering, though at this point their audience was nearly the whole ballroom. "And I can't believe that you convinced my parents to collude with you!"

"Yes, well," he said, smiling. "No one knows better than you how charming I can be. But listen, like I said, I'm on something of a tight schedule and there's something I have to say. Or rather, something I have to ask you."

"Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall seethed, readjusted her wide black hat. "This is a private party for Hogwarts alumni and their families. Seeing as you are _neither_ of those two things, I am going to have to ask you to leave. Immediately."

"Right, of course, Headmistress," younger Draco said, smirking at her. "But first I need to ask Miss Lefevre a quick question."

"Mr. Malfoy—"

"Draco—" Leolin said through clenched teeth. "What the fuck?"

"Look, darling, I'm sorry I don't have time to give this more pomp and circumstance, but as you can see, I'm really strapped for time."

"Draco—" she repeated, but when he fell to one knee in front of her, she only gasped, her hands flying to her face.

"Leolin Marie-Therese Anastasie Lefevre," he began, producing a naked ring from his pocket. "Will you marry me?"

Despite knowing what she was going to say, adult Draco still felt his heart fluttering. They were nearly there….

"Oh my gods," Leolin blurted, and Draco felt a bit like laughing.

How had he lived through this the first time?

Finally Leolin looked up at her own version of Draco, and adult Draco felt his heart stop of a half-second. The Leolin of that exact moment was still the most exquisite creature Draco had ever seen before or since.

"It would be my honour," she choked quietly, tears welling in her eyes.

Draco fell to his knees as the memories swirled around him. He'd forgotten, forgotten just how it had been with Leolin, how she'd made him feel. He tried to think of Gen to dull the sensation, but he couldn't seem to bring one single thing about her to mind. Draco screwed his eyes shut. He ought to go to Leolin and tell her how he felt. It wasn't even that he really wanted to; he just sincerely thought he might die if he didn't.

Mind made up, he sought to pull back to reality. However, one more memory was stirring, dragging him back down.

When he reappeared, he was convinced for a whole minute he must have been in someone else's memory, because he didn't recognise the room at all. The walls were a dingy yellow and the carpets below foot a frayed and stained tan. He swirled around; where the hell was he?

He turned to see himself lying half-naked on a bed, a slaggy blonde naked beside him. He approached slowly, an ugly pit forming in his chest.

No wonder he didn't remember this; he could tell by looking at himself that he was high out of his mind. He was so high, in fact, that present Draco was surprised this memory survived with such clarity. Then again, that was the power of the pensieve.

He looked at himself closer and the pit in his chest grew. His hair was dull and unwashed, his eyes ringed with a sickly violet and lips tinged a ghostly white. He could see his own breastbone and ribs through is sallow, waxy skin, and his breathing was coming in odd rasps. Draco counted no more than six bottles of liquor strewn about the room, all near empty.

Suddenly the door burst open, and Blaise flew in, panic in his eyes. Past Draco didn't seem to notice, but the woman beside him did.

"Darling, someone's here for you," she said, biting his ear.

"Draco," Blaise demanded, green eyes glittering with tears.

Draco struggled to sit up, his eyes rolling around wildly in his head.

"Draco," Blaise repeated. "Draco," Blaise repeated, a third time. "Draco! Can you hear me! Do you know who I am?"

"Blaise," past Draco slurred. "Stop moving."

"I'm not," Blaise said.

Draco watched himself pitch up into a standing position before leaning over the bed and vomiting. It was mostly blood.

"Drake," Blaise said sternly. "I have to get you home. You're not well."

"Where am I?" Draco asked, looking pathetic and confused.

"In Riga," Blaise said.

"How did I get here?"

"I honestly don't know. But everyone is worried sick about you. I have to get you back."

"Come on," Blaise said, attempting to haul Draco up.

"No," Draco slurred. "I'm not going back."

"Everyone's worried," Blaise said. "I'm worried. Drake, you're scaring the shit out of me. How many drugs have you taken today?"

"I'm not going back," past Draco said more vehemently

"You don't have a choice," Blaise said. "We're going back."

Draco jerked his arm roughly, his elbow catching Blaise in the nose, and the latter cried out in pain. Present Draco winced as his friend began to bleed.

"I'm not going back," Draco said, drawing his wand. "I'm never going back."

"Drake," Blaise said, wiping blood from his nose. "Please. I'm begging you. If you keep on this way, you'll die."

"Good," Draco said, his eyes rolling back in his head for a second as his head grew heavy.

"This is mad!" Blaise said, reaching for Draco again.

However, Draco had gained some lucidity, and he hurled a stinging jinx at Blaise, which hit him right in the face. Present Draco winced again.

"Get out," past Draco said.

"Drake, I'm trying to help you!"

Draco threw another curse at Blaise but missed.

"I don't want your help."

Blaise, was still cradling the left half of his face, which was swollen from Draco's jinx.

"This is the last time I come after you," Blaise warned. "If I leave now, I'm not coming back for any reason."

The memory Draco saw a pill lying on the bedside table and he picked it up, washing it down with vodka.

"Fine—go."

Blaise considered before trying to help Draco as he collapsed backwards, too exhausted to keep his head up. However, as Blaise got closer, Draco blasted him back again, where he crumpled before standing labouriously.

"Get out," Draco slurred, the new pill kicking in.

"Fine," Blaise said, his voice tight with tears. "I'm done. Please don't let the next time I see you be in the morgue."

It was here that Draco finally gained control of his memories again, and he emerged from the pensieve gasping.

"Drake?" Gen asked, looking worried. "Are you alright? What were you looking at?"

Draco said nothing, only blinked several times as Gen watched him with fear in her eyes. Finally he looked up at her, vanishing the pendant into his cache without properly realising he'd done it.

"Draco," Gen repeated fretfully, looking terrified."What's going on?"

He finally looked up at her, face like etched marble.

"Drake—" she started, tears welling in her eyes now.

"Give me your ring," he interrupted, voice stony.

"What?" she said in a strangled voice, wiping at tears now. "Why?"

"Genevieve," he said gravely, extending a hand. "Give me your engagement ring."

"I don't understand!" she sobbed. "What are you doing?"

"Just give it to me," he pleaded, and she finally nodded, sniffling as she begrudgingly tugged it off and handed it to him.

He looked down at it, studying it and remembered the first time the jeweler had shown it to him.

"Draco," Gen begged, distraught. "What's going on? What are you doing?"

He looked up at her and swallowed the hempen knot in his throat. It burned all the way down into his stomach. He blinked slowly several times before falling to one knee. Gen covered her mouth with her hands, fresh tears starting, this time tears of joy.

"Genevieve," he said in a serious voice. "I was dead when I met you, and you brought me back to life. I know I've already asked you once, but after everything we've been through, I feel like I have to ask again. Will you marry me?"

She gave a relieved half-laugh, half-sob.

"Of course I will!" she squealed as he slid the ring back on. She admired it as if it was new before beaming up at him.

She grabbed his cheeks and smashed her lips to his, and his arms went instinctively around her waist, though he couldn't quite match her fervour.

"I love you," she breathed. "I love you, I love you, I love you."

"I know," he said softly, and somewhere in the annals of non-being, he could still see Leolin's key glittering in the moonlight.


	24. Chapter 23: Onward and Upward

**3,000 WORDS ADDED. PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! **Also, I will edit tomorrow. Too tired to do it right now but wanted to get this puppy out the door.** PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING, THAT'S HOW YOU GET TIMELY UPDATES :D  
**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Onward and Upward**

"_Come se va, ma belle?" Severina asked, traipsing into the pluvium where Leolin sat brooding._

_It was a beautiful day in Naples, and the autumn sunlight glinted softly off the water of the swallow pool in the centre of the enclosed space. Leolin and the twins had just accomplished a heist at the Louvre, a feat that marked Leolin's first triumph against the gag. She still couldn't enter the UK, but France was now open to her, and as an art thief, that was very handy. She hadn't quite mustered up the courage to go back to the Louvre, but she'd sent the twins after Jacque Louis David's masterpiece __**The Oath of the Horatti **_, _and they returned to Rome with it without a hitch. Now, after nearly a month of misleading Crofton Teller, Leolin had finally sent him spinning off in the opposite direction. He headed to Sweden even as the new owner was hanging the painting in Turkey._

_She had told Teller she was chasing down a lead in Naples, and she, Severina, Xavy, and the girls had stolen away to a palazzo Xavier's family owned just outside Naples. It was lovely there._

"_I'm bloody frustrated," Leolin replied in answer to Severina' query. "This fucking gag is so—Damnit!"_

"_Here," Sev said soothingly, urging a tottering Isadora towards where Leolin sat in the grass. "Take this."_

_Isa was almost two now, but she still looked like a baby. Her legs are arms were covered in adorable rolls of fat, and she still had three little teeth. Her wispy black hair was tied back in two pigtails, and she had a pumpkin juice tucked under her chubby arm._

_Sev had been right; Isa already looked remarkably like Xavier. She had his elegantly flat Spanish nose and slightly turned-down lips, and unlike Severina, whose eyes were dark, Isa's were spring green._

"_¿Quién es esa?" Sev said to Isa._

_Isa babbled incoherently to herself before saying. "Lai-Nay. Lai-Nay."_

_She'd finally reached Leolin, and she all but fell into Leolin's arms._

"_We're working on it," Severina laughed as Isa muttered, 'Lai-Nay, zumo,'_

_gesturing to her cup of juice. "Swish and Eff calling you Nay is really confusing her."_

"_I like Lai-Nay," Leolin told the baby, kissing her on the face and making Isa laugh. "It's endearing."_

"_And Spanish?" Leolin asked. "Didn't you start Angie with Italian?"_

_Severina gave a delightfully delicate laugh._

"_The constant battle between Xavy and I," Sev admitted. "I lobbied very hard for Angie and italiano. After all, we have been living here in Italy since Rodrigo Borgia was still a cardinal. Xavy's still a Borja at heart. He grew up in Valencia speaking Spanish the way I did Italian. We started Angie with English and Spanish when she was four, and she picked it up amazingly quick. We'll do the same with Isa."_

"_French?"_

"_We pepper it in," Sev laughed. "I didn't learn it until I was ten or eleven, and I speak it perfectly now."_

"_You're family is so picture-perfect," Leolin smiled as Isa ran grubby hands down Leolin's sleek black hair._

"_Isadora, por favor, no lo toques su pelo. Tus manos están sucios."_

_Isa pouted but didn't stop._

"_It's okay," Leolin said. "I need to shower before the party tonight anyways. Speaking of which, are you finally going to tell me why we're throwing one? We said we wouldn't start shopping for our next client until after my birthday."_

"_We did," Severina agreed. "And we won't. Still, I'm Severina Borgia, most beloved daughter of Italy. Why shouldn't I throw a party?"_

_Leolin laughed but didn't argue. She locked her floo and handed in to Isa, who was instantly engrossed._

"_So," Sev said. "What's going on with the gag?"_

"_France is as far as I've gotten, and that's so bloody annoying because that is the least relevant part to me. Seriously, anything would be better! Dublin, Wales, anything!"_

"_Is that what you're working on now?" Sev asked, pushing Leolin's gleaming floo away from Isa's slobbery mouth._

"_Yeah," Leolin said. "The gag seemed to be designed as a series of chambers. I can enter one before I've gone through another. France was the outermost ring. Then it's the UK, then it's the Hogwarts binding, then—finally—its seeing Draco."_

"_What happens if you go back once you've freed your friends and worked on Draco from there?"_

_Leolin shook her head._

"_They'd all be able to recognise me and he wouldn't. It would drive him mad. Besides, there's no point in joining back until I can tell him the truth. Otherwise he'll never listen to me."_

_Severina shrugged._

"_Good point."_

"_The only shred of good news is now that I've picked one lock I sort of know what I'm doing. The others ones should be easier. At least the UK one. I have no idea what the people ones are going to be like."_

"_Just keep your head down and keep working. I say we slow La Genie for now so you have more time for this and don't have to contract for Teller."_

"_Right," Leolin said, laying her head on Isa's. "Okay."_

"_I predict you'll be home by your twenty-fifth birthday."_

"_Here's hoping," Leolin said. "If not, I think I could bear living here forever."_

_Isa had slid down, exhausted, and she was quietly snoozing in Leolin's lap. Leolin stroked her soft curls._

"_What are you wearing tonight?" Severina asked._

_Leolin shrugged._

"_Probably that high-low white dress I bought in Paris. What about you?"_

"_I haven't decided," Severina said. "You know I like to see what the mood inspires."_

_Leolin laughed._

"_Of course. I'm glad we're back to the party. I have to confess something. I know its not just one of your typical 'I'm Severina Borgia, come see how important I am' parties."_

"_How?" Severina asked, smiling coyly._

"_I was the one that signed for the fireworks today, and I've seen that behemoth of a cake."_

_Severina laughed._

"_Perhaps I'm simple upping the ante."_

"_No," Leolin said, smoothing Isa's hair as she lay on her back. "Don't give me that bollocks."_

_Severina only laughed._

"_I think I know," Leolin said, smiling._

"_Do you?" Severina said, dark eyes merry._

"_Isn't your anniversary in September? You've been married seven years now. Are you and Xav renewing your vows?"_

_Severina gave a delicate laugh._

"_No," she said excitedly. "But do you think it's too late to do that?"_

_She looked genuinely interested._

"_It's only one," Leolin said. "I'm sure you can pull it together. Ooh, you should surprise Xavy with it! I'll help you."_

"_This is so exciting," Sev blurted. "I need to dig out a white dress."_

"_I'll scrap mine," Leolin agreed eagerly before realising something. "Wait, so that wasn't your secret?"_

"_Well, it is now."_

"_Yeah," Leolin said slowly, making soft circles on Isa's rounded belly. "But what's your __**other **__secret?"_

_Severina beamed, drawing a picture out of her pocket. It was a sonogram._

_Leolin covered her mouth as tears of joy welled up._

"_Oh my gods," she said, looking happily at Sev. "How far along?_

"_16 weeks," Sev said happily. "I can't believe you haven't noticed how fat I've gotten."_

"_I've barely seen you," Leolin laughed. "And you're one of those annoying slags who only gains in her belly!"_

_Severina lifted her blouse in response, showing Leolin the soft rounding of her form._

"_Oh my gods," Leolin choked, touching it. "Another baby."_

_Severina smiled, touching her friend's cheek._

"_A balm to cure the ache of you going back to England at last."_

* * *

Blaise sat on the edge of the bed, his brow creased with worry. It was still barely light out, but he'd just returned from a run with Draco, and it had been troubling. He should have known when he'd gotten Draco's floo that something was wrong; Draco was by no means an early riser. Still, he'd hoped it was simply more about Leolin, providing Blaise the opportunity to start setting his mistakes right. Unfortunately, it had been just the opposite.

"Gin," he said softly, shaking her creamy bare shoulder. "We have a problem."

"Yeah, we do," she muttered against her pillow. "It's six am and you're trying to talk to me."

Blaise pursed his lips. It some ways, it would make more sense if Ginny were to marry Draco; they had the same adolescent sleep schedule.

"Gin," he repeated. "Seriously, get up. We need to talk."

"No," she said petulantly, still half-asleep. "please go away."

"Ginevra," he said as if she were a child. "Don't make me count to three."

She gave a defeated half-laugh as he began to count.

"One—"

"Gods, is this how you're going to be when we have kids?"

"Two—"

"Stop counting, Z. I'm not getting up."

"Three—"

Despite her protestations, she sat up. Her red hair was a wild but perfect mane as it flowed over her shoulders and down her back. Merlin, she was beautiful.

"Alright—" he began, but she held up a hand.

"If you expect me to listen, I need a coffee and a really good snog first, preferably in that order."

He nodded, running a hand down her silk curls with affection.

"I'll be right back," he said.

He returned two minutes later with a cappuccino. She'd put on a pair of soft pajamas and wrestled her hair into a long braid, and she sat in the middle of the bed cross-legged as she waited for him. He handed her the coffee and she took a large sip before setting it down on the nightstand.

"Kiss?" she said, and he smiled, crawling onto the bed next to her and pushing her on her back so he could do it properly.

"Good morning," he said at last, pulling away and running the pad of his thumb affectionately back and forth across her bottom lip.

"It is now," she replied, kissing him again. "Alright, you have my full attention; what's going on?"

Blaise frowned before sighing heavily.

"It's Draco," he said softly, flopping down next to her on his back.

She curled beside him, running a hand soothingly along his naked chest.

"Sometimes I feel like that's my least favourite phrase in the English language," she said.

"Mine too," he admitted.

"What happened?" she asked.

Blaise shook his head.

"I should have known it was bad when he wanted to go for a run at five a.m."

"What did he say?"

Blaise shook his head again, soothed by the feeling of her pressed against him.

"He wants to get married at the end of October"'

"To who?" Ginny demanded, sitting up. "To Gen?"

Blaise sat up as well.

"He wouldn't stop talking about it," he said, visibly distressed. "He said he'd finally gotten some clarity on the whole Leolin thing, and he knows now that he made the right decision choosing Gen, and he can't wait to marry her."

Ginny shook her head in disbelief.

"Something must have happened after I left him last night," she said.

"Could it be that you misread him? Maybe he wasn't in the headspace you thought he was."

"No," Ginny said distractedly, her voice distant as she synched her eyebrows together. "No, he was—watching her, he—he asked how she was, took the necklace—"

She looked back at him, and he gave a reassuring nod.

"Well then maybe something happened between them. Have you talked to Leolin?"

"Not since yesterday," she admitted.

"Maybe they had a fight," Blaise said. "You should go see her."

Ginny shook her head in frustration.

"Merlin, sometimes I could just kill him," Ginny said sadly. "He's willfully ruining his own happiness."

Blaise smoothed her hair back and kissed her jaw.

"You're only saying that because you know the truth. He doesn't; try to be patient with him."

She turned her gaze on him, eyes intense as she brought a hand to his satiny cheek. Her brows furrowed slightly.

"What?" he said at last. "What is it?"

"Thank Merlin for you," she breathed. "I love you. More than I could possibly say."

He gave a soft smile.

"I never dreamed I'd ever hear you say that," he admitted in a quiet voice, eyes dancing across her face. "I thought I was just destined to love you in vain."

"I regret every second I wasted not being with you," Ginny said.

"You honour me," he breathed.

They kissed again, this time more slowly. Ginny reached up to touch his cheek, the milky tone of her skin a crisp contrast to the caramel of his.

"All this bollocks with Leolin and Draco makes me realise how lucky I am to just—have you," she said. "I watch Leolin struggle and I think, if that were me and I were separated from you like that, I couldn't take it."

"I know," he said. "It's agony. Leolin doesn't deserve this."

"Neither of them do," Ginny said, resting her forehead on his clavicle.

"We'll set them right," Blaise promised, cradling her head gently. "Then it'll finally be the four of us together, just like it always ought to have been."

There was a long pause during which they both seemed to be daydreaming.

"Promise me you'll never die," Ginny said abruptly at last.

He gave a wry smile.

"I have to die sometime, my love. I'm not Nicholas Flamel."

She laughed unexpectedly.

"I know," she said. "But I mean—don't you dare die in this war. I could never ever live without you."

"You have to make the same promise," he said solemnly.

She nodded.

"I promise."

He leaned forward to kiss her again, and the matter seemed suitably closed. Neither wanted to dwell on the ugly possibly.

"We probably ought to start talking about our own wedding," Blaise said at last. "Something tells me we aren't going to time for a fancy do like we planned."

"You're probably right," Ginny said somewhat glumly. "You're mum is going to be so put out."

"We ought to just tell her it's the Dark Lord's fault we can have a big wedding," he said. "She'd probably just kill him and save us loads of trouble."

"We could have something small," Ginny said. "My brother Bill married Fleur in the middle of the war, and we had a spiffing time."

"I could shrink to the size of a button and marry you in a matchbox," Blaise said. "I really don't care."

Ginny laughed.

"That certainly would be memorable."

He laughed, too.

"I'll look into it," he said, twining her hand with his. "What about your name?"

She watched his hand moving against hers with interest.

"What about it?"

"Are you—" he seemed suddenly nervous. "Are you planning on changing it? You don't have to, I know that's sort of outdated these days, I just—thought I'd ask."

She considered.

"I think Ginevra Zabini sounds awfully charming," she said. "Don't you?"

"Charming? It's sexy," Blaise said, kissing her more zealously.

"I want people to know we're a family," she said, sobering up a little. "And I like your last name. It's exotic."

He smiled, touching her cheek.

"It suits you," he said.

She smiled.

"Ginevra Zabini it is," she said, and he nodded, smiling as well.

"I'm going to get make some breakfast. You should go check on Leolin. We need to know what we're up against this morning."

Ginny nodded, scooting off the bed.

"One last thing," she said. "Please try to keep Draco away from Kelly from now on. That's really not helping anything."

"I would say the same thing to you about Leolin and Kelly," Blaise said, shrugging into a Slytherin t-shirt. "Honestly, do marriage vows mean anything anymore?"

"It's not that," Ginny said. "Look, I love Draco, but he's a proper bully when it comes to Kelly, and I know it really distresses Leolin."

"Troy's not exactly been a saint himself lately."

"What?" Ginny said. "So only Draco's justified in being horrible?"

"Troy's married; he ought to keep his hands to himself and stop looking at Leolin like she's dessert."

"Kelly loves his wife and he would never cheat on her," Ginny said firmly. "That's not the issue here."

"I don't trust him when it comes to Leolin," Blaise bit out fiercely.

She put her hands on her hips.

"Is this because I said I thought she could love Kelly? Look, I didn't mean he was a challenger for her affection; I just know that if Draco weren't around, Kelly could make Leolin happy."

"Kelly Troy is _incapable_ of making her happy," Blaise spit derisively. "He's self-righteous and vanilla and boring; he'd be hard-pressed to make beige paint happy."

"Why are we discussing this?" Ginny asked, seemingly a little miffed by his harsh assessment of Kelly. "It's a non-issue. I just don't want Draco to get on his cruel jealous high-horse and punish Leolin for something she would never even do, so please, just reign him in."

"Fine," Blaise said. "I'll do my best."

"I love you," Ginny said. "But I'm going to need better than 'your best'. I need your solemn promise that you're going to muzzle him."

"Fine," Blaise said, rolling his eyes. "I will keep Draco from spitting the truth about Troy, which is that he's poncy and annoying and unrequitedly in love with Leolin."

"Blaise!" Ginny snapped. "This is serious and so am I. First of all, Kelly is gearing up to do something big for us and you and Drake should _both _be grateful. Second of all, can't you see this is hurting Leolin? You are encouraging Draco to be horrid to Kelly, and every time he does he ends up taking it out on her as well. Yes, Leolin loved Kelly, but that was a hundred million years ago. Get over it! She certainly has, and so has he."

"Has he?" Blaise said.

"Godric's beard," Ginny growled, getting up. "That's enough."

"Gin," Blaise said, realising he'd gone too far.

"No," she snapped. "You are Draco are being right foul bullies about this whole thing, and if I'm being honest, it makes me want to punch you both in the face."

"That seems a bit harsh, darling," Blaise pointed out.

"So help me god, Blaise Zabini, if you do one more thing to fan the flames between Kelly and Draco, I will not marry you."

At this he sat up, years of fear bubbling up.

"Ginevra—"

"I just don't understand how after everything that happened yesterday you can be such an ungrateful toerag!" Ginny sneered.

"I'm not!" Blaise said. "Please stop putting words in my mouth! Look, I'm sorry for what I said about Troy. You're right; that was unkind. As for Draco, I promise to reign him in, for Leolin's sake if for nothing else."

Ginny nodded, allowing him to stand and fold her in his arms.

"Do you forgive me?" he whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Fine," she said begrudgingly. "But only because you're ungodly handsome and I like your penis."

"Vulgar!" Blaise laughed, pulling her tighter against him.

"I'm going to go find Draco and talk some sense into him," he said, kissing her gently. "I will be back in a bit."

"Talk to him about Kelly," Ginny urged. "I'm serious."

Blair grimaced.

"Not sure that's such a good idea after yesterday. That whole cruciatus thing really fucked him up."

"Well if it comes up, then," Ginny ceded. "I'm going to go try and find Leolin."

He nodded.

"Go team," he said, and she smiled, bending to kiss him a final time.

"Go team."

* * *

Leolin woke around eleven feeling shittiest than she swore she'd ever felt. She stayed up half the night crying, first about Felix then Kelly then Draco then Adrian then Draco again. When she had finally fallen asleep, she had a dream where she had sex with Isobel Lorde, and she woke up and started crying all over again. She was once again desperate to go to Draco, fantasizing about slipping into his warm bed and falling asleep in his arms. However, she knew how raw the Cruciatus business had rubbed him, and she didn't want to make it worse by pushing.

Her stomach grumbled and she stood up, wanting breakfast. Or, more realistically, she wanted a drink. She traipsed down to the kitchen in no immediate hurry, and she was pleased to find Blaise and Ginny there when she arrived. After everything with Isobel and Felix and without Severina, she was grateful not to be alone, though she already knew she'd be poor company at best. Ginny was sitting on the counter, offering directions to Blaise as he attempted to crack eggs into a bowl.

"No!" Ginny laughed merrily. "Not like that! You're going to get shell in there!"

"Oh who cares?" Blaise laughed, flicking a pinch of flour at her.

"I care," she said, still laughing. "That's gross!"

"Morning," Leolin said, coming to sit next to Ginny on the work table. "What are we up to?"

"I'm trying to teach this clot to make banana bread," Ginny said, sobering up a little at Leolin's expression. "How are you this morning?"

"Fine," Leolin said. She gave the best smile she could, though it was admittedly weak.

"Are you really?" Ginny pressed gently. "I know yesterday was totally mental."

Leolin shook her head as if she was trying to clear it. "Lorde showing up here really threw me," Leolin admitted. "She just—ugh! She doesn't even care, does she?"

"I know," Ginny agreed. "She's hideous. At least you never have to see her again."

Leolin thought of Isobel lying naked on Felix's bed and her stomach turned.

"Thank Merlin for that," Leolin said softly.

Blaise was busy whisking the eggs, and Ginny looked up momentarily from Leolin to give him further instructions.

"Z, add the vanilla."

"Is it just Lorde that's bothering you?" Ginny probed gently. "I'm sorry about the whole Kelly thing. I know that couldn't have been easy for you."

"I don't know what was worse," Leolin admitted. "Watching Kelly suffer or watching Draco. It was killing them both. Besides, all that backbiting doesn't help."

Ginny looked sternly at Blaise, who nodded.

"Are you worried about him? Troy?"

"Yes," Leolin said. "Of course. I know Adrian. This could go sideways somehow, and he could flip out and kill Kelly without a second thought. The problem is that the more I care about Kelly, the more Draco resents me."

"Did something happen with you and Draco last night?" Blaise blurted. "Did he catch you and Troy together, or something?"

"Blaise!" Ginny cried, punching him in the arm. "Merlin!"

"Excuse me?" Leolin demanded quietly.

"I saw Drake this morning and he was—I thought maybe you two had a row about the whole Troy thing."

Leolin stood, hurt tears burning in her eyes last night.

"Why is everything with Draco always my fault?" she demanded. "And to answer your question, no, Draco did not 'catch' me with Kelly last night because I wasn't _with _Kelly. As for Draco, I haven't even seen him or spoken to him since yesterday. Sorry to disappoint you."

"You're not!" Ginny said, trying to redeem Blaise's fuckery. "Lai—"

"I have to go," Leolin said. "After yesterday, I just don't have to strength to do this right now."

"Lai, I didn't mean to upset you," Blaise said. "I just—"

"Would you want Grace to go?" Leolin said quietly. "I know you loved her once upon a time. Would you want to see her give herself up to be beaten and tortured?" She turned to Ginny. "Would you want Harry to? Merlin, Blaise, this isn't about me and Kelly. This is about me and Adrian. I—" she paused, thinking about Isobel's sneering face and the sting of Adrian's hand across her cheek. "Never mind. I have to go."

"I'm sorry," Blaise breathed. "I'm trying to help, I swear."

"Could have fooled me," Leolin said quietly.

"We're not blaming you or accusing you of anything," Ginny said. "It's just that Drake told us this morning that—"

"Don't," Leolin said. "I don't want to hear it. Please."

"Yes, you do," Ginny said seriously. "Lai, he—"

"Gin, please!" Leolin pleaded. "This is all so fucked up, and I can't talk about it any more. I just—I'm going to go work on the painting or something. I need to clear my head a bit.

"Leolin," Ginny said seriously. "Wait, please! Draco came to our room this morning saying—"

"Does it matter, at this point?" Leolin said. "If he's going to be mad or whatever, let him. Clearly there's nothing I can do to persuade him to be otherwise."

"You don't mean that," Ginny said softly. "I know you don't."

"I have to go," Leolin repeated. "And I think your bread is burning."

* * *

Tucking her books and pictures under her arm, Leolin headed to the library, splaying everything out and surveying them. She picked up the picture Narcissa had given her of the painting, scrutinising it for the millionth time. By now she was extremely familiar with it, and she found the glinting eyes at once. Now that she'd placed them, she couldn't believe she hadn't recognised them as Charon's before. What was he doing back there, hiding in the shadows? More importantly, how could she convince him to come out and share his secret?

She heard the door open and she looked up to see Kelly striding in. Seeing him churned a pile of smouldering guilt in her stomach. He looked pale and drawn. She thought of what Blaise had said and she bowed her head.

"Hey," Kelly said quietly. "Good morning."

"Hi," she replied. "how are you?"

"Truthfully?"

"Of course."

"Terrible," he admitted, rubbing his eyes. "I was up half the night on the floo with Cara. She's furious with me. She told me not to come home tonight. I'm staying with Oliver and Angelina instead."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I feel awful about that."

He touched her chin and prompted her to look at him. When she did, he touched her cheek affectionately. She pressed a palm to his hand, cradling it there."

"Lai," he said seriously. "Listen to me. I know no one believes I can do this, but I'm telling you I can."

"I don't doubt that," she said. "But you could legitimately die."

He dropped his hand.

"That's a risk we have to take."

"No," she said. "It isn't. Lorde was right, KT. I should go."

"What?" he demanded. "Are you fucking insane? No!"

"It's preferable to letting Adrian torture you! He won't be kind; he's going to shred you to bits."

"So be it," Kelly said in a stony voice. "I would rather be tortured into insanity than let him lay a hand on you. I'm serious."

"He already has done," she admitted. "And I'm still here. I can handle it. I'm tougher than I look."

"It's not about that!" Kelly snapped. "What he wants from you is barbaric and sick. It would break my heart to watch you go through that, and I know it would break Malfoy's, too."

"And what about Cara's heart?"

"Leolin!" he grit out in frustration, standing and running two hands through his hair.

"This is going to _destroy_ her, Kel!"

Kelly rounded on her, looking almost angry.

"And you think she'd prefer to give you up to be owned like a slave by that sick bastard? Wow, you must _really_ think low of her!"

"Don't twist my words," she demanded.

"Then listen to yourself, Lai! I thought you said bravery and self sacrifice was for us Gryffindors; now you're saying you want to throw yourself on the sword like some kind of martyr? Merlin, what is _wrong_ with you?"

"I'm not being a martyr!" she snapped. "I'm trying to help! Isobel was right; this is partially my fault. I have to atone."

"Atone?" he repeated almost contemptuously. "Atone for what, exactly? Being a bratty teenager? Leolin," he said, sighing and amending his harsh tone. "If that were a thing, Potter would still be stretching Malfoy on the rack right now."

She laughed unexpectedly.

"Seriously," he said. "No one blames you for Pucey, I don't care what Lorde said. But you also have to grow up and see this for what it is. We can't afford melodramatic gestures of bravery. It makes zero tactical sense for you to go in there, and I know deep down you know that. Pucey would never let you come back once you went in, and we'd be no better off than we are now. In fact, we're be infinitely worse off. You're probably the only one that can sort out this mess with the coins and the keeper and whatever else, and we _need_ you, but we need you here. Stop buying into Pucey's bullshit obsessive power-hungry guilt trip and just help us."

She nodded, and he touched her cheek again, eyes and voice softer now.

"And stop worrying about me. I'm also tougher than I look. Besides, as Malfoy will be happy to point out, everyone thinks I'm weak. Pucey does, and if he doesn't, I'm sure Tate Rawle will be quick to tell him. Also, not to brag, but I'm an amazing occlumens. I bet you I'm even better than Malfoy, and feel free to tell him that. I know this is a nasty business, but I can do this. I promise."

"Okay," she said, exhaling a deep breath.

"Okay?" he prompted, smiling a little and trying to catch her downcast gaze

"Okay," she repeated with more conviction, return his smile with a small one of her own.

"And don't worry about Cara. I love her, and I know she knows that. She's come round eventually."

"Good," she said seriously. "I don't want you to have to go through any of this alone."

He smiled.

"Thank you. Now, one last thing."

"What's that?" she said.

"Promise me you won't give up on Malfoy."

"What?" she said, incredulous.

"Look," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I obviously have no idea what you see in him because I think he's fucking awful, but I can tell you still really love him, so promise me you won't give up on him."

"Kelly—"

"No," he said more firmly. "Don't get all self sacrificial again. We both know that you want him back, so stop feeling sorry for yourself and just do it."

"I'm not feeling sorry for myself!" Leolin said, laughing softly. It felt good to laugh. He gave her a knowing look and she laughed again. "It's not as easy as all that," Leolin said, thinking about what Ginny had being trying to tell her about Draco. "I have sodding Genevieve to worry about."

"You're joking, right?" Kelly said, smiling and nudging her shoulder playfully. "_Please_. She's no match for the great and powerful Leolin Lefevre."

Leolin gave a weak smile.

"Look, I'm a bloke so it's probably poncy and lame that I believe in soulmates, but I do, and if there is one thing I know, it's that you are Malfoy's. I have no idea why you left him beyond knowing that you obviously had a very good reason, but you need to forgive yourself for that as well and let yourself be happy. You of all people deserves it."

"It's just gotten so complicated," she admitted.

He shrugged.

"So un-complicate it. All jokes aside Lai, when Pucey finally comes after you—and I have a bad feeling will—you're going to want Draco by your side, so do both of you a favour and force him to get over himself and admit how madly in love with you he still is. Honestly, the whole group will probably be better off for it, if for no other reason than Genevieve is horrid and I hate listening to her talk."

"Alright," she admitted, feeling somehow renewed. "I promise."

"That's a good lass," he said, smiling at her. "Now, tell me what's going on with this monstrosity." He meant the painting. "Maybe I can help. Doubtful, but you never know."

She'd projected the painting on the wall again and they were both surveying it.

"This is the painting Marcus Flint store the day they kidnapped Draco's stepfather," she explained. "And I think that," she said, pointing to the figure lurking in the background. "Might be Charon."

"Bones's teacher?" Kelly asked, leaning in.

"Yeah."

He made a face.

"That's dead creepy," he said.

"I know," she said.

"Not being funny, but it seriously creeps me out that the figures _aren't _moving."

"What' really freaky is that it's not a Muggle painting," Leolin said. "It's not static. It's just—the figures are completely immobile, but sometimes I swear I can see them breathing. Also listen. Can you hear that? That rushing water? It's coming from inside the painting."

Kelly leaned in then jerked back.

"I don't like that," he said. "That's seriously sinister."

"I know," she said. "I just—I don't understand what I'm supposed to do. I think its a guardian of some sort, but I can't figure out how it works."

"So you think that this painting is a guardian?" Kelly surmised. "And what? Draco's step-da is the secret keeper?"

"Exactly," Leolin said. "But Adrian had this painting for weeks before we stole it and replaced it with the fake. If it was as simple as all that, they would have sorted it out already. At the very least, they couldn't figure out a way to get Sebestan to tell them how to get the coins out."

"It's odd," Kelly admitted. "My cousin Shayna works on things like this. Hidden objects and stuff."

"Any helpful insights?" Leolin said.

"Not sure," Kelly said, surveying the painting again. "What's going on in this front bit. That might help."

"This is _Hypnos and Thanatos Carrying Away the Slain Sarpedon_."

"Translation?" Kelly asked.

"It's a Greek myth about this hero Sarpedon from the Trojan war. He fought with such bravery that the gods actually send Sleep and Death to bear him hence."

"So what does it have to do with anything?"

"That's the problem," Leolin said, annoyed. "It doesn't seem to relate to anything. Sarpedon is a story of death's triumph, and he had no connection to either Charon or rising from the dead. And there are details that don't add up. Narcissa seemed to think that the painting was of a man on a platform. This is nothing like that. How could she mistake the three figures with one? I mean, if the figures every moved around, it might make sense. But they don't. They just—"

Kelly nodded.

"Creepy."

"So any brilliant ideas?" Leolin prompted. "Or rubbish ideas. At this point, I'll take anything."

Kelly contemplated for several minutes, narrowing his eyes and scrutinising.

"Maybe one, " he said at last.

"Shayna used to work in Eastern Europe on all kinds of Slavic stuff, and she saw stuff like this before. I can't believe I didn't remember her talking about it. In the presence of their secret-keepers, objects can transform to reveal the truth. Sort of like what Dumbledore did with the philosopher's stone and the mirror."

Suddenly Leolin was struck, almost as if by lightning.

"Oh my gods," she said, standing and covering her mouth with her hands as she stared at the painting.

It all seemed to make sense now.

"Oh my gods," she repeated. "Oh my fucking gods."

"What?" Kelly demanded. "What is it? Did you realise something?" he asked, bewildered.

"Oh my gods," she repeated stupidly, ignoring his query. "I need to find Draco. Immediately."

"Wait," Kelly cried, exasperated. "What the bloody hell just happened?"

Leolin looked at the face of her watch. Bollocks, it was two fucking thirty. She'd be lucky to catch him.

"Thanks, Kel!" she cried, gathering all her things hastily. "As per, you're my hero."

"Don't forget to tell Malfoy you love him!" he called after her. "You promised me!"

She was already out the door and up the stairs. She had haphazardly thrown all her things into her bag before tearing to Ginny's room.

She had Blaise were lying side-by-side on the bed, having a whisper conversation. Ginny's shirt was pulled up, and Blaise was drawing lazy circles on her pale stomach

"Gin!" Leolin said, breahtless from her jaunt. "Has either of you seen Draco?"

Ginny shook her head.

"He and Gen left about an hour ago,. But Lai, I _need_ to give you a heads up! He—"

"Not now," Leolin said hurriedly. "Who has the last key out? Do you know?"

"Chaisson, I think," Blaise replied.

"Ugh," Leolin groaned caustically. "Of course. Do you have any idea when it leaves?"

Blaise consulted his handsome watch.

"Ten minutes, maybe? Could be less."

"Right," Leolin said. "Thanks."

She started off.

"Wait!" Blaise cried as she darted away. "What's going on?"

"Back garden," Ginny supplied, knowing they weren't going to get any answers.

"Cheers!"

Leolin rushed out, slamming into a disgruntled Reagan Sharpe in the main foyer.

"Pardon you," she snapped at Leolin.

"Have you see Chaisson?" Leolin replied. "Do you know if his key's left yet?"

"Considering he was trying to get into my knickers ten minutes ago," Reagan said dryly. "I would say not."

"Ugh," Leolin said. "What a pig."

"You said it," Reagan agreed. "I'm pretty sure he slept with that horrible slag Lorde last night."

"He did," Leolin affirmed sourly. "So I would keep my distance if I were you."

Reagan wrinkled her nose, flicking her now-lilac hair over her shoulder.

"As if I needed another reason to. Sleeping with one vain prick is more that enough for me."

"I'm sure," Leolin agreed.

It was an unsavoury topic, but Leolin was fairly sure she and Reagan were bonding at last.

"Right," Leolin said. "I'm off. Thanks for you help.

"Good luck with Chaisson," Regan said in salutation.

"Same with Quinn," Leolin replied, waving as she trotted off.

She found Felix in the back garden, just as Ginny'd predicted, and he turned at her approach, looking relieved.

"Leolin—" he began penitently, but she held up a hand to silence him.

"Save it," she said icily. "I didn't come to reconcile. "Are you headed to London?"

He nodded.

"Bethnall Green."

"Why?" she'd snapped derisively.

It was a less than glamourous part of town.

"I wanted to drop in on a friend on the way out of town."

She narrowed her eyes.

"A female friend?" she sneered, jamming her hands onto her hips.

He flushed, looking sheepish.

"I—" he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Don't think I should say."

"Ugh!" she cried. "You _pig_! Sleeping with Isobel and slavering over Sharpe wasn't enough for you? No, you know what? Whatever, never mind. I couldn't fucking care. And sod your foul social agenda. We're going to Belgravia."

"Why?"

"That's where my flat is."

She drew her wand and pointed it at the manky boot. It glowed for a moment.

"Why—" he began, but she shook her head.

"I said stow it," she snapped. "You're on a 'need to know' basis until further notice."

She flicked open her floo. It smoked for several seconds before a Scottish voice filtered through.

"Nay," the voice said. "What's up?"

"Swish," she said. "Can't you and Eff meet me at my flat in an hour?"

"Course," he said.

"Bring the cannister," she instructed.

"Sure thing," he said. "See you then."

She clicked the sleek lighter shut.

"Ready?" she said tersely to Felix.

"I'm not entirely sure," he admitted.

"I hope you're as good of a curse breaker as you seem to think you are," she sneered. "If you aren't, you're out of the gang."

"Okay," he said nervously. "I'll do my best."

With that they were jerked away.

It was cool and cloudy when they arrived in London, and Leolin shrugged into a handsome trench coat and ingored the mist, grabbing Felix by the collar and dragging him down the stately boulevard.

"Are you old money?" he asked after several minutes, glancing around at the beautifully manicured buildings. "This is a posh part of town.

She gave him a withering look.

"Okay," he said. "Now how was that the wrong thing to say?"

"What makes you assume this is my parents' money?" I'm a big girl; I pay my own bills."

He looked somewhat sheepish.

"Right," he said. "La Genie. Sorry."

They walked in silence for a minute or two, Leolin moving at a surprisingly quick pace for a small woman in stilettos. Finally, she turned to give him a cool look.

"Yes," she said simply, pursing her lips.

"Yes what?"

"Yes," she repeated. "I'm Old Wizarding money on both sides."

"Ah," he said, and she watched le renard tuck his tail between his legs and slink behind poor, friendless Muggleborn Felix Chaisson.

She'd forgotten, in the previous evening's goings on, how much she liked and admired that little boy.

"Hey," she said to get his attention. He looked up. "Money doesn't give a person worth. Adrian's rich. Lucius Malfoy's rich, and they are both hideous people.

He nodded.

"Merci," he said quietly, and she nodded but gave no further reply.

By this time they'd arrived at a stately Muggle pub, and she gave a casual glance over her shoulder before striding inside.

"Hey Richie," she called to the barman, shaking the mist out of her glossy hair. She'd affected her tone so it was overly Welsh now, though no less musical.

"Bronwyn!" he cried jovially. "How was Berlin?"

"Lovely," she said. "Thanks."

"Fancy a pint for you and your fellow? On the house."

She gave his a dazzling smile that Felix had only recieved once.

"Not today, I'm afraid."

He glanced at Felix and she gave a flirtatious wink.

"Go on, then, you cheeky little minx."

She laughed prettily, heading for a back door. Felix scampered after her.

"Just how many aliases do you have?" he blurted appreciatively.

"I can't take any chances," she replied. "I used to rent a Muggle yoga studio, and two weeks ago Adrian showed up in the mirror."

"_In_ the mirror?" he repeated, a bit stupified.

She gave a grim nod.

"It's this creepy thing he does. Not sure how he manages it, but he's devised this way of traveling through them. He will just sauntered through like they're water."

"Freaky," Felix said softly.

"I nearly jumped out of my skin when I looked through the mirror and saw four eyes instead of two."

"Especially with this creepy gold eyes..." Felix said trailing off.

He worried the comment would upset her, but she merely nodded again.

"I think he just does it to show off. I graduated fifth in our class and he graduated eighth. I asssume that's just one more thing he's holding against me. C'mon."

She lead him up a small lifted that eventually opened directly into her penthouse.

"This is living," he said appreciatively, admiring the glass walls and high modernist furniture. He reached forward to gently flick a crystal sculpture on a side table and listening to it sing. She wrapped the back of his hand smartly.

"Don't touch that," she chided. "In fact, don't touch anything."

Without another word, she headed for what he assumed was her bedroom.

"Wait!" he cried. "Can we talk? Please, bichette, five minutes."

"Don't call me that," she ordered. "And I'll give you two."

She sanked onto one of her luxurious chocolate brown leather sofas.

"Fair enough," he said gratefully, easing cautiously down on the sofa opposite sofa.

"Clock's ticking," she said tightly when he didn't say anything.

"Leolin," he began. "I'm sorry about what I said about you and Pucey yesterday. You _have_ to know I don't think that about you."

"_Adults_," she snapped. "Don't say bollocks like that. "_Adults_," she continued. "Mean what they say and say what they mean."

He was tempted to pointed out that this was not strictly true, and adults routinely lied about any number of things. However, he suspected that this revelation wasn't likely to win him any points,so he prudently kept his trap shut.

"You're right, of course," he said. "It was impetuous and childish. I regretted it the minute I said it."

"I'm not going to keep doing this with you!" she burst. "This is the third time since I've met you that you've said something hideous then come crawling back like a pup to beg for my forgiveness. The caddishness and frustration in Italy I could understand, I know you were only trying to help and I was being a brat, but the Isobel thing I just can't. I _won't._"

"I'm sorry," he repeated for the hundredth time. "I admit sleeping with her was ill-advised, I just —"

"You just what?" she demanded. "Couldn't help yourself? She was just another easy banquet you couldn't pass up on? Honestly, why are you so vile? You mother must be so ashamed of you."

He blinked several times as the jibe punched him squarely in the chest. The sad, broken look in his eyes made her feel instantly guilty. Still, the apology died on her tongue when she remembered what Isobel had said about Adrian getting his hands on her. He bowed his head for a moment, extremely hurt.

"I—I don't know," he admitted quietly. "I guess I had no idea how much it would hurt.

"Bullshit, Renard," she sneered. "You knew full well what you were doing. You wouldn't have tried to hide it from me if that were really true. And you heard what she did to Adrian, and she doesn't even feel bad about it. She wouldn't wear that garish ring he gave her if she did. Besides," she continued in a soft voice. "You were at King's Cross the other night. You saw what he's like. I'm ashamed you were there, because I _hate _myself for how afraid of him I've become. But I _am_, Ren. In fact, I've never been this scared of anyone, and I've faced down a lot of nasty people. Tell me you see that. _Tell me_ you understand how you've hurt me by having sex with that horrible bitch."

A tear slipped down his cheek, but he didn't immediately wipe it away. Soon it was joined by another, and then another.

"I'm sorry, Leolin," he admitted, disarmed. I didn't, but I swear that now I do. Leolin—I can't believe how selfish I've been." He wiped the wetness from his cheeks. "And you're right. My mother would be ashamed if she knew this was how I treated women. The way I treated my _friends."_

She bowed her head.

"I'm sorry I said that about your mum," she murmured. "That was really unkind.

He licked his lip and looked down.

"It obviously needed saying. Look, after what I've done I won't insult you by asking to be your friend again. But please let me help you. Breaking the gag and running interference on Genevieve can be my penance, and my toasts at your wedding can be my reward for a job well done."

She considered his proposal as the words resonated somewhere deep in her chest. Of all the unwavering support she had from Xavier and Severina and Ginny and Blaise, this was something only Felix could offer her. If she wanted Draco back, which she did more than anything, this was an offer she simply couldn't refuse.

"Yes," she whispered. "Alright."

"Yes?" he repeated hopefully.

"Yes," she said more definitively. "When should we start?"

He shrugged, eyes glittering with a smile with renewed hope. "How about right now?"

"Alright," she agreed, swishing her wand deftly several times, causing it to admit elegant sparks.

"Parchment and quill?"

She flicked her wrist and both materialised effortlessly.

"How do you do that?" he asked appreciatively.

"I have a cache of objects I want on me but don't want to physically carry around."

"Everyday stuff?"

She shrugged.

"Mostly. But also objects of great sentimental value that I want to keep close to me. And stuff like this," she said, flicking her wrist and catching the blueprints as they materialised from thin air. "No one can access the cache but me, so it comes in pretty handy for hiding things in a pinch."

"I can imagine," she agreed. "Right," she said. "what am I doing?"

He tapped the parchment with is index finger.

"Banana," he instructed.

"Why banana?" she asked.

"It's long but it only has three letters. It's good practice. I would have you use Mississippi, but I am not joking when I tell you that if you do it right you get the whole damn river. When we get to that stage, we have to practice outside. Go one, banana."

She wrote the word with great precision and care.

"Now close your eyes," he instructed. "And imagine the word 'banana'."

She tried, then growled in frustration when nothing happened.

"I think I see the problem," he said. "Don't picture a banana; picture the _word _banana. Picture each letter."

"Okay," she said.

"Can you see them all at once."

"Yes, b-a-n-a-n-a," she intoned.

"Good," he said. "Now imagine the letters linking together. b to a, a to n, n to a, and so on."

He was walking around her and watching like a coach perfecting an athlete's form.

"Okay," she said. "It looks like cursive now."

"Great," he said. "Now mentally push the way you do when you're trying to find the word on the tip of your tongue. Pretend banana's that word, and use that burst you get when you finally get the word. Great," he said calmly. "Now open your eyes."

She did so to find a perfectly ripe banana sitting on the table in front of her. She beamed, and he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I'm not as good as I think I am," he said smugly. "I'm better. Go again."

She did it successfully several more times. She then imagined the word already in cursive and got faster. She strung b-a-n-a-n-a together seven times and produced a whole bushel.

"This is a mental muscle," he instructed. "You have to keep exercising it. If you do, you'll be surprised how quickly it bulks up. If you practice, I can have you working on the gag in a week. It's going to be more difficult because the wording is compliqué and you're going to have to string sentences together at once, but we don't have time to waste.

"I don't care," she said, sitting on the counter and peeling a banana. "I'll do whatever it takes."

He hopped up next to her and peeled one himself.

"I'm not hitting on you so please don't slap me, but you really are one of the most incredible women I've ever met," he said reverently.

"I know," she said calmly. "That's why everyone is either secretly or overtly in love with me. Or obsessed with me, at the very least.

She looked down. She'd been trying to make a joke, but the truth before it was too grave to ever be funny. They sat is a silence he longed to break.

"I love bananas," he said at last, peeling another.

"I don't even," she said with a soft laugh. "I just wanted to look fucking badass."

"Mission accomplished."

She gave a small smile and they lapsed back into silence. Finally she spoke.

"Felix?" she said softly.

"Yeah?"

"I'm still mad at you," she admitted, sounding hurt. "I probably will be for awhile."

"I know," he said. "I can live with that."

"Good," she said, hopping off the counter and heading for the bedroom.

"Where are you going?" he called.

"To change," came her distant reply.

"What for?"

"Need to know basis," she shot back.

He shrugged, traipsing around the admire the place. Like Leolin, it was perfectly adorned and hopelessly stylish. He noticed Bachardus's Fletcher's _The Strictures of Wizarding Magic _lying on a sleek glass coffee table, and he felt his resolve to help her hardening.

As he began to wonder where she kept her liquor, having decided he needed a rum and soda, the lift doors parted to admit two figures, a man and a woman, both of whom had flaming red hair. They were obviously twins of relatively the same height and build, and though neither was notable, they had the kind of affable faces one felt almost pre-destined to like. The man flicked his wrist to disable to wards before they both turned to give him a hard, penetrative look.

"Felix Chaisson," he said quickly in greeting.

"Sweeney," the man replied, shaking Felix's outstretched hand. "But everyone calls me Swish."

"Good to meet you," Felix said, turning his attention to the petite woman.

He gave her an up-down out of pure habit and she glowered at him.

"Don't even," she snapped. "I've been forewarned."

"Sorry," he said sheepishly.

"I'm Effie," she replied.

"Charmed."

"I'm not," she said sternly. "So knock it off."

He nodded.

"Yes ma'am."

Just then Leolin emerged, beaming at the twins.

"Don't you look bonnie!" Effie exclaimed, kissing Leolin's cheek and eying her revealing jumpsuit Leolin had changed into. "Off to see your beau?"

"Naturally," Leolin laughed, kissing Sweeney now. It was clear that she was like a little sister to them. "But I just wear things like this to torture his slaggy Yank fiancee."

They both laughed, and Felix smiled, too.

"Gods," Effie breathed appreciatively. "I love you."

Leolin smiled again before catching sight of Felix eying her deliciously pushed-up breasts hungrily in her peripheral. Without even properly looking at him, she slapped him so hard upside the head that his neck snapped forward.

"Ow!" He cried ruefully, rubbing the spot. "What was that for?"

"You know what," she said evenly. "Don't do it again."

"Fine," he growled. "But you should know that neckline is completely unfair."

She rolled her eyes, turning back to the twins.

"Did you bring the painting?" she asked, and Effie unslung it and handed it to Leolin. She then tossed it to Felix.

"Ready to show off a bit, Renard?"

He gave a cautious smile.

"Always, bichette."

He turned the canister over several times, scrutinising it.

"Merlin, this thing is sealed up."

"Well we stole it from Lucius Malfoy, so..." Sweeney said proudly.

"Ready?" Felix said, clearly impressed.

"Art thieves," the twins replied in unison.

"Can you break the seals?" Leolin asked.

"Definitely," Felix replied.

"How long?" Effie asked.

"Two hours, maybe three. These charms are pretty involved.

"Three hours?" Sweeney repeated incredulously. "That's it. Maleficent, Nay, we're going to have to pull this tonight. You need to get to Malfoy's right now and fill him in."

"I know," Leolin said. "But I have all the specs. Ren, when you break the seals, is the location of the house going to show up?"

He studied the canister then nodded.

"The painting is linked to something at the chateau it's dying to get back to. Once we get it out, it will lead us straight to it. We'll have to hurry, though. The bond is going to throw off serious energy. I am going to say we only have about twenty minutes before the house's protective charms repair themselves and Pucey and them are on us."

Leolin traded a grave look with the twins.

"It's tight," Sweeney admitted. "But doable. Our best time is 24 minutes 37 seconds at the Thyssen, but that was with guards and charms."

"We need to be out," Felix reiterated. "I have no intention of tangling with Pucey again; he's riled up enough about Rome as it is."

"We might not have a choice," Leolin pointed out. "But if we do get jammed up, we're holding court on the street."

"Will Pucey bring his younger brother?" Felix queried.

Leolin nodded.

"The inner circle is going to be Adrian, Tommy, Tate Rawle, Graham Montague and Thivierge."

"What about Annalysse Blake?" Felix asked keenly.

"I would assume so. Sounds like she's taken over as Adrian's personal guard since Dolohov was killed.

He nodded.

"Good to know."

"Do we have any specs on this place?" Effie asked. "Don't particularly fancy going in blind."

Leolin effortlessly produced the blueprints and projected them on the floor.

"Right," she said. "These plans aren't perfect, but they'll give us a sense of the layout. There are five floor incluidng hte wine cellar on the garden leven, and that' where they'll be keeping Sebasten. I;m going to bet the floors won't allow more than one person to enter at a time. There's five of us, so we'll each take a floor. Now, we don't want to reunite Sebasten until completely necessary, so we'll have two people moving up with Sebasten and two people moving down with the painting. We'll meet in the billiards room on the second floor. There is a fireplace and a floo grate there, so we can burn the painting when we're done and leave through the floo.

"Two questions," Felix said, staring at the floorplan intently. "First, how do we now Pucey's going to open to floo grates?"

"You can't apparate directly in and out of the house, and Adrian's not going to waste time making the trek from the front gates to the main house.

"Hang on," Sweeney said. "That's assuming he gets there before we're gone. I though that's exactly what we were trying to avoid!"

"Not necessarily," Leolin said. "If we time it right," he'll be coming in just as we're going out."

"Okay," Felix said. "Second question: Who's taking which floor and how do we get in?"

"The muggle way," Leolin said. "Magic will only feed the barrier reparative system. We're just going to have to break the windows.

"And who's going where?" Effie said.

"Draco is going to want to get to Sebasten first, so he can take the cellar. Swish, you are going to know the layout better, so you go to the first floor and wait for Draco and help him navigate to the second. Ren, you're going to hold the fort on two and make sure we're ready to get the hell out once we're done. Effie, you're a faster climber, so you go to three then get down to two to held Ren. I'm taking the painting to four. I know the layout best and I'm the quickest. Remember, we want the painting and Sebasten together for the shortest possible about of time. We unite them, we get what we need, and we get the fuck out. Agreed?"

"Yeah," Effie said. "Easy Peasy."

"_Gemenio_," Leolin said in response, copying the blueprint. "Right," she said. "I'm off to Draco's to catch him up. Swish, Eff: study the layout. You might need to help Draco or Sebasten navigate. Floor the minute you break the seal. I'll make sure Draco is ready to go. Swish, don't suppose you brought the apparation transport and the long distance stones."

He bubbled his lips self-importantly.

"Darling, it's like you donna know me at all," he said.

She laughed heartily at this.

"Of course," she said, still smiling. "My apologies. Right, I'm off. Chaisson, close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it," she demanded.

Begrudgingly he obeyed her. When she waved a hand in front of them and he didn't react, she readjusted her décolletage.

"What do we think?" she asking, fixing the spanish silk bra underneath.

Effie laughed. "Delicious. Have fun with the torture."

Leolin smirked.

"Always do. Au revoir. Chaisson, you can open you eyes now."

She threw on a smart leather jacket over the revealing jumpsuit, gave her soft, voluminous curls a tousle, and apparated out.

Somehow Leolin knew that it would be Genevieve who answered the door, and she wasn't disappointed. Or rather, she was. It swung in, and Gen immediately gave her a disdainful look. Rodames had trotted over as well, poking is nose out between Gen's thigh and the door jamb and panting contentedly.

"Leolin," she said, voice still melodic and somehow sweet. She tried to nudge the dog back, but he was too excited to be deterred. "What calculated surprise."

Leolin looked her up and down. She was obviously headed out somewhere. She wore a satin cocktail dress in midnight blue, delicate lace detail across her otherwise bare shoulders and along her hem. Her blonde hair had been coaxed into a loose chignon, and two dazzling earrings dangled in her ears.

"Let me in, Geneveive," Leolin replied in a bored voice.

"No. What are you doing here, anyways?" Gen demanded, genteel veneer finally slipping.

"I have to see Draco," Leolin said. "It's important."

Gen pursed her lips.

"Not dressed in that, you don't."

Leolin rolled her eyes.

"Stop being a jealous whore and let me in. I really don't have time for your stupid games today."

"I don't have time for yours," Gen said, still fighting to stay polite. "You think you can just waltz in here with your slutty romper and try to seduce Draco behind my back?"

Leolin rolled her eyes.

"It's tedious how jealous you get. You won him fair and square, remember? Besides, if you don't trust us, be my guest and stay. I don't really care."

"You're _not _coming in," Gen said, eyes glittering. "Go away."

She made to slam the door, but Leolin put a hand against the wood, forcing it back open.

"Oh, yes I am.

"Like hell," Gen sneered.

"Step aside or I swear to Merlin I will kick you. Or better yet, I will let Narcissa that you're the reason we couldn't rescue Sebasten tonight."

She grit her teeth and glowered.

"Check mate," Leolin said saucily, stepping forward and pushing the door open.

Leolin sauntered in, petting Rodames and feeling smug at having bested Gen.

"You bitch," Gen sneered.

"Rubber and glue," Leolin shot back, shrugging out of the jacket and tossing it carelessly across the back of the expensive sofa. The lock pendant fell perfect into the valley between her betwiching breasts. The diamonds in its face winked up at Gen, who screamed in annoyance. Her shrill tone set Rodames to barking.

"G?" Draco called from the loft. "Are you alright, darling?"

"Not really," she bit out as Leolin continue to smug and pet a contented Rodames. "Lefevre is here."

Leolin hopped onto the kitchen counter, smiling blithely as she popped a grape into her mouth.

"What does she want?" he called back.

"What do you want, Leolin?" Gen said, her voice uncharacteristically cold.

"None of your sodding business," Leolin said sweetly.

Gen glowered.

"It's about Sebasten and the painting," Leolin called to Draco, eating another grape and swinging her dangling legs like a little girl.

There was a pause.

"Be right down," he called finally.

Leolin raised her eyebrows and smiled nastily at Gen again.

"You should know something," Gen snapped as Leolin conjured a glass, summoned the gin and the tonic, and made herself a drink.

"What's that, then?" she said in a bored voice, taking a sip.

"Drake and I set a date last night. October 24th. He even re-proposed last night."

Leolin had to fight savagely not to gag on her sip. This was probably what Ginny had been trying to warn her about. She bitterly wished she'd listened. The need to cry was instantly overwhelming, and she had to dig her nails into her palm to stave the sensation off. Still, she was a good actress. Instead of betraying her anguish, she gave a condescending laugh before eating another grape and washing it down with her drink.

"Bully for you," she said in faux mirth. "Though it's a shite date. October is rainy season."

Gen seemed put out that her words hadn't wounded the way she'd hoped.

"Shut up," she snapped.

Leolin, in lieu of responding, simply gave Gen a condescending up-down.

"What are you all dressed up for? Hot date with Brankovitch?"

Gen gave a sour frown as Leolin nodded mirthfully and gave a small laugh.

"Figured as much."

"I could say the same thing about you and that slimy little fox Chaisson. The two of you have been spending an _awful _lot of time together lately."

At this Leolin laughed outright, blue eyes sparkling.

"You really want to talk to me about Felix?" Leolin smirked. C'mon, Gigi, we _both_ know that's a losing game. You just better hope I don't tell Drake all the filthy things he used to do to you in bed. Merlin, it makes me want to blush just _thinking _about it!"

"Don't. You .Dare," Gen grit out.

Leolin shrugged affably in response. In reality she couldn't tell Draco because she had no idea and no desire to find out. Still, judging by Gen's reaction, it must have been really depraved.

By this time Draco'd appeared wearing a pair of slim-fitting khakis and a white shirt so tight they could see the swell of his biceps. He was wearing his frames and no shoes.

"Lefevre," he said dryly, taking in her attire at once. "Long time, no see."

Rodames cantered over and began vying for Draco attention.

"This isn't a social call," Leolin affirmed. "I have something important to show you."

He gave a discerning frown before petting Rodames's head softly.

"You have my attention."

Gen stood silently pouting, and Draco finally managed to drag his eyes from Leolin to look at her. She came immediately into his arms for a kiss, and Draco happily obliged. However, the minute her back was turned, his glittering gaze slipped to Leolin's pendant. His eyes traced the smooth curves of her breasts before climbing the slender column of her neck, skating around her full lips, and finally meeting hers. Watching him intently, she raised her eyebrows and bit her red lip sinfully as if to say '_if you want me, come and claim me.'_

he growled in frustration before turning his focus back to Gen.

"Are you taking off?" he asked, affectionately tapping her nose.

She nodded.

"I'm late already," she said. "Max is going to be annoyed."

"Have fun, then," Draco said, padding forward and looping an arm around her petite waist. "And come straight home. I don't want you out too late."

Even in bare feet his height dwarfed hers, and she balled two fistfuls of his t-shirt and kissed him solidly. Leolin rolled her eyes, wandering a ways away and hopping casually up onto the granite island in the kitchen, still eying them with contempt. Gods, she hated feeling jealous. What was more, she most especially hated that she was jealous of Gen.

"I will," Gen affirmed, clearly reveling in his attention.

"Be good," Draco said, licking his now-swollen lips and fingering one of Gen's sparkling earrings.

"You too," she said, her smile too easy to be genuine. "See you later."

He nodded, and she threaded her hand into his hair again.

"I love you," she said firmly, and Leolin knew what she was endeavouring to do.

It admittedly stung dully, but Leolin pretended not to care. Still, she was a little breathless to hear Draco say it back. Luckily, he avoided it.

"I know," he replied, tapping his index finger on her nose again. "Now get out of here."

Gen nodded before eying Leolin hatefully.

"I sincerely hope you're gone by the time I get back."

"What a coincidence," Leolin said, vanishing her empty glass. "So do I."

"Goodbye darling," Draco repeated, kissing her again for good measure.

She nodded, still smiling at him.

"Leolin?" she said in her genteel Southern tone. She hadn't used it on Leolin in months.

"Geneveive?" Leolin said in a caricature of Gen's South Carolinian drawl.

"You're a bitch."

"Takes one to know one," Leolin snapped back evenly. "Give Brank a kiss for me."

"Ugh!" Gen huffed, and with that she stomped out.

"Was that really necessary," Draco said dryly.

"Was that?" Leolin countered, gesturing towards the door and the direction of Gen's tantrum.

He gave her only a cool look in response.

"So," he said, eyes hooded as he studied her outfit again dispassionately. "Did you wear this little costume to try and make me vulnerable? I have to admit it's ineffectual at best."

"Don't be egotistical and annoying," she said in a bored voice. "I dress for myself. If you don't like it, _I don't care_. Besides, we _both_ know how beautiful I look tonight, so do yourself a favour and not waste your breath trying to convince me otherwise."

He pursed his lips.

"Wouldn't dream of it. Wine?" he said, licking her lips inadvertently as he eyed her.

"Always," she replied.

He produced two fat-bellied glasses and filled each with three fingers worth of Pinot Noir.

He handed her one and she raised her glass so it touched his.

"Confusion to our enemies," he said softly, and she nodded.

They both took a sip to fill the tense silence that followed. Finally she spoke, setting down her glass and looking at him intently.

"I want to say something," she said, watching Rodames trot back to his own bed and settle down, seemingly assured that Draco was staying in the room.

"Go on, then," he drawled. "No one's stopping you."

She looked down at her hands before looking back at him.

"I know you think I blame you for what happened yesterday with Kelly, but I don't."

He studied her face keenly.

"Is that so?" he said.

"Yes," she said, trying to sound calm and cool. "I know what that cost you. You should just know that sacrifice didn't go unnoticed, least of all by me. I—I guess I wanted to say that in some odd way I appreciate what you did. You probably saved Kelly's life."

He bowed his head for a second, clearly afraid his facial expression might betray any emotion. Finally, he looked up.

"Good to know, I suppose."

She could still see the truth shining in his eyes. She knew better than anyone Draco's struggle not to be his father, and thus only she could truly understand what agony the performing the Cruciatus was for him.

"So," he began again. "If this scintillating getup isn't for me, who is it for?"

"Excuse me?" she demanded, breathless and annoyed.

"I said who are you so dressed up for?"

"Oh no," she snapped. "I heard you. I just can't for the_ life_ of me imagine how that's any of your business."

"Don't be difficult, Lefevre."

"You're getting married in two months," she said flatly, a dull ache in her stomach. 'Butt out."

"Tell me it's not Chaisson," he pressed, smirking imperiously. "He's so pathetically desperate to get in your knickers."

"Are you bloody deaf?" she demanded. "I said butt out."

He gave a cruel smirk, though it was admittedly a poor smokescreen for his jealousy.

"That a yes, Lefevre?"

She met his gaze and leaned in until her lips practically brushed his.

"What part of 'butt out' is escaping you?" she said snidely.

"Coy doesn't suit you," he fired back, eyes glittering.

"Nor envy you," she drawled, making a deliberate show of biting her lip and leaning back as her eyes flicked to his.

He clenched his jaw; she could tell he was longing to kiss her. He exhaled an audible breath as one corner of her mouth jerked slightly upwards in a half-smile.

"You really are little vipress, you know that?" he said softly.

She met his gaze boldly, un-phased.

"I pride myself on it."

She looked away, taking a sip of her wine instead of replying.

"Right," she said at last. "Have I satisfied your desire for small talk? I'm getting bored with your sniping."

"Alright," he said, jerking his head and indicating she follow him to the sprawling dining room table. "What have you got?"

She sat casually on the table and crossed one lithe leg over the other, looking at him intently.

"First I should tell you that one of my Genie associates broke into the Manor and found something interesting."

"Severina told me you'd found the painting," he said, crossing his across his chest.

"Good," she said, raising her eyebrows. "That means I'll be spared your usual indignation."

"For now," he agreed. "But I reserve the right to berate you if you haven't made suitable progress."

"You're so predictable, Malfoy."

"Have you seen the painting yet?"

"No, the canister has about a million protective seals. But we'll have it open by tonight. That's the first time I came about. We're moving on this tonight."

"We?" he demanded. "Who is 'we'?"

"I just said; one of my Genie associates."

"Anyone else?"

"Why don't you leave that to me," she said evenly.

"Chaisson," he said, gritting his teeth. "I _don't _think so. This is my stepfather's life we're talking about here! I'm not going to let you put it in the hands of some twat who just wants to fuck you. I mean, what are we going to do when you inevitably give into him and he gets bored with the whole thing?"

She slapped him almost casually across the right cheek before sliding gracefully back onto her spindly heels as she stood, eying him.

"You don't wan't my help? Good luck on your own."

"Ugh, Lefevre—"

"If want this done," she warned him, putting a finger in his face. "We're doing it my way."

"If Chaisson betrays us—"

"He won't."

"And what guarantee do you have of that?"

"He's signed the contract, and I made him sign another for good measure. Besides, I trust him."

"So it's not just Chaisson then," Draco said, looking down at her magnifiscently displayed breasts. "Interesting."

"Why is it that you feel _compelled_ to assume I intend to shag every man I meet?"

He shrugged.

"Because you've never given me any reason to assume otherwise."

"You know what?" she demanded. "You can just shove that _right_ up your arse! Want to know a little secret about Chaisson?"

"Certainly," he sniped.

"Back in the day he and Gen shagged _all_ the time. He's the one who introduced her and Max, who she's _also_ slept with. Oh, and let's not forget that she fucked that sodding twat Beau Taylor."

He clenched his jaw, and she knew she was planting seeds of doubt and mistrust. She was grimly satisfied.

"I will bet you your entire fortune right here and now that Gen's slept with at least _three times _more blokes than I have. What do you think, Malfoy? You ready to finally find out what it's like to be fucking broke?"

"Gen's past is her past," Draco grit out, sidestepping her accusation. "It has no bearing on our future."

"The past is _never _just the past, darling, " Leolin purred dangerously. "And someday soon Gen's is going to rear its ugly head. Mark my words."

"So is yours," he warned.

"I welcome it," Leolin countered. "Now, where were we?"

"The painting."

"Right, " Leolin said. "That's the first time I came about. We're moving on this tonight. Besides, I realised something important today, and for once it bodes well for us."

"What's that, then?"

"Remember when I told you about guardians?"

"Vaguely," he admitted.

"They're an object that can hold a secret or a hidden object. The object's secret can only be unlocked by its secret-keeper."

"I am in this case that that's Sebasten."

"Right. I'm confident now that the painting is a guardian."

"So what does that mean for us?" he asked.

"Well first off," she said. "It means Adrian and your father can't unlock whatever it is as long as we hold the painting."

"But surely they realise we're the ones who took it."

"We left a fake in its place."

"A fake is not going to fool my father, Lefevre," Draco said in irritation.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with, Malfoy" Leolin retorted. "These are world-class thieves and forgers, not to mention convincing charms. Your father's not an art expert, and either is Adrian."

"Right," he said. "Whatever. What's the next part, then?"

"Sebasten can't be harmed," she said. "He can't be tortured for the secret the painting is guarding. His role as secret-keeper protects him. That means he's still alive."

Draco contemplated this.

"That is good news," he said, nodding. "The best we've had in awhile."

"That's not all," she said excitedly, pulling out the replica and smoothing it on the table. "So your mum said it was a man in the painting, right? She never said anything about these three."

"Yeah," Draco agreed. "She must have just been confused. There are a ton of painting in that house."

"What if she wasn't, though?" Leolin pressed. "What if this _isn't_ the painting she was used to seeing?"

"What do you mean?" he demanded. "We have the wrong work?"

She shook her head.

"I was talking to Kelly this morning—"

"Are you bloody kidding me, woman?" he demanded. "Don't bring sodding Troy into this."

"Lay off Kelly," she demanded. "You have no reason to hate him anymore."

"Besides the fact that he's a twat," Draco hissed.

She rolled her eyes, thinking about what Kelly had said about her reconsiling with Draco. Right now the prospect didn't even feel particularly appealing.

"Do you want to hear what I have to say or not? We're on a time crunch."

"Fine," he said. "Good ahead, then."

"His cousin used to work on guardianship and objecthood in Eastern Europe, and Kelly pointed out something super important."

She paused, and he rolled his eyes.

"Enough with the dramatic timing, Lefevre. Just spit it out."

"He was saying that she works on objects which were transformed in the presence of their secret-keeper. Think about it; that painting was in Sebasten's private study, which is in a totally remote part of the flat. Your mum was probably rarely—if ever—up there without him."

Draco understood her meaning at once.

"That means that every time she was in there, so was Sebasten."

She nodded, pleased that he was so tuned into what she was implying.

"Every time she looked at the painting, Sebasten was there, _transforming _the subject of the work. Sarpedon and Sleep and Death are just a feight; the really subject on the painting is a single figure. _This _figure."

She jabbed at the figure in the shadowy background, the whites of the figure's eyes still glinting malevolently.

"That's why Lucius hasn't had any success with this," Leolin explained. "They would naturally have kept Sebasten and the painting separated. That way it was impossible for both of them to disappear if something went wrong."

Draco was scanning the image, and she could see his mind working furiously.

"That's bloody brilliant," he breathed at last, looking at her with a mixture of begrudging respect and utter longing.

She knew cleverness like this turned him on.

"I know," she said. "It changes everything. When we break the seal on the canister, we''ll be able to find out more about the coins. At this point, I don't think they quite know either. They're just blindly guessing. The painting is the key to the coins. Hell, they might even be hidden inside the painting, and if they are, your stepdad is probably the only person who can retrieve them. We rescue him, we have Charon's obols and Bones's payment."

"I have to floo my mum," he said at once. "I have to tell her all this."

"Do you see what this means?" she asked, breathless. "If the coins are hidden in here and we can find a way to destroy them, Lucius's whole plan will be destroyed."

"I know," Draco said, eyes dancing across her face. "Believe me; I've already played it out."

"It's not going to be easy," Leolin said. "But at least now it feels less impossible."

He nodded.

"I admit it's a relief."

"Very much so," she said, taking another sip of wine.

He was studying her now, diamond eyes glittering.

"Thank you," he said at last, looking down into the bowl of his glass. "For not giving up on this."

Her heartbeat quickened.

"That's my job," she replied simply.

She could feel something flowing between them that she hadn't felt since New Orleans, and it was both intoxicating and terrifying.

"I know I've harped on you," he admitted. "But you really are bloody clever at what you do."

"Yes," she said evenly, daring him to look her in the eye. "I am."

"I could never do this without you, despite how much I might want to," he admitted. "It's rather frustrating, in fact."

"I don't know why you insist on wasting energy hating me," Leolin admitted. "It would be a lot easier to just accept me as part of your life."

"I can't," he admitted, eyes a touch hateful now. "There has never been an in-between for me as far as you're concerned. It's either total hatred or—"

She leaned in, offering the most privileged view of her chest as she looked up at him through long lashes.

"Or?" she prompted softly, eyes flicking to his Cupid's bow lips.

"Or I'm so far under your insidious little spell that I can't see straight," he said. "I'll admit that you practically had me in New Orleans, but that was the last time. I told you then; I'm done."

"I didn't have you under some hideous spell," Leolin breathed truthfully. "I think what you're describing is what most people would call love."

"What is love," he demanded. 'If not a creeping form of control?"

"You're awfully cynical for a groom-to-be," she pointed out. "Does Gen know you feel this way? Something tells me she'd be annoyed, to say the very least."

"With Gen it's different," he sniffed imperiously. "She's not such a little snake."

"I beg to differ," Leolin said hatefully.

"She's my asp," Draco said. "Deadly, but needing no subtly."

"Then what am I?"

He surveyed her.

"A black mamba," he said at last. "You lie in wait and strike when it's too late for your prey. I couldn't see it when we were together, but now I've watched you work your power on other blokes, and I can see what a cunning little thing you really are."

His words stung, and she stood at once, putting her back to him and trying not to let his words sink it too deep.

"Struck a nerve, have I?" he goaded.

She took a large breath, squeezing her eyes shut a moment before wheeling on him.

"I'm not a snake," she said at last, eyes narrowing. "I'm just the humble snake-charmer. You're the one with all the venom."

"You really think so?" he demanded softly.

"I know so," she said. "And the fact that I'm a snake-charmer is not so much a testament to my cunning as it was a demonstration of your otherwise cruel nature," she bit out.

He clenched his jaw, his beautiful eyes glittering.

"People find you alluring because you're just the right amount of elegant and dangerous, and you've never been afraid to strike and kill when it suits you. If that's not snake-like, I don't know what is," Leolin continued.

"And yet you don't seem afraid," Draco admitted, eyes hooded. "You are, as you say, in striking distance now."

"I'm not afraid for the very reason I've just said," she explained, advancing on him "I know how to subdue you. I've always had that power, and we both know I always, always will. If you want to waste your life loathing me, you're more than welcome to try," Leolin said, breathless as he towered over her. "But I think we both know what happens when you try to land a blow against me."

"A very compelling speech," he admitted, breathing in her perfume with every inhale. "And likely very true, and one point. But that ship's sailed, Lefevre. If you trying and control me again, I'll stop your heart."

"You don't have the stomach, " she snapped, meeting his eye as her heart hammered. She was so keyed up that she feared she might burst into frustrated tears. "I think we both know that way deep down."

He responded by driving both hands into her unbound hair, gripping at the base of her neck so she couldn't look away. His hips were a breath away from hers, and his cool breath was falling on her parted lips.

"I could have had you in London," he reminded her cruelly, lips even closer as he spoke. "I could have had you in Atlanta. And I walked away. If you thought you could change my mind so easily, I'm afraid you don't actually know me at all. You don't have sway over me anymore. You've been utterly replaced."

"Is that so?" she breathed, struggling a little against his grip. "Is that why you still imagine me when you're in bed with Gen?"

He sneered.

"Who told you that?"

"You did," she grabbing his wrists in an effort to dislodge his firm grip. "I can see it in your eyes how badly you want me."

"If I were to have you," he grit out, furthering his entangled grip. "It would only be to satisfy an itch. You may be beautiful and desirable," he said. "But you mean nothing to me."

He released his gripped as she stumbled back several paces, chest heaving.

"Someday you're going to regret saying that," she promised softly.

"I doubt it," he replied coldly. "No run along before I change my mind and tear that jumpsuit off you."

She'd regained some composure and sneered, though she admittedly wasn't sure how long she could manage to feign impassivity.

"Go ahead and try it," she said, her nasty tone a poor concealment for her hurt. "I dare you."

"What are you going to do, Lefevre?" he taunted.

She drew her wand in a flash, purring _serpentsortia. _Immediately a large, coal black snake issued from her wand, its obsidian eyes moving back and forth as it slithered quickly across the hardwoods.

He drew his wand steadily, but she could see a blunted fear in his eyes. The mamba's venom could stop the human heart in less than two minutes.

"Very clever," he said, narrowly avoiding a strike. "But then, you always did have a flare for the dramatics."

It lunged again, vangs bared.

"_Vipera Evanesca._"

Immediately the mamba dissipated into nothingness, and Leolin turned her back, shrugging back into her leather jacket.

"I'll floo you when we break the charms," she snapped. "Be ready."

He gave her a cold look.

"Don't let the door hit you in the arse on the way out."

"Fuck you," she snapped, but as she turned to leave, her floo began to smoke.

"Get shoes," she demanded. "We have to go. Swish!?"

"Chaisson broke the seal, Nay. We have to move. The clock's already ticking."

Draco re-emerged in all black, and the door swung in just as they prepared to depart. Gen read Draco's face at once and looked alarmed.

"Drake, what—" she began, but he cut her off.

"Floo my mum and then take her straight to the villa. Call Myles and Aleco when you get there and wait for me."

"Draco!" Leolin said as her floo smoked again. "We have to go! We should be gone already."

"Drake—" Gen whined.

"Do as I say, Genevieve," he commanded. "Now!"

She did as she was bid, disappearing instantly. When she was gone, Leolin reached an arm out to Draco. He pulled her instinctively to his chest as they began to swirl into nothing, tangling his fingers in her hair and pressing his cheek to her temple. He was clearly afraid, and she realised she was, too. They arrived at the flat a minute later, still intertwined.

"Nay!" Sweeney called, breaking their reverie. "Let's go!"

"How long?" she said somewhat breathlessly.

"Eighteen minutes and counting," Effie replied.

Leolin and Draco traded a last look.

"What are we waiting for, then?"


	25. Chapter 24: Finders, Keepers

**TWO THOUSAND NEW WORDS ADDED. PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Finders, Keepers**

"_Monsieur Draco's just arrived, sir. He says he'll be down presently."_

"_Thank you, Javier," Sebasten said, nodding. "Please have a drink waiting for him."_

"_Always, sir."_

_Draco arrived on the sprawling deck a minute or two later, accepting the chilled glass from Javier with a silent nod._

"_Draco," Sebasten said warmly, clapping his stepson on the back. "Good to see you. How are things in London?"_

"_Wet," Draco laughed, giving a small smile as well. "I should get a flat here for the spring. I'm bloody sick of English weather."_

"_Your mother and I would like that very much. She is, as you know, exceedingly eager to meet your Genevieve."_

"_I'm sure she is," Draco said dryly. "Speaking of, where is she?"_

"_Out shopping with Maria and Petra. They were all lamenting they're nothing to wear to the party this evening."_

"_Of course," Draco said with a wry smile, surveying the beautiful gardens that sprawled below the promenade on which they currently stood._

"_I'm actually glad to have you to myself, though," Sebasten said. "I don't often get time to speak with you alone."_

_Draco nodded but said nothing._

"_I don't think your mother expresses enough that we're proud of you, Draco," Sebasten continued. "You're a fine young man. I feel honoured to have you as a son, in name if not in blood."_

"_Thank you," Draco said tightly._

_He didn't much care for compliments._

"_I don't mean to embarrass you, of course," Sebasten said in his slow, kind voice. "I only wanted you to know I admire you. My boys do, too. They were hesitant to accept another brother into the family. Now they are grateful."_

_Draco nodded. "Never imagined I'd have brothers."_

"_That can't have been particularly easy, I'm sure. Having sibling is sometimes a burden, but more often then not it's an unparalleled pleasure."_

"_I can imagine," Draco said, looking into the clear contents of his drink._

"_How is your father?" Sebasten asked after a bout of silence._

_Draco looked up, wary._

"_He's fine, I think," Draco said. "Still married to the closest thing I'll ever had to a little sister."_

_Sebasten gave a sympathetic chuckle._

"_I'm sorry you had to go through that parental divorce It isn't easy for children, even grown up ones."_

"_You aren't, I bet," Draco said, just the slightest bit defensive now._

"_Admittedly not," Sebasten said with a wry smile. "Your father's loss was, of course, my most treasured gain. And in you I earned two for the price of your mother's hand. It was the best deal I've ever had the fortune to make."_

_Draco clenched his jaw._

"_I have to admit it was more a relief than anything," he said in reference to the divorce. "A desperately unhappy mother is less than pleasant."_

_Sebasten laughed again._

"_I'm sure. Do you see your father much?"_

"_No," Draco said curtly "And I like to keep it that way," he added after a beat._

"_I take it you don't always see eye to eye."_

_Draco gave his stepfather a sharp look._

"_Hardly ever, in fact," Draco said, silently reminding Sebasten there was nothing he hated more than being compared to Lucius._

"_Your mother still worries," Sebasten said carefully._

"_What," Draco said with acrid bitterness. "Don't tell me she's still afraid I'll turn into him."_

"_Of course not," Sebasten said softly. "She worries you're looking to cross him, and that you'll be burned for it."_

"_I'm not a fool," Draco snapped._

"_I know you aren't. And I admire your ability to remain above it all."_

"_What are you getting at?" Draco sneered._

"_I think your mother is right," Sebasten said. "I think you are too dedicated a man to give up what you started years ago, when you were still engaged to that girl."_

"_Don't talk to me about her," Draco said derisively. "I'm not at all the person I was under her insidious reign."_

"_Then perhaps I was wrong in assuming that you still seek to impede Lucius's ascend to dreadful power."_

_Draco looked out._

"_You don't have to say a word to me about what's going on, "Sebasten assured him. "In fact, its better if I don't know. I only want to remind you that you have my support. I have contacts here and farther East in Turkey and Albania. When the time is right, my people will help you strike hard and fast."_

"_My father is a domestic affair," Draco said carefully. "I wouldn't ask for foreign support; this is dangerous work."_

"_No foreign support?" Sebasten asked mildly. "Then what prompted all the sudden visits to the United States ?"_

"_Genevieve," Draco said simply._

"_Forgive me, then," Sebasten said knowingly. "I thought your mother told me that you met her in the Carolinas while on business. I didn't realise it was the other way around."_

Draco nodded stiffly to indicate Sebasten was right about foreign support.

"_May I make a final suggestion, then?" Sebasten added sagely._

"_Of course," Draco replied._

"_You ought to reach out to Severina Borgia. She is queen of Florence and Rome these days; her reach knows no limits."_

_Draco curled his lip._

"_The Borgia are __**no **__friends of mine."_

"_Perhaps that is a stance you might consider revisiting. Your mother said your…falling out with Severina was personal, not profession."_

"_I wouldn't trust her not to exact some petty vengeance."_

"_I think you'll find her much changed since you last met. She's married to a Spanish Borja with two lovely children. She will not pine."_

_Draco clenched his jaw._

"_Perhaps on my next visit to Rome, then."_

_Sebasten nodded._

"_A wise choice, Draco. Now, since I've made my final suggestion, will you indulge me a final request as well?"_

_Draco nodded, albeit somewhat warily._

"_Bring your Genevieve to the next soiree. Your mother and sisters-in-law are eager to meet her, and you have been so scant with details. All we've heard is that's she beautiful; your mother yearns to know more."_

_Draco nodded._

"_I will, then," he agreed. "She would love this place._

"_Good," Sebasten said with finality, touching his glass to Draco's. "Enough business, then. Let's have another drink."_

* * *

"Ready?" Felix urged.

There multi-person apparation device, which was already assembled, stood waiting. It was hardly bigger than a telephone box, and with five peope it was going to be a tight squeeze.

"So this is where you live?" Draco said, eyes glittering as he first took in the stylish flat then it's designer.

"We don't have time for small talk," Sweeney said. "Let's go."

"How are we all supposed to fit in that box?" Leolin demanded.

"We're going to have to squeeze," Sweeney said. "I hope everyone bathed this morning."

Felix, unable to hold himself back, raising his eyebrows at Leolin to signal he thought she always smelled good. She rolled her eyes, not able to engage in his shite when there were so many other things to worry about.

Draco noticed, and he sneered at Felix.

"Back off," Draco said imperiously, shoving Felix roughly in the shoulder.

"So you're Malfoy?" Effie said, eying him somewhat contemptuously. "You're exactly like I'd imagined."

It was clear from her tone this wasn't a compliment. Leolin, unwilling to let a fight break break out, interceded.

"Eff, Drake," she said hurriedly. "Draco, Effie and Swish."

"I don't like you," Effie announced in a frank tone.

"I don't really care," Draco shot back.

"Right," Sweeney said. "Enough of this. Let's _go._"

"Wait!" Leolin cried. "I need to change."

"No time, lass," Effie said. "I can do your trainers, but otherwise you have to go as is."

"Fuck," Leolin breathed as they filed in. She was inevitably next to Draco.

She could feel his cool breath, first as it ruffled her hair and then on her neck as she pulled her hair over her shoulder and into a braid. Her back was pressed to his strong chest, and despite their spat, it was comforting. She wondered if he thought so, too.

"Leolin," Felix said quietly. "We can't get jammed up. If Pucey catches sight of you wearing that it's going to be game over."

Draco slapped Felix upside the head.

"_Stow it_, Chaisson," he snarled. "We don't have time for your fear-mongering."

"I'm not fear-mongering," Felix replied sullenly. "I'm being a realist."

"Well don't," Effie snapped.

"Stop," Leolin all but pleaded. "This isn't helping. Drake, we're on the same team. Ren, I assure you I'm _painfully _aware of the stakes. Please don't rub Adrian and his sick agenda in my face."

"I'm sorry," Felix said quietly. "That wasn't my intention."

"Then think before you speak," Draco snapped.

Swish glanced at his watch.

"Are you two done pining over Leolin? We don't have much time and we need to discuss the plan."

"Go on," Draco said, still eying Felix hatefully.

"Once we're through the gate and breach the perimetre, we only going to have fifteen minutes before it snaps back into place. Barring any surprises, that should be plenty of time."

"Yes, surprises," Draco said dryly. "I'm sure there won't be any of those."

"Shut it," Effie said. "That's not helping."

"The problem is that just like the gate, the house is guarded. We all have to take our own floor to keep from fueling the reparative system. Malfoy, you're heading to the cellar and finding your stepfather. After that, make your way to the second floor. Billiards room is in the middle of the floor. You're the least familiar with the layout, so be on your guard and pay attention."

"I don't need a lecture," Draco said imperiously. "I have an eidetic memory."

Felix rolled her eyes, and Sweeney glanced at Leolin.

"Annoying but true," she affirmed.

"Right," Sweeney said. "Just break the window and go down through it. Don't use your wand; that's going to shorten the leash."

Draco nodded.

"Right."

"Wait!" Felix said. "Where are we going once we get out?

"We're headed for the villa in Athens," Draco confirmed.

"International apparition is impossible," Felix sneered.

Draco drove a hand into his pocket, pulling out what looked like riverbed stones.

"This will help stabilise the journey."

"Are you sure?" Felix asked. "I don't want to die spliced."

"They work," Sweeney assured him. "We've used them in heists before."

Leolin and Draco caught each other's eye.

The box was beginning to slow now.

"We have communication devices as well," Effie said, passing them out.

"How do we know _these_ work?" Felix demanded.

"You're a fucking twat," Draco said into his, and given their distance, it sounded loudly in Felix's ear.

"Malefiscent!" he cried, ripping the device away and rubbing his ear.

"Unnecessary," Leolin said sternly.

"Thirty seconds," Sweeney said. "Get ready to run, and remember: only use your wand if absolutely necessary."

He handed Leolin the canister with the painting and she nodded grimly, slinging it over her shoulder. Finally they landed with the thud, and without stepping out, Sweeney cast a spell. It swooshed over the grounds and towards the house. The gates gave a soft groan before swinging in as well.

"Let's go," he prompted, ushering them forward.

He, Effie, and Felix took off at once, but Draco grabbed Leolin's arm.

"Let go," she snapped. "I don't have time for this."

"Leolin," he said, clearly agitated. "Be careful this time. I mean it."

He tore East as she arced West, circling around to the side of the manor as she slipped the painting's holster onto the back. The windows on the side of the house were ornate, and gracefully she leapt up, grabbing the top lip of one and hoisting herself onto the narrow ledge. She jumped again once she had her footing, grabbing the second ledge. Her arms had begun to ache as she pulled herself up, but she ignored it.

"I'm in," Felix said through her earpiece.

Two stories to go.

After what seemed like forever, she reached the roof, panting a little.

"So am I," Draco said. "This place is a fucking labyrinth. It's honestly nothing like Lorde's plans. Adrian's obviously been making serious fortifications."

"If you see anyone, stun them and take their memories," Sweeney instructed. "This is going to be hard enough when the cavalry shows up. Twelve minutes."

"I thought you said no magic," Felix said.

"We might no have a choice," Effie said. "If Pucey's left a skeleton crew here, we need to knock them out quickly. "I'm in. Nay, where are you?"

"On the roof," Leolin said, panting from the climb. "About to go through the portal."

Leolin sprinted to the hidden portal, breaking the glass with her elbow and easing herself downward carefully. When she was dangling, she glanced down. There was only about two feet between her and the ground. She began swinging slightly before leaping down and bending her knees. She landed with a tiny thud.

"I'm in," Leolin said. "But Draco's right; Adrian's made some improvements. This place is a nightmare."

Despite how diligently Leolin had studied the blueprints, she realised she would be flying blinder than she would have liked.

"I'm not sure I'm going to make it down there before the clock runs out," she admitted, turning down what was supposed to be a corridor and finding a locked door instead. "We're going to have to get creative. Everyone be on their guard."

"Same here," Draco said. "I still haven't found Sebasten. He was supposed to the be in the middle cellar, but he's not there. I think Adrian's installed some jail cells down here. I assume that's were Sebasten is. Where is everyone else?"

"I just found the billiards room," Felix said. "But only by the grace of Merlin. It's not where the blueprints said. It's literally been moved to the South East corner of the floor. Beware of dead ends. Every time you reach a fork, go left. No clue why."

"I'm on my way to you," Effie said to Felix. "I think the third floor is the least complicated. Swish, where are you?"

"Cellar," Sweeney said. "Fuck, Malfoy's right; this is a proper mess. I cannae figure out where I'm at."

"This is so Pucey," Malfoy growled. "He can literally never resist showing off."

"We're down to ten minutes," Leolin reminded them.

"Where are you, Nay?" Effie said.

"Fourth floor," Leolin said breathlessly. "Still trying to compensate for the changes. I'm headed to the third now."

She glanced at her watch. Seven minutes. She headed into the library and found the hidden door, pushing through and down the stone steps leading to the next floor.

"I've got Sebasten," Draco said. "He's weak, but he's not hurt. MacAngus, tell me you're down here. It's going to take both of us to get him out."

"I am," Sweeney said. "But I cannae figure out where I am!"

"I told you," Draco said.

"Six minutes," Effie warned.

"Eff," Leolin said. "Did you find Felix yet?"

"Yeah," Felix said. "We're together now. Still trying to get a fire going in the fireplace. Seems like there might be a charm on the hearth."

"Break it," Sweeney instructed. "That grate being ready is more important than trying to dodge the charm."

"Right," Effie said. "We're working on it."

"I'm in the red cellar," Sweeney said. "Malfoy, where are you lot?"

"I'm honestly not sure," Draco admitted. "I started in the chilled cellar on the North side, but I can't really say where I'm at now. I think South East, towards the middle? There's a whole row of cells. That's where Pucey was keeping Sebasten."

"How is he?" Leolin asked.

"Not great," Draco admitted, breathing tapered from the effort of supporting Sebasten. "He's skin and bones."

"Fucking Pucey," Effie said. "He must have been looking for a way around the torture clause."

"Is he alright?" Sweeney said. "Do you know if he gave anything up?"

"He didn't," Draco snapped. "He's tougher than that."

"We had to ask," Felix said sternly. "No need to be a dick."

"Fuck off, Chaisson," Draco grit out. "MacAngus, goddamnit, where _are _you?"

"I'm doing my best!" Sweeney said heatedly. "Stop moving. I'm never going to find you if we're both in the labyrinth."

"Alright," Draco conceded. "We're back in the red cellar. Sebasten had to rest anyway."

"I just left there!"Sweeney said.

"Use a tracker charm back," Draco said. "I need your help."

"We're at four minutes," Effie warned.

"I think we should change the plan," Felix said. "We should meet in the cellar. There's no way McaAngus and Malfoy make it up here in time, and better we get the coins first instead of puppy guarding the grate. There are other grates; we'll have to leave through one of those."

"Chaisson and I are on our way down," Effie said. "Swish, tell me you've found Malfoy!"

"He did," Draco said. "_Finally_."

"Leolin?" Felix said. "Can you make it to the cellar?"

"I think so," Leolin said, still navigating the third floor, albeit quickly. "But there's no way I'll get down there before the clock runs out. We only have three and a half minutes. Remember what I said," she warned. "We're holding court on the street. No mercy."

"Right," Effie said. "Nay, _please _be careful."

"We shouldn't have put her high," Draco sneered. "She should have been down here. It's less dangerous."

"If the layout had been accurate, it would have been fine," Leolin pointed out.

"Oh," Draco said, snide despite the fact that he was obviously just worried about her. "I forgot that the three of you master criminals weren't anticipating any surprises. My mistake."

"Stow it," Effie snapped. "Stop being a twat."

" Effie and I are on the West side of the house now, first floor." Felix said. "Give us your exact position, Malfoy. The security charms are fucking with my tracker."

"Ninety seconds to alarm" Leolin breathed.

"How long will it take Adrian to get here once it sounds?" Draco said.

"No more than two minutes," Sweeney replied.

"Sixty seconds, " Effie said said.

Leolin burst in the lounge on the third floor, hurrying out into the corridor again and counting the doors. The next secret passage was in a study on the right. Merlin, forty-five seconds.

"Effie, I've just seen Rosier," Sweeney said. "He must have been left here to watch the place. "I think he's headed your direction," Sweeney said.

"I've got him," Felix said, and the sound of his spell cutting through the air sounded in their earpieces.

Leolin burst into the lounge. The watch on her wrist was flashing to warn her that she was within thirty seconds of the charm's expiration.

Will Avery was sitting in an armchair with his feet up when she burst in. He raised his wand far too late, and he was slumping unconscious before he could utter a word.

She grabbed him under his arms and began to drag him towards the hidden passage. As she worked, her watch beeped and a loud boom sounded.

"Bollocks," she hissed. "Fuck."

"Leolin," Draco said, sounding worried now. "Where are you?"

"Still on the third floor," Leolin said. "I'll be lucky to make it to two before the cavalry shows up. Felix, we're are you?"

"We're in the crypt now, but it's hard to navigate. Where are you, Malfoy? Your location keeps flickering."

"At the very centre," Draco replied. "We're in the red cellar. It passed the cells but before the wine cellar."

"Since we didn't grow up as English aristos," Effie said. "How are we supposed to tell red from white?"

"Are you serious?" Draco sneered imperiously.

There was a muffled sound that Leolin suspected with Sweeney slugging Draco.

"Damnit, McAngus!" Draco sneered. "Don't touch me!"

"Then don't be a bawbag to my sister," Sweeney shot back.

"Eff," Leolin said, head on a swivel now. "White will be smaller. And it will be chilled."

"Right," Effie said. "I think we're almost to you, Swish."

"Nay?" Sweeney said. "Anywhere close?"

"Not really," she admitted. "I'm still on three."

"Taking care of Sebasten," Draco said to Sweeney. "I'm doubling back for Leolin."

"Don't," she said. "You're only going to slow me down."

"They're here," Felix said quietly. "I just saw Rawle apparate on the lawn."

"We shouldn't have given the painting to Leolin," Draco grit out. "We could be unlocking the painting by now."

"So you've said!" Leolin snarled. "Shut up, you're not helping."

"We need to start moving," Draco said harshly. "We'll leave Sebasten where he is and run them in circles. Once we've knocked some of them off we'll double back."

Leolin was only half-listening, She'd just dropped down onto the second floor, landing directly onto the upstairs dining room. The china on the table cracked loudly under her feet.

"Bollocks," she cried tearing across the table and leaping onto the floor.

"What was that?" Sweeney asked.

"Who leaves bloody china on the table between meals?" Leolin hissed.

She burst into the corridor. Still empty. The next passage down was the billiards rooms, all the way on the opposite side of the manor.

She heard voices and slipped into a niche, crouching behind a statue of Salazar Slytherin. Her heart was in her throat.

"They're in the cellar," Rawle was saying. "And Athenos is gone."

"How do we know they haven't left already?"

That must have been Annalysse Blake.

"Athenos has a strong tracker on. If they'd gone, his alarm would be going berserk. Besides, there's no way they could get all that done in ten that short of time. They're all still here."

"You think it's more than one of them? I assumed Malfoy would work alone."

"Lefevre's with him, " Rawle was saying. "She's the art thief. He wouldn't be able to pull this off without her. I wouldn't be surprised if she brought some others along as well. The Borgias, maybe, or Brankovitch. Also could be that oily little bloke Chaisson. He seems to be cropping up more and more lately. Adrian said he was with Severina Borgia at King's Cross the other night."

They were heading towards her, and against her better judgment, Leolin's peaked her head out to watch them. Rawle was a handsome bloke upwards of six feet with dark skin and dark eyes, which sparkled with intelligence. Leolin thought it was the high arch of his dark brows that made him look so imperious as it always seemed as if he was peering down in distain. He often wore a tall collar with gave him a further air of intimidation and power, which he was wearing tonight.

Unlike Rawle, Blake had a face that one would be hard-pressed to describe as pretty. She had a heavy Russian brow bone with overly thin arches above it. Her cheek bones were prominent, almost too much so, and they gave her face an almost pouchy appearance. Perhaps her best features were her bow-shaped lips and dark eyes, which were hooded and large. Her hair was black, and it was scraped severely into a ponytail.

"You go and secure the painting," Rawle was saying. " I will cover the cell."

"Like Hell I will," Annalysse sneered, wand hand itching to draw it on him. "You don't outrank me, Tate. I'm not babysitting an inanimate object just so you can go be a hero in front of Adrian and get all the good assignments going forward."

"Don't be so paranoid," Rawle snarled. "I can't fucking stand how sensitive you and Thivierge are. I told Adrian not to hire women; they're pathetically over-emotional."

This time Annalysse did react. She drew her wand and hit him with a nasty hex. He bent double and cradled the left side of his face. It looked black and charred.

"You were saying?" Annalysse said, nonplussed.

"Damnit," Rawle hissed. "You've made your point. Undo it, already!"

"You're such a pretty boy," Annalysse sneered contemptuously. "You can't bare the idea that you might look ugly right now."

"Can you blame me?" Rawle spit. "Unlike you, I don't have much experience in that arena."

She zapped him again and the skin bubbled, and it smelled as if it might be burning.

"Fuck!" he cried. "Blake, you _bitch_! Put it back!"

Leolin watched as Annalysse sneered at him.

"Then apologise."

"Oh, fuck off," Rawle wheezed.

"Okay, I'll leave it that way," she said evenly. "Your choice."

"Merlin!" he swore. "It fucking burns! Undo it already, Anna!"

"Then apologise," she repated like he was an idiot.

"Or what?"

"Are you stupid? I don't undo the curse and you're a scarface for the rest of your life."

"Fine!" Rawle said, teeth gritting against the pain. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry—?"

"Fine! I'm sorry I said you were over-emotional and weak."

"Now admit that it irks you that I'm Adrian's new favourite."

"Can't admit to something that isn't true. You're never going to beat out Torrii with the dogface, Blake. She's the one fucking him, not you."

She clenched her jaw, and Leolin hoped she would just kill Tate and save them the trouble.

"Unlike Torrii," Annalysse said. "I have no _desire_ to sleep with him."

"You should tell him that," Rawle jibed. "He loves female rejection. Ask Lefevre."

"You really don't want me to reverse the charm, do you?" she said nastily.

"Do it or I tell Adrian what you just told me."

Her eyes flashed. She drew her wand and Leolin did think she was going to kill Tate, but instead she repaired the blistering skin and sneered at him.

"That's what I thought," he said, straightening to his full height and peering imperiously down his nose at her. "And I don't give a fuck about favourites. You two are welcome to fight over your place. I _know _where I stand."

"Tate," a disembodied voice called. Leolin shrank back. She was fairly sure that Tommy, though it was coming through Tate's comm. "Have you cleared every floor? Adrian wants to know."

"I am doing it right now," Tate replied, giving Blake a nasty look she returned. "I'm with Blake. We're on two."

"Tell me you've found Lefevre," Tommy said. "Adrian's going to be in a right state if he doesn't get his hands on her tonight."

"How are we so sure she's here?" Annalysse said. "I would think Malfoy would want to keep her out of danger."

"I thought I just saw Malfoy," Tommy explained. "If he's here, she's with him."

Leolin put a hand to her mouth and fought not to breathe.

"Where's Torrii?" he demanded.

"She and Montague went working their way up. They were on one, the last time I heard."

"Fan out," Tommy instructed. "Adrian wants this quick and tight. No mistakes, and no loose ends."

"Understood," Tate said, and the comm clicked off.

"Go to the third floor," Annalysse said. "We'll cover more ground if we split up. I'll keep going here."

Tate nodded.

"Fine," he said. "Happy hunting."

She sneered at his insinuation that she looked like a hound dog and started off in the opposite direction of him.

Leolin waited for the echo of their tread to fade before slinking carefully from behind the niche . Looking back towards the door of the dining room for a second, she tore off, rounding the next corner with such speed that she had to grab the wall to stay on her feet. She arced gracefully on the corner as if she were wearing skates on ice. Straightening just in time to watch a form morph out of the shadows.

"Lefevre," Victoria Thivierge exclaimed in delight, large eyes gleaming as they both drew their wands. Leolin was a hair quicker.

"_Serpensortia_!" she cried, and suddenly what were becoming her characteristic black mambas sprang from her wand, hissing and spitting at Torrii. She stumbling back several steps, misfiring the countercurse.

Leolin wasted no time, rounding the corner and tearing back the way she'd come. Suddenly she heard the hissing stop. Leolin glanced back just in time to see Torrii hurling a curse, and she barely deflected it.

"I wouldn't put our back to me, if I were you," Torrii warned, firing another.

Leolin glanced over her shoulder again. She was torn between fleeing and making a proper stand. As she turned to fight, Torrii fired a third curse.

"_Expellarmus"_

"_Protego."_

Leolin threw up a shield, but the blow had glanced off the charm's weak edge, and it sent her wand flying back. At the last moment, she vanished the painting into her cache, and luckily Torrii didn't seem to notice. Leolin silenced her earpiece as well. The last thing she needed was Torrii getting her hands on that.

Leolin heart thumped painfully as Torrii approached, smiling. Leolin felt a crucio coming on. She wasn't wrong.

She screamed and buckled, finally collapsing onto her back. Torrii watched, clearly pleased with herself. She cast it again almost casually, giving a high, girlish laughed when Leolin screamed again.

"Lefevre," she said, approaching slowly as Leolin scooted surreptitiously back. Her wand wasn't terrible far off. If she could kept Torrii distracted, she could grab it.

"What the _hell _are you wearing?" Torrii said snidely.

"Do you like it?" Leolin croaked, still moving. "I bet you Adrian will."

She wasn't quite sure where that remark was going to get her, but Torrii's sneer was telling.

"Are you in love with him?" Leolin said, trying to sound casual instead of terrified.

"What?" Torrii snapped.

"Adrian," Leolin clarified. "Do you love him? It's hard to tell."

Torrii's lip curled in genuine contempt.

"So you aren't," Leolin surmised, moving another inch or two. "I admit that surprises me. I was sure you were. So it's just the sex, then? That's interesting. Though I guess that doesn't shock me on your part. You're still young; I bet his power really excites you."

By now Leolin felt sick to her stomach, but she could tell it was working. Torrii was getting rattled.

"If I'm being completely honest, though," Leolin continued. "It does surprise me a bit on his."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Torrii grit out.

"Adrian loves _women_. He always has. You know, boobs and hips and curves. In all the time I've known him, which at this point is about fifteen years, I've never seen him go for someone so skinny."

Leolin had touched a nerve, she knew she had. Torrii looked equal parts furious and self conscious. Her eyes grew more fierce.

"Shut up," she snapped. "Just stop talking."

"Then again," Leolin said, ignoring her. "That's not insurmountable, is it? I want you to tell me honestly: has he ever made you take Polyjuice so you're me?"

Torrii looked murderous now, but it didn't matter. Leolin was mere feet from her wand. Her silence was telling, and Leolin felt the urge to cry bubbling up at the thought. She felt violated and unclean. However, she had to keep pressing.

"Did he love it?" Leolin said, trying not the think about what she was asking.

Torrii drew a long stiletto from where it had been laying snugly again her thigh. It gleamed in the moonlight.

"You can't use that on me," Leolin said, pushing laboriously into a sitting position. She was still too weak to stand. "Adrian would kill you."

Thivierge's eyes hardened, and Leolin was practically to her wand.

"No I can't," Torrii said, drawing her wand again. "You're right."

Leolin braced herself, but Thivierge did something she hadn't anticipated. Placing a hand on either side of her wand, she began exerting pressure. Soon the pliant wood began to crack.

"You're mad," Leolin said as the unicorn hair of the core shown in the darkness.

"What was I supposed to do after my wand broke in a duel?" Thivierge said as Leolin scrambled backwards. "I had to improvise!"

"You're fucking mad!" Leolin repeated. "And you still can't kill me!"

"Who said anything about killing you?" Thivierge said.

"After I'm done, I'll drag you back to Adrian and drop you at his feet. He'll be so happy to see you! Well, maybe not. I doubt he'll be so interested when you're hideous and covered in scars."

Leolin lunged for her wand, but Torrii clamped a heavy boot on Leolin's right ankle, twisting it uncomfortably. Leolin cried out, still reaching for her wand as Torrii kicked it away.

Torrii knelt down on Leolin's chest so hard Leolin thought she heard a rip crack. She continued to exert pressure as she forced Leolin back, jerking her shirt up to reveal her scar.

"It's prettier than I imagined," Thivierge sneered, tracing the scared with the tip of her blade. "I wonder what would happen if I tore it back open."

Leolin squirmed, knowing in reality that she'd have to wait from Thivierge to assume a more vulnerable position before she could strike. She thought about Draco has said about her being a Black Mamba; perhaps he hadn't been so far off after all.

"I won't start there, though," Victoria mused to herself. "I think we should go for something more…visible."

Leolin gave a ragged gasp, which only prompted Torrii to press harder.

"I don't know why everyone is so enamoured with your tits," Torrii snarled. "They make you look like a pregnant cow. Still…" she trailed off. "Adrian seems to like them."

She arced the blade across the top of Leolin's right breast, making her scream in pain. Rubies bubbled from the cut, and Leolin screamed again.

"I just don't think they'll be as lovely covered in scars."

She slashed from left to right this time, causing a new gash.

"Stop!" Leolin said, forgetting her scheme in the light of the pain. "Please! Adrian will be furious!"

"But it wasn't me," Thivierge said. "My wand got snapped by one of your stupid friends and I had to find another. That's when I found Gibbon up here trying to take advantage of you. I killed him and took his wand, but there wasn't time to sit here and heal all these cuts. Gibbon used one of those hexes when he was done that made healing the cuts impossible. Everyone knows what a sadist Gibbon is. He loves roughing people up. He's sick like that, and now you're going to have all these _nasty_ scars."

She yanked Leolin's bra down and Leolin felt her cheeks flush in humiliation.

"Merlin," Victoria said hatefully. "They look even more fake when they're naked."

Disgusted, Thivierge reached forward and grabbed one.

"Ugh," she said, sneering. "They feel fake, too. If I cut one, will it deflate?"

Leolin tried to think through the swelling pain and the humiliation. Her moment to strike was approaching. She needed to be ready.

Thivierge made three diagonal cuts away from the sternum on both sides. There was blood everywhere now, and Leolin was near tears. Thivierge one last cut across the tops then sat back, admiring her works.

"You're disgusting, Lefevre. I don't even want to look at you."

She leaned back, laughing to herself and preparing to hurl the hex. The pressure was much less now, and Leolin wasted no time. She pushed forward with all the muscles in her core, knocking Thivierge off balance and the knife out of her hand. She yanked down her bra and got a good punch in before Thivierge wiggled free, going for her knife.

That was interesting; Torrii was weak at hand-to-hand, though it was hardly surprising. Her arms were like twigs. Still, it would be important to remember.

Leolin grabbed for the knife too, but Thivierge got there first.

"Now I _can_ kill you," she grit out, fighting Leolin's strength to push the knife into the hollow of her throat. "It was self-defense. You tried to kill me first."

For such a slip of a girl, she was very deft with the dagger, and she was gaining on Leolin. Leolin's heart was pounding. She never imagined she'd die like this.

Suddenly there was a flash of light behind Torrii's back ,and the younger girl fell unconscious to the floor. Leolin pushed her off, looking around for her savior. HOwever, there was no one around.

"Swish?" she called. "Felix?"

No reply. It was odd, creepy, even, but Leolin had no time to contemplate. Giving Torrii a swift kick in the stomach, she grabbed her wand and the knife, still covered in her blood. Gingerly she tried a rib. It was definitely cracked. The adrenaline made to easier to avoid the pain, and she sprinted down through the first floor and to the cellar.

"Swish!" she called. "Eff! Where are you?"

"In the centre," Felix said. "We've lost them for now, but it won't be long before they're back. Do you have the painting still?"

"Yes," she said. "And I'm headed your way."

In what felt like sheer blind luck, she didn't make any wrong turns, and she burst into the red wine cellar several minutes later to find Effie, Sweeney, Felix, and a very frail-looking Sebasten. He was in his late forties with dark hair and grey streaks, and he looked remarkably like Aleco and Myles. However, now he almost looked like a corpse. His cheeks were sullen, the skin stretched tight across his face. There were bags under his eyes, and they were purple from lack of sleep. Adrian must have been forcing him to stay awake in an effort to induce deliriousness. Just the idea made her feel sick.

"Sebasten?" she said, kneeling at his side. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," he said, giving a weak cough.

She nodded and turned to the others.

"Where's Draco?" she asked in a panic.

"What the _hell _happened to you?" Felix asked, eyes arching across her ruined chest.

"Thivierge," Leolin said simply, as she and Sweeney frantically unrolled the painting.

"He's getting Pucey off our back. It's been a bitch; Pucey knows this place top to bottom."

"He should," Felix said. "He designed it."

Suddenly there was a booming knock on the door.

"It's me." Draco wheezed. "Let me in! For fuck's sake, let me in!"

Leolin did as she was bid and Draco tumbled in, slamming the door behind him.

"We don't have much time," Draco said. "Adrian, Rawle, and Tommy Pucey are two minutes out, if that."

"You're sure you have the original painting?" Sebasten said, taking Leolin's proffered hand and getting to his feet. "You are all in useless danger if it is not."

"Yes," Leolin said, and finally it was unfurled. "This one is yours."

"Yes," Sebasten again. "I can feel it working. This painting has been in my family for generations. This secret has never supposed to see the light of day."

"He's got a point," Felix said. "We should just burn the painting now. Then they'll have no way to get what they're looking for."

"They still will," Draco corrected. "Audige knows this secret. We can't afford the possibility of Adrian bleeding him dry and finding out the truth. We have to get to it first. Best offense is a good defense. Go, Sebasten, hurry."

Sebasten stepped squarely in front of it as Draco glanced at the door. Right before their eyes the painting began to change.

Of course as magical folk they were all accustomed to seeing paintings moving. However, this was different. The minute Sebasten was in front of it, the space began to morph. It was as if they were traveling _into_ the painting. As they slipped nimbly between the figures of Hynos and Thanatos, an eerie green torches blazed to light, finally illuminating the figure in the background.

Leolin couldn't previously have imagined any depiction of Charon being more terrifying than Michelangelo's, but this one was. Charon's lips were skinned back from his rotting teeth, his oar gripped in a skeleton hand. His eyes bulged, the whites of them blazing.

"Merlin," Felix stammered. "qui est terrifiant"

"The coins?" Sweeney said, voice quaking. "Are they inside the painting?"

There were shouts around the corner. Leolin recognised Adrian's voice. When he and Rawle rounded the corner he'd have them.

"We have company!" Draco cried, and he was Sweeney drew their wands ready to strike.

"Έχετε πληρωμής. Πάρτε μου όλη," Sebasten murmured frantically.

Slowly the figure of Charon cocked its head before uncurling his tight right fist to reveal two coins.

"There they are," she breathed. "Those are the obols we're looking for."

There were shouts, and they were barely able to scramble out the back entrance as Adrian stormed through the front. He was on them now, and Draco hurled a curse that Adrian dodged. They began a nasty duel.

"Swish _now_!" Effie screamed

Sweeney yanked down the painting and began rolling it into a canister as Draco and Adrian fired hex after nasty hex. Most missed or were parried, but Draco'd nearly managed to kill Adrian with an invisible hand around his throat, and he responded by conjuring a whip. When it touched Draco's skin, it sizzled and he cried out

By this time Sweeney had drawn a second canister, tossing Leolin the first.

"What are you doing?" Sebasten demanded.

"What we do best," Sweeney said, darting out the door and heading right. "Misdirection."

"Tate!" Adrian screamed. "Get MacAngus!"

Leolin took off left. She smashed a vial of instant darkness powder, blackening the whole corridor. Leolin could hear Adrian and Draco both coughing.

Adrian, who had better eyesight than Draco, recovered faster, shouldering past him and after Leolin. By the time Draco straightened they'd both gone.

"I'm going after Leolin!" Draco cried. "You two find Sweeney and meet us out beyond the gates," he told Felix. "Effie, help Sebasten. As soon as we're all outside the charm we'll apparate out."

They all took off.

Leolin could hear Adrian's tread, but he was a good distance behind her. Draco, she feared, had gotten ensnared in the labyrinth. This was her best chance. Kneeling down, she quickly unfurled the canvas and drew out her pocket life. As she leaned over the painting, blood dripped onto the canvas. In three quick arcs she'd cut out the middle bit and deftly re-rolled it, stuffing it in the canister just as Adrian appeared.

"Give me the painting, Lefevre," he snarled.

She threw it at him and took off as he greedily unscrewed the lid. She was a ways away when she heard him scream in frustration. She turned the last corner to the hiding spot and realised it was a dead end. _Fuck__,_ she thought desperately, anxious tears already shining in her eyes. She has miscalculated what part of the labyrinth she was in. Vainly she tried to apparate out, even knowing she wouldn't be able to. She pounded on the stone manically, hopelessly searching for a way out. There wasn't one. She was stuck.

_Lay-oh-leen_," Adrian said in a mocking sing-song voice.

It echoed menacingly off the stone walls. Her heart hammered in her chest and she bit her lip, which had begun to tremble furiously. She was terrified of Adrian and he knew it. She thought of how he'd stripped her naked and broken her wrist and she fought savagely not to cry.

"I know you're still here, angelfish," he called nastily. "There's no way out at this end of the manor."

Leolin readied the last of her darkness powder. If she timed it right, she could muscle past him while he was incapacitated. He rounded the corner at last, his tawny eyes finding her.

"There you are," he said greedily.

She waited until he was halfway down the hall before hurling the powder. However, he was ready this time.

"_Arresto Momentum," _he cried, and the bottle stopped midway to the ground. "_Accio," _ he snapped, and it flew into his hand. He tucked it into his pocket and sneered.

"Didn't really think you were going to fool me with that twice, did you? He asked scornfully.

His smug look didn't last. Suddenly he was frowning.

"What happened to you?"

She didn't reply, mind reeling. Could she get to her wand before he could get to his? She went for it, but suddenly he was on her, slamming her head against the brick as his hand went to her throat, examining her cuts.

"These are nasty," he commented. "Who gave you these?"

"Let go," she whispered, breathless with fear as she tried to peel his fingers away.

Adrian brought his wand up and began muttering healing spells, and Leolin could feel the cuts suturing. He'd kept them from scabbing and forming scars.

"Much better," he said in a self-satisfied voice, running a thumb almost lovingly back and forth across the slim column of bones that made up her neck.

"Get off," she said, unable to keep a hint of pleading out of her tone as the tears sparkled, threatening to fall. She was vaguely afraid he was going to crush her windpipe. "Adrian, please. I gave you what you wanted."

"Oh you mean the painting you gave me with the most important part missing? Yes, how very helpful of you. Where are you hiding that scrap?"

She raised a hand to strike him and escape, but he caught her sore wrist and she cried out.

"Still haven't gotten this bone reset, Leolin?" he goaded.

He squeezed harder.

"Fuck off," she cried. "Let go!"

She struggled despite the pain, and growing annoyed with her antics he released her wrist, raising his right hand back, and hit her across the face with incredible force. She crumpled, cradling her cheek. He was wearing his customary insignia ring, and the flat, heavy face had cut her just above her eyebrow, and she could feel the blood seaping down her cheek.

"One last chance, Lefevre," he sneered. "Give me the obols."

"No," she breathed, still crumpled at his feet. "Never."

He drew his wand, forcing her to her feet like a marionette doll.

"Then I'll just have to search you myself," he sneered, grabbing her by the upper arms.

"Get _off_!" she screamed, struggling viciously against him as his hands slithered around her hips, forcing them against his.

"Then give me what I want!"

She continued to struggling without answer, and he and he yanked the middle of the jumpsuit's neckline so hard it ripped, the thin strap hanging limply over her shoulder and shamelessly exposing the black silk bra and the heaving breasts it contained. He groped them for no particular purpose and she squirmed.

She was crying in earnest now, ashamed but unable to help herself.

"Tell me where you've hidden it or I'll keep going," he threatened.

"Stop!" she cried, years of humiliation and abuse bubbling up as she tried to fend off his assault. "Adrian _stop_!"

He didn't.

"Keep being difficult," Adrian growled. "When I get you naked I'm going to find it anyway."

His ran a free hand down her stomach and between her thighs, which she instinctively squeezed closed.

"What do you think, Lefevre?" he breathed, working against the muscles in her legs. "Should I finish what I started in New Orleans?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to think about Audige's court as his deft fingers battled against the vice of her thighs.

"Maybe you _want_ me to touch you," he goaded, his cool breath rippling her dark hair as he laughed down at her. "Is that it? C'mon, Lef, don't be shy."

His fingers flitted back up and dragged softly across her breasts. The feather light touch caused goosebumps.

"Stop!" she sobbed before he could do more. "Just stop and I'll give it to you!"

He retracted his hand and gave her a little space, and she bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut to keep at least some of the tears at bay. Reaching down with shaking hands, she pulled the scrap from where she'd hidden it in her bra and he laughed outright, gold eyes glinting.

"You would, you little whore," he said, grabbing the scrap from her hand. He laughed in triumph as eyes swung greedily across the obols in Charon's extended hand.

"_Finally_," he breathed, straightening to his full height as he tucked the scrap in his pocket. "Come along, you," he said, darkly. "Let's get Malfoy and go celebrate."

He dragged her down the corridor to a study, the walk giving her time to finally stop crying. After a few minutes they arrived on the first floor. A fired burned in the hearth, and it cast creeping shadows on the floor. Her temple had begun to ache from where he'd hit her, and she was painfully aware of all her exposed flesh.

"What are we doing here?" she demanded.

Adrian gave her a hard look, crossing one lithe arm over the other.

"Patience," he warned.

Leolin realised too late. She was still wearing her tracker. They'd think she was waiting for them.

"Fuck you," she said in quiet but venomous voice.

He raised his eyebrows mildly, though his eyes glittered like dragon's gold.

"Someday soon you will," he agreed.

Then the door burst open to admit Sweeney and Felix.

"Nay, thank Merlin—"

"No! Go! " Leolin screamed. "It's a trap."

Leolin was struggling to free herself from Adrian's vice-like grip, and in response he backhanded her so hard again she crumpled to the ground.

"Nay—!"

"_Expelliarmus_," Adrian sneered over Sweeney's useless cry.

Their wand arced through the air, and Adrian grabbed them before tucking all three stolen wands, Leolin's included, in the front pocket of his jeans.

"_Petrificus spathulas._"

The boys began to struggle, but their legs were cemented down by the spell.

"There, that's better," Adrian said calmly as Leolin struggled to her feet. The cut was bleeding more steadily now, and the skin was red and contused. He grabbed her by the upper arm so his lips were against her neck. "Don't you think, Lefevre?"

He raked his teeth across the shell of Leolin's ear and she was choking down sobs again.

"Je vais déchirer le visage," Felix snarled, vainly fighting his frozen legs.

"I have no idea what you just said," Adrian replied, giving Felix an imperious look. "But whatever it was, I _seriously_ doubt it."

"Never say never," Felix snapped.

Adrian locked Leolin's legs into place before going nose to nose with Felix.

"_Never_," he snarled quietly. "How's that?"

"Fuck you, you stupid English cunt!" Sweeney cried.

"Save it," Adrian said lazily, silencing Sweeney.

"Now where were we, Lefevre?"

His left palm scraped up her flat stomach and she hissed her displeasure. Her temple was throbbing worse than ever, and her cracked rib was making it hard to breathe. Her torn strap hung limply over her shoulder, and she felt ashamed at how much the bra beneath was giving away. Adrian was so close to her that she could feel his cool breath falling onto the part of her breast not sheathed by the silk. She hated herself for being so stupid and vain. If she hadn't been so intent on torturing Gen, Adrian wouldn't be getting in such prize-winning humiliation.

"Oh that's right," he said in mock revelation. "We're waiting for Malfoy."

As if on cue, Tommy—Adrian's little brother—and Rawle strode in. Tommy had Sebasten by the arm and Rawle had Draco by the collar. Draco must have put up a hell of a fight, because Rawle's face was swollen and bloody

Annalysse and Graham Montague strode in behind them as Tommy sealed Sebasten's legs and Rawle kicked Draco in the back of the knee, forcing him to the ground.

"Gang's all here, then." Adrian said sardonically. "How very thrilling."

"Where's Thivierge?" Leolin bit out, desperately trying to gain back ground.

"Don't make me hit you again," he warned lazily. "Where's Torrii?" he snapped at Rawle.

"I don't know," Tate said. "I haven't seen her."

"Whatever," Adrian said. "I will deal with her later. Now, since I finally have you all here, I want to chat. Tell me what you got out of Audige."

"Fuck off," Draco sneered.

Rawle landed a kick to his stomach and he groaned.

"Why don't you try again? What did Audige tell you about summoning Bones?" Adrian repeated.

Rawle kicked Draco again.

"Stop!" Leolin cried.

"Again, Tate," Adrian said, and Rawle raised his boot.

"Adrian, please!" Leolin begged. "Just make him stop and I'll tell you!"

Adrian nodded to Rawle, looking smug. Leolin knew he derived a sick pleasure in forcing her to plead his name.

"Well?" Tate sneered.

"Once you have the coins," she said, trying to improvise a convincing lie. "You do a charm and Bones comes to you."

"What charm?" Adrian pressed.

"I don't know," Leolin said. "He wouldn't tell us and then he disappeared."

Adrian narrowed his eyes, scrutinising her.

"You're lying," he surmised. "You have no idea what to do with them. Audige didn't tell you."

"No, I—"

"Your pathetic lies aren't going to help him," Adrian sneered, and Tate punched Draco in the face again.

"Adrian," she begged. "Please stop!"

He glanced at her, eyes hooded and glittering.

"What will you give me if I do?"

"I—I—"

"I—I—" he mimicked cruelly, nodding at Tate.

He kicked Draco this time.

"Anything!" Leolin burst. "I'll give you anything!"

"Nay!" Effie said, but Annalysse tugged her by the hair, forcing her into silence.

Adrian turned his full attention on Leolin now, who shrank down a little.

"A tempting offer," he said, grabbing her by the arm, and pulling her towards him. "However, unfortunately not one I can take you up on today."

"Please," she whispered. "Just stop hurting him."

His eyes danced, across her face, drinking in her anguish.

"Fine," he said. "Tate, let him be."

Despite his beating, Draco looked resolute.

"Let her go or I'll kill you," Draco snarled.

"Oh enough with all the idle threats," Adrian snapped. "They're so tedious. Make another one and I'll give Lefevre a matching bruise on the other cheek."

Draco looked ready to bite something out, but he glanced at Leolin's teary eyes and fell silent.

Suddenly there was a shift Leolin couldn't identify at first. However, she realised after a moment that her legs had been freed of their binds. She caught Felix's eye. His had been as well. Leolin had no idea how or who had freed them, but she thought of Torrii being stunned.

"Let her go," Sebasten said in a quiet but solemn voice.. "I'm the one you want."

"I don't need you anymore, old man," Adrian said calmly. "You have nothing to offer me. Lefevre, on the other hand, is a _very_ valuable commodity. Isn't that right, Leolin?"

He laid his cheek against hers, and she cried in pain as he put pressure on tender, contused skin.

"You might want to reconsider, Adrian."

They all turned to look at Graham Montague, who had Tommy around the neck, his wand jammed into Tommy's back. His eyes were blank and his tone colourless, almost as if he was sleep walking. Had it really be Montague helping them all this time?

Both Anna and Tate reacted, but Adrian waved them off. Isobel had been spot on; Adrian was desperate to protect Tommy.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Adrian sneered as Tommy struggled against Graham. However, Graham had fifty pounds on Tommy, and he was unmoved.

"Isn't obvious?" Graham went on it the same flat tone.

"No," Adrian sneered, wrapping a hand around Leolin's throat to prove he meant business. "You don't have the fucking stomach."

"Don't I?" Graham continued in a hollow voice. It was odd, but it almost looked as if he wasn't blinking. "I'm tired of being your pawn."

"I swear to Hades, Montague—"

Graham's grip on Tommy tightened, and he raised his wand to the latter's neck.

"Maybe Malfoy will offer me a better deal."

"Don't—"

"_Guttergio"_

And invisible knife slid across Tommy's throat as he gurgled on blood.

Graham shoved him at Adrian, who released his grip on Leolin to catch his brother, who was already fading fast.

Both Annalysse and Tate fired curses at Graham, but it was Annalysse's which found it's mark.

"_Avada Kadavra._"

Graham slumped lifeless to the floor as Adrian tried vainly to staunch the flow of blood. He was too late; Tommy was already going milky , still in shock from what had happened, snatched the wands, now forgotten, and Charon's painted obols. Draco swiveled and kicked Rawle hard in the chest.

"The floo!" Sweeney cried.

In reality the whole thing hadn't lasted more than thirty seconds, but for Leolin time seemed to have slowed. She watched Sebasten and Sweeney disappear through the floo as Adrian collapsed to the floor, cradling his brother. Leolin had admittedly never seen him so disarmed. He rocked Tommy back and forth, seemingly oblivious to the chaos around him as he begged his brother to come back.

Felix had also disappeared through the floo now, Blake on his heels. Rawle was hurling curses wildly, all of them off target.

"Leolin!" Draco cried, holding a hand out to her. "Now!"

She looked back one last time even as her hand touched Draco's and they were pulled into the green flames. Adrian wasn't even watching them. His eyes were downcast, and Leolin watched as his tears fell on Tommy's cold skin.

"Go!" he screamed finally, eyes wild with grief. "Get after them!"

Even as Tate lunged, she and Draco were already up the grate.

Mid-floo, Leolin felt Draco moving.

"We're apparating out of here," he said, his voice distant. "Hold on to me!"

"Can you even—"

Suddenly they were jetting up the floor and out, squeezing through the tight tube of apparation. Leolin buried her head in Draco's chest. With a painful pop, they thudded on the villa's manicured lawn. Leolin fell to hands and knees and threw up.

"Leolin—" Draco said protectively, but he had no time for more, because Gen was sprinting across the lawn to him, slamming into his as he groaned in pain.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, softly touching his face. "I didn't mean to—are you alright? What happened? Merlin, thank the stars you're safe. I was worried sick."

She showered soft kisses on his face, his lips, and his neck, but he was barely acknowledging her, eyes on Leolin instead, desperately drinking her in. By this time she'd risen to her knees, the gravity of everything that had happened weighing her down like a lead cloak. Leolin remained immobile until a familiar hand extended down to her. She took it gratefully, and Felix tugged her gently to her feet. His hand ghosted across her battered left cheek, looking pained. She tried to pull her right strap up to its proper position, but the gaping tear down the garment sent it drooping back down, exposing her partially naked breasts. She gave an ashamed sob then tucked into Felix's warm embrace, resting his head soothingly atop hers. Draco was still watching them greedily, very obviously desperate to take Felix's place.

"Leolin," Felix breathed, eyes impossibly sincere. "Are you alright?"

She instinctively tried to raise the strap again, and Felix quickly drew his wand, repairng the tear before placing the strap carefully on her shoulder. She nodded, hugging him again.

"What happened?" Gen said, watching Leolin with what actually looked like genuine remorse.

"Tommy Pucey's dead," Draco said gravely. "Graham Montague killed him."

"Why?"

"We don't know," Felix admitted.

"Did you get what you were looking for?"

Leolin nodded, holding up the scrap.

Suddenly there was a commotion, Narcissa burst through the front doors, sobbing. Aleco, Petra, Myles, Marina, and Dimitri were on her tail, and Sebasten's friend Elias trailed behind.

"Sebasten," Narcissa cried. "Oh my gods. Sebasten. I was so worried!"

She touched his hollow cheek.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I am now that I see you," he said. "How I have missed you."

This only made her cry harder.

"I love you. Thank Merlin you are back."

Finally, she reluctantly relinquished her grip so Sebasten could greet the boys.

"Bampás," Aleco breathed, hugging him first. "Échoume éleipses"

"I've missed you, too, Aleco. Myles, come here. Dimitiri."

They both came, folding into their frail father's embrace as if they were still small children. Dimitri was crying, hugging his father tightly.

"Bampás," Dimitri snipped. "I've missed you so much."

"And you," Sebasten said as the girls approached.

"How do you feel, Bampás?" Marina said, taking his hand. She was a healer, and she was giving him a critical look.

"Good," he said. "Great, now that I am with my family again."

"Tomorrow we start fattening you up again," she said, hugging him. "Petra will make sure."

Sebasten laughed, hugging Petra now.

"I have no doubt, kóres mou."

By this time Marina had flitted to Draco.

"Oh Drake," she said, subtly forcing Gen to let go so she could examine him. "You look like shit."

He laughed then groaned. He must have broke a rib or two as well.

"You're such a brat," he said congenially, and she laughed. "And don't worry about me. Help Leolin."

"Oh you poor thing," Marina said, coming over. "Are you alright? Let me see?"

She approached, grabbing Leolin's chin gently. She had a healer's practiced touch.

"Come inside, agápi̱," she instructed, ushering her forward. Petra came over, too, putting a soft blanket over Leolin's shoulders. "I can fix the swelling and the pain and give you something more comfortable to wear."

"We have food, too," Petra said. "And I'm not waiting until tomorrow, Bampás. You're going to eat tonight."

"I can't wait," Sebasten said, kissing Narcissa softly.

"Thank you," Leolin croaked gratefully to Marina. "Can you also—" she drew her wand to reveal her battered wrist. "—this too?"

"Oh Leolin," Marina cooed sympathetically, examining the bone's incorrect angle. "How long have you this?"

Draco was watching the exchange, openly distraught by Leolin's battered state.

"Two weeks, give or take," Leolin replied.

"Did Pucey give you this?" Marina asked, still examining it.

Leolin looked down, ashamed. At this Draco drew his wand and clutched his apparation stone.

"I'm going back," he snarled. "I'm going to kill that sick son of a bitch right now."

"Drake—" Gen tried to hold his arm and he shook her off in agitation.

"He's weak," Draco said. "He's still mourning Tommy. I'm going back there to finish this once and for all."

"You can't," Felix explained. "We burned the connection."

"C'mon, Drake," Myles said. "You've been through enough tonight. Marina can fix you and Leolin up and we can all have a drink and celebrate being back together again. I think at this point you've earned it."

"He's right, Draco," Sebasten said. "There is no more to be done tonight except be happy."

Some of the tension in Draco's shoulders released, and he gave Leolin a look of longing that she returned. If she wasn't so ragged and fragile, she would run to him right now, consequences and fights be damned.

"C'mon," Narcissa said to them. "Come to the patio and we'll have a drink. C'mon Leolin, Marina will get you changed."

"I know I could use a drink," she admitted, smiling weakly. "I hope you have gin."

Aleco gave her a warm smile. She knew after everything they'd been through tonight that she was family now.

"In boatloads."

Petra gave her shoulders and affectionate squeeze.

"Shall we, then?" Sebasten offered, taking Narcissa's hand.

Leolin glanced at Draco a final time before nodding.

"Lead the way."


	26. Chapter 25: Chandeliers

**a/ n: 5000 NEW WORDS. PLEASE REVIEWWWWW**

**Chapter 23: Chandeliers**

"I'm gonna swing from the chandeliers;

_"Come se va, ma belle?" Severina asked, traipsing into the pluvium where Leolin sat brooding._

_ It was a beautiful day in Naples, and the autumn sunlight glinted softly off the water of the swallow pool in the centre of the enclosed space. Leolin and the twins had just accomplished a heist at the Louvre, a feat that marked Leolin's first triumph against the gag. She still couldn't enter the UK, but France was now open to her, and as an art thief, that was very handy. She hadn't quite mustered up the courage to go back to the Louvre, but she'd sent the twins after Jacque Louis David's masterpiece **The Oath of the Horatti **_, _and they returned to Rome with it without a hitch. Now, after nearly a month of misleading Crofton Teller, Leolin had finally sent him spinning off in the opposite direction. He headed to Sweden even as the new owner was hanging the painting in Turkey._

_She had told Teller she was chasing down a lead in Naples, and she, Severina, Xavy, and the girls had stolen away to a palazzo Xavier's family owned just outside Naples. It was lovely there._

_"I'm bloody frustrated," Leolin replied in answer to Severina' query. "This fucking gag is so—Damnit!"_

_"Here," Sev said soothingly, urging a tottering Isadora towards where Leolin sat in the grass. "Take this."_

_Isa was almost two now, but she still looked like a baby. Her legs are arms were covered in adorable rolls of fat, and she still had three little teeth. Her wispy black hair was tied back in two pigtails, and she had a pumpkin juice tucked under her chubby arm._

_Sev had been right; Isa already looked remarkably like Xavier. She had his elegantly flat Spanish nose and slightly turned-down lips, and unlike Severina, whose eyes were dark, Isa's were spring green._

_"¿Quién es esa?" Sev said to Isa._

_Isa babbled incoherently to herself before saying. "Lai-Nay. Lai-Nay."_

_She'd finally reached Leolin, and she all but fell into Leolin's arms._

_"We're working on it," Severina laughed as Isa muttered, 'Lai-Nay, zumo,'_

_gesturing to her cup of juice. "Swish and Eff calling you Nay is really confusing her."_

_"I like Lai-Nay," Leolin told the baby, kissing her on the face and making Isa laugh. "It's endearing."_

_"And Spanish?" Leolin asked. "Didn't you start Angie with Italian?"_

_Severina gave a delightfully delicate laugh._

_"The constant battle between Xavy and I," Sev admitted. "I lobbied very hard for Angie and italiano. After all, we have been living here in Italy since Rodrigo Borgia was still a cardinal. Xavy's still a Borja at heart. He grew up in Valencia speaking Spanish the way I did Italian. We started Angie with English and Spanish when she was four, and she picked it up amazingly quick. We'll do the same with Isa."_

_"French?"_

_"We pepper it in," Sev laughed. "I didn't learn it until I was ten or eleven, and I speak it perfectly now."_

_"You're family is so picture-perfect," Leolin smiled as Isa ran grubby hands down Leolin's sleek black hair._

_"Isadora, por favor, no lo toques su pelo. Tus manos están sucios."_

_Isa pouted but didn't stop._

_"It's okay," Leolin said. "I need to shower before the party tonight anyways. Speaking of which, are you finally going to tell me why we're throwing one? We said we wouldn't start shopping for our next client until after my birthday."_

_"We did," Severina agreed. "And we won't. Still, I'm Severina Borgia, most beloved daughter of Italy. Why shouldn't I throw a party?"_

_Leolin laughed but didn't argue. She locked her floo and handed in to Isa, who was instantly engrossed._

_"So," Sev said. "What's going on with the gag?"_

_"France is as far as I've gotten, and that's so bloody annoying because that is the least relevant part to me. Seriously, anything would be better! Dublin, Wales, anything!"_

_"Is that what you're working on now?" Sev asked, pushing Leolin's gleaming floo away from Isa's slobbery mouth._

_"Yeah," Leolin said. "The gag seemed to be designed as a series of chambers. I can enter one before I've gone through another. France was the outermost ring. Then it's the UK, then it's the Hogwarts binding, then—finally—its seeing Draco."_

_"What happens if you go back once you've freed your friends and worked on Draco from there?"_

_Leolin shook her head._

_"They'd all be able to recognise me and he wouldn't. It would drive him mad. Besides, there's no point in joining back until I can tell him the truth. Otherwise he'll never listen to me."_

_Severina shrugged._

_"Good point."_

_"The only shred of good news is now that I've picked one lock I sort of know what I'm doing. The others ones should be easier. At least the UK one. I have no idea what the people ones are going to be like."_

_"Just keep your head down and keep working. I say we slow La Genie for now so you have more time for this and don't have to contract for Teller."_

_"Right," Leolin said, laying her head on Isa's. "Okay."_

_"I predict you'll be home by your twenty-fifth birthday."_

_"Here's hoping," Leolin said. "If not, I think I could bear living here forever."_

_Isa had slid down, exhausted, and she was quietly snoozing in Leolin's lap. Leolin stroked her soft curls._

_ "What are you wearing tonight?" Severina asked._

_Leolin shrugged._

_"Probably that high-low white dress I bought in Paris. What about you?"_

_"I haven't decided," Severina said. "You know I like to see what the mood inspires."_

_Leolin laughed._

_"Of course. I'm glad we're back to the party. I have to confess something. I know its not just one of your typical 'I'm Severina Borgia, come see how important I am' parties."_

_"How?" Severina asked, smiling coyly._

_"I was the one that signed for the fireworks today, and I've seen that behemoth of a cake."_

_Severina laughed._

_"Perhaps I'm simple upping the ante."_

_"No," Leolin said, smoothing Isa's hair as she lay on her back. "Don't give me that bollocks."_

_Severina only laughed._

_"I think I know," Leolin said, smiling._

_"Do you?" Severina said, dark eyes merry._

_"Isn't your anniversary in September? You've been married seven years now. Are you and Xav renewing your vows?"_

_Severina gave a delicate laugh._

_"No," she said excitedly. "But do you think it's too late to do that?"_

_She looked genuinely interested._

_"It's only one," Leolin said. "I'm sure you can pull it together. Ooh, you should surprise Xavy with it! I'll help you."_

_"This is so exciting," Sev blurted. "I need to dig out a white dress."_

_"I'll scrap mine," Leolin agreed eagerly before realising something. "Wait, so that wasn't your secret?"_

_"Well, it is now."_

_"Yeah," Leolin said slowly, making soft circles on Isa's rounded belly. "But what's your **other**_ _secret?"_

_Severina beamed, drawing a picture out of her pocket. It was a sonogram._

_Leolin covered her mouth as tears of joy welled up._

_"Oh my gods," she said, looking happily at Sev. "How far along? _

_"16 weeks," Sev said happily. "I can't believe you haven't noticed how fat I've gotten."_

_"I've barely seen you," Leolin laughed. "And you're one of those annoying slags who only gains in her belly!"_

_Severina lifted her blouse in response, showing Leolin the soft rounding of her form._

_"Oh my gods," Leolin choked, touching it. "Another baby."_

_Severina smiled, touching her friend's cheek._

_"A balm to cure the ache of you going back to England at last."_

* * *

"When are you leaving?" Narcissa, said, settling down between Draco and Sebasten at the balcony's sprawling breakfast table, which overlooked the Aegean. Despite the early hour—it was barely seven—the entirety of the Athenos clan was sharing a final meal before Draco left for London. He'd spent the last eight weeks with his family in Greece, looking after—with the help of Aleco, Myles, Dimitri, and the girls—his mother and stepfather. They'd all moved into the villa temporarily, and after the turmoil of Sebasten's abduction, it was cathartic to be all together again.

Under Petra's watchful eye, Sebasten had put on twenty pounds or more, and after two months he finally looked like himself again. Narcissa, Draco could tell, was the happiest she'd ever been, and in some ways he felt like he was getting to know her for the very first time. Gen had been to grow restless after several weeks, but Draco felt more at peace than he'd been in some time. If it weren't for the World Cup, he could have happily stayed for another two months.

"After breakfast," he replied. "I have to stop in London before I go to Germany."

"Did Genevieve leave already?" Narcissa asked coolly. Despite their extended stay together, they'd grown no fonder of one another.

"She left with Brankovitch last night. They're already in Germany."

"Doesn't their relationship make you jealous?" Aleco said, leaning back in his chair so Petra could settle on his lap.

"Have you seen him?" Draco sneered. "Of course not."

"Why are you saying that like it's an obvious deterrent? We _have_ seen him, and he's gorgeous. What woman in her right mind wouldn't want to sleep with that?" Marina demanded.

"Mari!" Myles laughed.

Draco threw an olive at her.

"He's not nearly as good-looking as I am," Draco said imperiously. "Besides, he's a yank."

"Uhh," Dimitri said. "So is she?"

"I don't know why I'm not jealous, then," Draco said, adjusting his glasses. "I'm just not."

"What's the story with the other one?" Petra asked.

"Other one?"

"Leolin's boyfriend."

"Felix," Sebasten replied.

"Is he French?" Marina demanded. "Oh la la!"

"French Canadian," Sebasten clarified.

Draco grit his teeth.

"He's _not _her boyfriend."

"He seemed like her boyfriend the night he was here," Dimitiri said, shrugging.

"Well he's not," Draco snapped.

"You don't know that," Petra pointed out. "You haven't been to London in two months. How do you know they haven't started dating since we last saw them? He's certainly cute enough."

"Darling," Marina agreed.

"Blaise would have told me if they had. Besides, what could a woman like Leolin ever see in a slimy little vulpine like Chaisson?"

"Oh I don't know," Marina said casually. "Handsome, caring, gentle, smart, brave."

"Who asked you, Mari?" Draco sneered.

"Why do you care?" Dimitri demanded through a mouthful of cinnamon koulouri. "I thought you said you two got into a huge fight before you rescued bampás."

"C'mon, D," Myles said to his little brother, taking a sip of coffee. "We know why."

"Stay out of this," Draco warned.

"I'm with Myles," Marina agreed. "You're not fooling anyone, Drake."

"I'm not doing this this morning," Draco said hastily. "Fuck off."

"Language, Draco," Narcissa said, watching him keenly.

"I'm not going down this road with her again, is all," he explained. "I'm tired of rescuing her from obsessive creeps."

"Please don't imply that Pucey's desire for Leolin is her fault," Sebasten said gently. "I know you don't mean it, and I don't want you to regret saying it."

"I'm not blaming her," Draco defended, sounding a touch guilty. "But it doesn't change the fact he is."

"Okay," Aleco said. "But why is it your job to be her saviour? Besides, from what I know about her, she doesn't need a saviour. That girl is brave as hell and tough as nails."

"That's not the point," Draco contested hotly.

"So what is?" Myles asked.

"I have to go," Draco said in response, standing and throwing down his napkin over his half-eaten breakfast.

"Before you do," Narcissa said. "I want to point something out. Genevieve's friendship with Max Brankovitch doesn't bother you, but the idea of Leolin and this Felix Chaisson has you irrationally upset."

"Is nobody on my side?" Draco burst, glaring at all of them. "Are _any_ of your willing to believe me when I tell you I love Gen or support my desire to marry her? Merlin! You're my fucking family, and all you seem to want to do is rub salt in a wound that's never going to fully heal. Yes, some very small part of me is jealous of Chaisson, because some very small part of me will always love Leolin! Is that what you all are fishing for? Congratulations, you've found it."

There was a long, guilt-ridden silence.

"We're sorry, Drake," Aleco said. "You're right. We were being jerks."

"I'm sorry, too," Marina said . "And of _course_ we support you. We love you; what you want, we want."

"And we adore Genevieve," Petra added, ignoring Narcissa's soft but distinctive huff. "We can't wait for her to join our family."

Draco sighed, running a hand through his hair and making several pieces stand on end.

"I have to go. I need to try and find out what Lefevre's found out about the coins before I leave for Germany. Feel free to gossip about that after I leave."

"Of course we won't," Sebasten said. "You have my word."

"If something does happen at the cup, I don't think it will be safe to go back to London. If anything should happen, Gen and I are going to come back here instead."

"Of course, darling," Narcissa said, rising to press a loving kiss on his cheek. "Please before careful. Please, Draco. For me. I couldn't bear to lose you."

"I will be," he agreed. "See you lot soon."

"The sooner the better," Petra said warmly, and he smiled and disappeared.

* * *

"What do you think of this one?" Leolin said, turning from side to side and admiring herself and her cardinal red gown in the mirror. When she received no response, she frowned. "Ren, look!"

Felix, who lay lounging on a couch in front of her, shrugged.

"I don't know," he said. "Good, nice. Just like the last four you've tried on."

He took a healthy swig from his champagne glass before refilling it.

"Felix!" She said."You're supposed to be helping me!"

"I am!" he shot back. "But this is boring as hell. If there wasn't champagne I would have slit my wrists like twenty minutes ago.

"Why did you agree to come then?" Leolin demanded, letting the dress pool at her feet and jamming her hands on her recently unclothed hips.

"I assumed I would love watching you prancing around in bra and underwear all morning. I rarely get the chance."

"And you aren't loving it? Sorry to disappoint," Leolin said mirthfully, disappearing around the screen again.

"Well of course I am," Felix growled. "Boobs are boobs, and you have an ass like two perfect balloons."

"Ren," she warned sternly.

"But even though you're so sexy, somehow I have no desire to sleep with you, and it totally sucks."

"Hah!" Leolin said. "I _told_ this would happen!"

"What?"

"We're friends now, and you don't see me that way anymore! Isn't it nice?"

"That's the worst part," Felix said. "I love it. Besides Brank, you're the closest I've been to anyone in a while. I guess I didn't realise how lonely I was."

"Merlin, I feel like a proud mum," Leolin said, laughing. "My baby is finally growing up."

"Shut up," he growled without.

"You first," she called.

"Well maybe now you can help me," Felix said. "Friend to friend. I think I—Merlin. I think I might —" he paused, seemingly too flustered to get the whole sentence out. "—someone," he finished.

"Oh my days! You have a emcrush/em!" Leolin said mirthfully.

"Don't call it that," he said, looking uncharacteristically flustered. "I—don't make me regret asking for your help."

""Okay," Leolin said, trying and failing to sober up her expression. "Go on. Who is this mystery woman, then? I assume I know her, because you wouldn't be so embarrassed if I didn't."

"Leolin—"

"Allez, dis moi," she said, biting her lip. "She isn't married, is she?"

"Merde," he muttered. "I—it's—" he licked his lips, clearly somewhat embarrassed. "It's Sharpe."

"Leolin laughed then covered her mouth when he glowered.

"Je suis desole. It's just—that's a tall order. I mean, could you have picked anymore less available?"

"You when I first met you?" he ventured.

"I don't know," Leolin said, emerging in an almost absurdly voluminous ball gown.

"No," Felix said at once, having re-engaged somewhat in the process.

"She dropped this one as well and pranced behind the screen in naught but her knickers.

"I think she could've given me a run for my money. Look," she called from behind the screen. "Reagan hasn't exactly had it easy, and she's got some serious trust issues. Her parents squandered her inheritance then tried to force her to join the Dark Lord, and when she refused they tried to kill her. Then she fell in with Quinn, who treated her like complete shite and finally dumped her for a china doll Genevieve-look alike. He pretty much told her on the way out that she'd never be beautiful enough for him. Now we've asked to get back in with him, and I know that must really smart. Besides, in you lot's short but sordid history, all you've managed to do hit and on her and piss her off. I'm not saying it's not possible, but you have to know this is going to be an uphill battle. If you want even a emprayer/em, you're going to have to be on your best behaviour and be willing to take a lot abuse at first. "

"So I shouldn't—"

"No," she interrupted. "I don't know what you were going to say, but I know the answer is no, you shouldn""Quinn's dead wrong about her. I think she's incredibly sexy. And I bet she's—"

"If you say 'good in bed', I'm going to slap you."

"Leolin appeared wearing a slinky satin number now, and Felix appraised her critically.

"Too dark," he said at last. "And too— je ne sais pas—" he paused, trying to figure what he wanted to say. "It looks like a costume. And I wasn't going to say 'good in bed'."

She stepped out of it before hanging it up with her wand.

"I agree," she said, vainly admiring herself in the mirror. "It's too vampy. And good, that means you're learning."

He gave her a wicked grin, eyes sparkling wolfishly.

"I was going to say '_great_ in bed'."

Leolin flicked her wand dismissively and an invisible hand smacked Felix soundly across the top of his head.

"Ce que le baiser était-ce?" he demanded sourly.

"It's a charm I started working on after you and I went to Rome. My hand was starting to hurt from having to constant hit you."

Felix grumbled sullenly, taking another hearty swinging of champagne.

" So what am I supposed to do about Sharpe?"

"After that little stunt?" Leolin said somewhat tartly. "I would advise you forget about her. You're clearly not ready to play with the big boys, and Sharpe would chew you up and spit you out. She eats blokes like you for breakfast."

He collapsed onto the luxurious couch again, sipping his champagne and watching her shimmy into a glitzy mermaid-style dress.

"Too shiny," he said. "And too many beads."

"These are crystals."

"Too many crystals, then."

"Fine," she huffed, dropping it to the floor.

She realised he was watching her and she laughed, meeting his dark eyes in the mirror.

"What?" she demanded, smiling.

He returned the gesture, gaze merry

"You're so beautiful," he breathed candidly.

She stuck her tongue out.

"What?" he demanded. "You are! That was a genuine compliment!"

"It doesn't count when you tell a person that when they're in lingerie. It's like saying 'I love you' after sex. It's contrived. Not that you would know, obviously."

He gave a rueful laugh.

"Oh, come _on_!" She demanded. "Tell me you haven't said that to some poor girl before sneaking out her bedroom window the next morning!"

He seemed to sense the slap charm was on its way, because he batted his hands around his head like he was trying to fend off a bee. However, the hand was deft, and it waited for an opening before slapping him. Hard.

"I hate that," he grumbled, crossing his arms like a toddler mid-tantrum.

"Oui, she said. "et je déteste quand you act like a pig."

"I wasn't acting like a pig!"

She swished her hand, and he ducked from the charm., cradling his head below his arms. When he finally looked up to find her laughing merrily, he scowled.

"You're evil, woman."

She raised her eyebrows sinfully.

"Don't forget it."

Just then Amelie came in.

"Comment ça va ici, lapin?" Amelie said. "Hello, Felix. Tellement agréable de te revoir!

"Good to see you as well," he said, smiling at her.

"It's going slowly," Leolin admitted. "I'm sorry I've left all this to the last minute. Things have been so mental!"

"Don't worry," Amelie assured her. "Just let me know when you're ready for me to fit the gown.

Leolin nodded.

"Also," Amelie said. "Can I please bring Henri in here with you for a bit? He is refusing to go down for a nap and I just don't have the energy to be a good mamun and let him cry it out; it is too annoying."

"Of course," Leolin said. "Bring him in."

"Great," Amelie beamed. "Be right back."

"Is Henri your little brother?" Felix asked.

"Yeah," Leolin said. "Have you never met Maxxy and Henri before? They are the cutest little pair ever. Henri just does whatever Maxxy does. It's so endearing."

"How old?"

"Two and five," Leolin said.

"Is Max here today, too?"

"I don't think so? He's pretty much the most popular kid in the world. He is always doing some awesome thing with my mum or James or my dad or grand-mére or—"

"Or?" Felix prompted confused.

Leolin met his eye and bit her lip.

"He and Drake have playdates every week. That might be where Max is now."

Felix gave a protective and disapproving look, but she was spared his indignation by Amelie, who'd returned with Henri.

"Here we go, mon petit prince," Amelie said, smoothing Henri's curls as fat tears rolled down his cheeks. "Leolin is here."

"Ah," Leolin said, accepting him gratefully into her arms and rubbing his back as he laid a head on her shoulder. "What's wrong, canard?"

"Laylon," he replied softly.

"I'm here," she laughed. "Can I tell you something? You are spoiled rotten."

He laid his head down again, babbling happily to himself, tears long forgotten.

"I have to keep trying on dresses," she told him. "Can you let Felix hold you, peanut?"

She pointed at Felix and Henri eyed him.

"Can you say 'Felix'?" she asked.

He only put a finger in his mouth and chewed on it. She tickled his belly.

"Tu peux dire 'renard'?" she asked.

He was still looking at Felix.

"Renard," he repeated for her, and she snuggled his cheek.

"Bravo!" she said. "Now I'm going to put you down."

She did so, and he immediately clung to her bare legs, whining.

"Non," he squeaked, tears already in his eyes. "Up. Laylon. Up, up!"

"Why don't you go ask Renard if he will hold you? I bet if you ask nicely he will."

Henri looked back at her before tottering over. He extended his arms up.

"Holmy," he demanded.

"Hold me please," Leolin corrected gently.

"Holmy peas," Henri repeated, and Felix grinned at him.

"bien sûr!" Felix said, scooping Henri up by his underarms and tossed him gently into the air.

Henri squealed delightedly.

"Please don't break him," Leolin said, watching them.

"He loves it," Felix said. "Look at him."

Felix did it again and Henri threw his arms around his neck, completely enamoured. Leolin watched them smiling for a second, an odd sadness welling in her chest. Would this ever be her? Would she ever live to see husband and kids, or was this as close as she was destined to get? She smiled grimly. If it was, she wasn't sure she could complain. After all, the best part of children was sharing them with a loving spouse and loving them unconditionally. She didn't have to birth them to feel this sort of earth-shaking love.

"Lammy," Henri was telling Felix sternly, wagging a finger at him. He must have learned that from Adrian; he'd done it to Leolin many times. "Lammy."

"Excuse me, monsieur," she said pointedly. "I have an idea; why don't we _not_ wag fingers in people's faces?"

"What does he want?" Felix laughed, perplexed.

"He wants you to find Lamby, his stuffed lamb. Check Amelie's office. It's probably in his crib."

He nodded.

"Lammy," Henri repeated.

"Lammy—?" Leolin prompted.

Henri chewed on a finger.

"Lammy peas."

Felix glanced up at Leolin.

"You're going to be a great mom some day."

Her smile turned sad. She hadn't realised he didn't know about the sectumsempra. Surely Gen had told Max; why hadn't he told Felix?

"Maybe."

Felix looked down at Henri.

"Should we go find Lamby?" Felix asked Henri.

"Lammy!" Henri replied.

Felix winked at her.

"You better have another dress on when I get back. I've been here too long as it is."

Leolin nodded, slipping into another dress in a dazzling red. She'd decided it would be her colour for the evening, though every dress she tried seemed totally disparate from the others.

This one was simple and unstructured, only emphasizing her cleavage with a v-cut neckline before flowing to the floor Grecian-style.

She touched the supple silk before admiring herself in the mirror behind the partition. She piled her hair up and turned from side to side, trying to imagine what she was going to look like.

She heard the door open.

"Ren?" she called. "I don't think I like this one, but I'll show you anyway."

She swept around the divider, and she found herself staring into Draco's glittering eyes. Max was beside him holding his hand, and he smiled broadly when he saw her, showing the missing tooth on the bottom.

"Leolin," he said happily. "Hi! Look at me! I lost my first tooth." He flashed a grin to show her the hole where one of his front teeth had been. "I lost it when we got ice cream. We went to Diagon Alley and we saw cool quidditch stuff and then we got ice cream and I lost my tooth!"

She bent to survey him.

''Nice," she said, examining it as he continuing to grin for her. "You look tough."

"Tough like Draco?" Max asked. "Because he's the toughest bloke in the world. Right, Drake?"

"You know it," Draco said affectionately as Max came back to stand by him. Draco ruffling his hair, and Leolin straightened, looking at him again.

His eyes raked over her.

"Nice dress," he said.

"I'm not going to wear it," she admitted. "I don't like the shape."

Draco gave a cool smile.

"You mean that you don't like that it isn't skin fucking tight."

Leolin raised her eyebrows.

"Language, do you mind?" she snapped. "And when you've got it, flaunt it. What are you doing here?"

"I was dropping Max off, then Amelie said you were here and I thought I'd stop by and see you."

Her heart thundered in her chest as she surveyed his casual dress.

"And say what, exactly?" Leolin said. "You should know that I'm not in the mood to barb with you today."

"I haven't heard from you since—," he said, tone pregnant with meaning. "I wanted to know where we were on all our endeavours."

"Yeah," Leolin said, hers eyes flicking down to Max as she spoke. "Sorry about that. I guess I didn't really want to '_hang'_ after you called me a snake when I came over to help _your _family at moderate to severe personal risk."

Draco narrowed his eyes a little.

"Hey Max," he said. "Why don't you go to your Mum's office and polish your new broom. When I get back we can take it to aunt Ariadne's and try it out."

Max nodded.

"Draco bought me a training broom, Leolin! And guess what? It's a Phoenix like yours!"

"Wow," Leolin said. "Cool!"

"Draco was a chaser, but I want to be a keeper like you."

"Not if I have a say," Draco said, winking.

"Don't let him convince you," Leolin said, smiling. "Keepers are the _best_."

"That's what I told him. Draco said one time you were playing quidditch and you flew without a broom to catch a quaffle."

"Umm yeah," Leolin said at last. "I don't know if I would call it flying, exactly. More like falling with style."

"Will you tell me the story sometime?"

"When you're older," she promised. "Now give me a kiss really quick."

She bent down again so he could do as she asked, and he smiled. When he'd run out, she looked back at Draco, her eyes hard. Seeing him again felt like a painful reminder of how he'd treated her the last time she'd seen him.

"That doesn't mean you have to right to shut me out," Draco demanded, advancing a little and continuing.

"Doesn't it?" she demanded. "Look, I'm doing what you asked. I don't have to suffer all your nasty jibes in the meantime if I don't want. And that's to say nothing of the wretched yank you're so intent on marrying."

"Fine," Draco said, and she could see disappointment blooming in his eyes.

She knew that in his own fucked-up way, this was Draco's way of expressing he missed her. She thought of the look he'd been giving her when they returned to Greece the night Tommy Pucey had died and she bit her lip.

"Where are we with finding the coins?" he asked less harshly.

Just then the door opened, and Felix stepped in, Henri and Lamby in his arms.

"Chaisson," Draco said coolly. "What are you doing here?"

"He's with me," Leolin said at once, stepping between them.

Henri had seen Draco by this point, and he squirmed against Felix.

"Daco," he said, beginning to fuss. "No, Daco holmy."

Felix graciously relinquished his grip, and Draco scooped Henri into his arms, tossing him much like Felix had.

"Shouldn't you be napping?" Draco asked, and Henri simply babbled incoherently instead.

"I admit I didn't get any of that," Draco said. "I'm still rusty on your alien language."

"key-key Lammy," Henri offered, and Draco looked at Leolin quizzically.

She folded her arms across her chest, fearing if she wasn't physically holding herself together, she may fall apart. She avoided looking at Felix, whose expression was akin to that of a kicked puppy as he watched Leolin and Draco together.

"He wants you to kiss Lamby." She explained, and Draco nodded, doing as Henri wanted and smiling as the toddler cooed, delighted.

Draco smiled down at him, and Leolin turned her back towards the partition. She hadn't seen him smile in a long time, and it tugged at her painfully. Draco shifted Henri to his left hip so he could pour himself a glass of champagne. Satisfied that he wasn't going to physically assault Felix, she disappeared behind the partition again.

"So," Draco said, taking a sip of his drink and eying Felix disdainfully again. "What is it the two of you are up to this morning? It's a bit early for a social outing, Lefevre."

Leolin re-emerged, wearing a soft slouchy sweater and leggings. Draco eyes went from her tousled curls to the faded red polish on her toes.

"It's a little casual, don't you think?" he said wryly.

"I can't keep trying on dresses with you here. I'd rather just talk and send you on your way."

"You'd let Chaisson stay and not me?" Draco demanded, his cool tone barely concealing his jealousy.

"Felix is helping me pick something out."

"And yet you've been in an out of lingerie for the last hour," Draco sniped. "Interesting."

"What's your aversion to multi-tasking?" Leolin said casually. "I needed someone to come with me and he was free. Stop reading into it."

"There no need for that nasty, jealous look," Felix sniped. "This is horribly boring. Feel free to take my place at any time."

Leolin gave him a sour look, and he shrugged, clearly irritated.

"No," she snapped. "Don't feel free. Feel very un-free, in fact. What do you want, Draco?"

Draco was still eying Felix contemptuously.

"Fuck off, _mate_," he retorted in imitation of Draco's crisp accent. "We're just friends."

"Despite your seemingly exhaustive efforts to the contrary. Right, Chaisson? Yeah, it's obvious."

Felix rolled his eyes.

"I don't have time for this," Leolin demanded. "Talk to Blaise; he knows what's going on."

Draco shifted Henri again, who was grabbing for Draco's glasses.

"I'd rather talk to you," he said seriously.

"Then stop being a bully and an arsehole," she snapped.

"Can't ask him to stop him being himself, bichette," Felix pointed out acridly, refilling his flute and putting down its contents in one go.

"Charming," Draco snapped.

"You're one to talk," Leolin snapped back. "Now give me the baby and get me a glass of champagne."

"Do I look like your servant?" Draco sneered.

"That remains to be seen," Leolin said, extending her arms expectantly.

Draco shot a look at Felix, who'd sunk on the couch, grinning ear to ear.

"I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying this."

Draco rolled his eyes and did what he was told. He offered Leolin her glass, but she bent instead, setting Henri on the ground.

"No," he pouted. "Holmy."

"Can you play with your truck instead?" Leolin stand, swiping the truck towards him with a toe.

"Tuck, tuck, tuck," Henri sang, "Fytuck vrrrrrrr."

"Le perf," Leolin said, scooping him by his underarms, truck and all, and setting him out of the way.

When he was suitably settled, she finally turned to Draco again, who still stood holding her flute.

She pushed her hair out of her face by running her a hand through the darks strands falling into her eyes. Draco watched her, eyes skating along her fingers and long red nails before sliding to her dark hair.

"Thank you," she said, accepting it and taking a drink. "Now," she said. "Sweeney is making serious headway on the obols. He's in Turkey right now, and he says he's close. Days away, at most."

"Has he had any company?" Draco asked with meaning.

"It's been eight weeks of radio silence. To be honest, it's been a little too quiet. Have you—heard anything"

"Not much," Draco said, running a hand through his hair. "But what we have is—distressing."

"Tell me," Leolin said, extending her empty glass to Draco. He grit his teeth in annoyance and filled her flute.

"Daphne Montague is dead. Tate Rawle showed up there about a week after Graham killed Tommy and killed her while her boys were in the house. They're the ones who found her body."

"How old?" Felix said softly.

Draco clenched his jaw, looking pained.

"Four and a half and two."

"He didn't—" Leolin began, breaking off when her throat constricted with tears.

"No," Draco said solemnly. "Thank Merlin. He gave guardianship of them to Astoria provided she and Teddy swear a fealty oath."

"Did they?" Felix asked.

"Of course," Draco said. "Teddy would do anything for his family. He's a menace now that he's been properly motivated."

"What do you mean?"

"He's already taken Graham's place in the inner circle."

"Adrian trusts him that much?" Felix asked. "Why?"

"Teddy's dad used to be a bounty hunter with the British Aurors' Office. Teddy didn't want to join, but he spent enough time with his dad that he knew all the tricks of the trade."

"What does that matter?" Leolin said.

Draco clenched his jaw and looked down.

"He found Isobel and dragged her back. It wasn't pretty. Adrian knew she was the one who gae us those blueprints, and told us to exploit Adrian's love of Tommy."

Leolin glanced at Felix, who bowed his head.

"I know I hated her," she said quietly. "But she died a hero, whether or not she meant to."

"How is that _possible_?" Felix said. "You did those charms yourself. I saw you. How did Nott find her so quick?"

"We have a leak somewhere," Draco said. "We must. We don't have time to stop it up before the Cup, but when we get back we have to figure it out. In the meantime, don't tell anyone about the coins. We can't risk it. That means Brank, Borgia, Troy, everyone," he said, and both Leolin and Felix looked annoyed.

"You can't just bust in here and start handing down orders," Felix said. "How do we know it's not you?"

Draco had him by the collar in and instant, and Felix's flute fell and shattered, scaring Henri and making him cry.

Leolin scooped him up as Draco sneered at Felix.

"I'll snap your scrawny quill neck, you pathetic son of a bitch," Draco snarled. "Don't think I won't."

"Drake, stop!" Leolin said. "You're scaring Henri!"

"Then make your slimy little dog apologise," Draco demanded.

Draco was applying more pressure, and Felix's face was turning red.

"I say _stop_," she snarled. "And get out."

Draco let go and Felix gave a ragged cough.

"Get out," Leolin demanded again. "I mean it."

Draco and Felix traded a hateful look.

"Lefevre—" Draco began, and she set Henri down again and held up a hand.

"No," she said. "I don't want to hear it, and I can't even look at you right now. Get out of my sight."

Draco looked at Felix and clenched his teeth. Finally he sighed.

"I'm sorry, Chaisson," he said in tight but genuine contrition. "I shouldn't have snapped like that."

He cleaned the shattered glass with a flick of his wrist and looked away.

"I—" Felix said. "I know it's not you. That was a dick thing to say."

Leolin surveyed them both critically.

"Thank you," she said. "I can't take any more fighting. One more outburst from you—" she pointed an accusatory finger at Draco. "and I'm going to stun you and throw your arse out of here."

Felix smirked, and Draco wordlessly punched him in the arm. Leolin raised her eyebrows as Felix rubbed the spot ruefully. Draco raised his arms in surrender in response.

"Fine," he bit out tightly. "Whatever you say. Just tell me about the plan for the coins."

"We're ready to move. As soon as Swish get's a location, we're moving, day or night."

"Who's 'we'?"

"Me, Swish, Effie, and Ren."

"No," Draco said automatically, gaze protective. "You're not going, and I'm not _not _going."

"Yes I am and yes you are."

"This is a four man job," Felix explained. "Any more than that and it get's unwieldy. Considering that, we're not swapping one third of a world-renown art theft ring just because you want to throw a Draco Malfoy temper tantrum."

Draco gave him a sour look Felix met evenly.

"You can glare at me all you want," Felix said. "But I'm right. I know you know I am."

Draco looked ready to hit Felix, but he bit his tongue and turned to Leolin instead.

"Lefevre—" Draco began, tone warmer now, and she rolled her eyes and looked away. "Leolin," he began again, taking a step in her direction. "Please. Don't ask me to watch you go another round with Adrian. I don't think you any idea how distressing that was."

He as fading quickly back into the Draco she loved, and she wished Felix wasn't there so she could go into his arms and let him kiss her. It was obvious from his gaze that he sorely wanted to. Felix seemed to sense the tonal shift, and he sat down on the floor with Henri a ways off and began playing with him.

"Drake," Leolin said, taking a step towards him and gazing up through her dark lashes. She was barefoot and he was in dress shoes, and he towered over her. "You have to trust me. We have a jump on Adrian for the first time ever, and we have to use it. I'm the thief. I know the most about art and mythology and defensive charms. You have to let me go. As for Adrian, he's not going to be there. You've already said it; no one but the five of us know where we're at with the coins. Not even Brank or Sev or Ginny and Blaise. It would be literally be impossible for Adrian to be there."

He nodded, his hand ghosting over her cheek.

"Tell me you trust me to see this through," she breathed.

"Of course I do," he replied softly

She pushed her forehead up to touch his.

"Then let me do what I'm best at."

He nodded tightly again, eyes closed now.

"I just—we need you, Leolin." He paused, licking his lips with eyes still squeezed shut. "_I _need you," he admitted softly.

She knew the timing was shit, but she felt a familiar need bubbling up, and she no longer cared Felix was there. She tipped her head back and he brought a hand instinctually to the back of her neck.

"Drake," she breathed. "I—" he was dipping to kiss her now, and her lids fluttered closed as his breath fell on her expectant lips. However, before Draco's finally touched them, the door opened they sprang apart.

"Lapin, I—oh! Draco! What are you doing here?" Amelie said delightedly.

"I was just dropping Max off," he said.

He was now giving Leolin a hard look she recognised to mean Draco once again felt she was trying to manipulate him under her spell. She rolled her eyes and grit her teeth, the warmth extinguished by bitter, acrid frustration and hurt.

"Leolin, I'm popping out for a bit. Oh Merlin, you're still up?" she looked at Henri, who was still engrossed in his truck on the floor. "I am the worst mother ever; I forget he was even here. I guess I will take him with me."

"No, don't," Leolin said. "I can put him down in a bit."

"Oh would you?" Amelie said hopefully. "Thank you so much! I will be back soon, and Emma can keep an eye on him while he naps."

Leolin nodded, accepting a kiss from her stepmother, who's stomach by this time was ready to burst with the third baby.

"Kate will do the fitting once you pick something. Floo if you need me, and be careful in Germany, all three of you. I mean it."

"We will," Draco said, gaze sweeping over Leolin before he bent to kiss Amelie as well.

She nodded warmly to Felix before sweeping out.

"I should go, too," Draco said, drinking Leolin in a final time.

She turned her back. It had been a horribly confusing day on the Draco front.

"No one's stopping you," she replied flippantly.

She could see him run a hand through his hair in frustration in her peripheral. She knew he was thinking about the same thing she was: their near kiss earlier. He grit his teeth in frustration when she refused to face him again.

"Fine," he said tersely. "Cocktail service starts at eight. Don't be late, we have to keep things tight."

"Sod off, Mum," she snapped back softly, finally turning. "We'll get there when we're damn good and ready."

"Right," Draco said stiffly, heading for the door. "See you two in Germany, then."

"Lebewohl," Felix said sarcastically, obviously eager for Draco to leave.

"Wait," she said before he was almost to the door, he turned back, gaze a mixture of hateful and hopeful. "Before you go, will you do me a favour?"

"Depends on the favour," Draco said in a cool voice.

"Stop being a dick," Felix warned.

"Will you put Henri down for a nap?"

Henri was rubbing his eyes and yawning. Draco nodded.

"Allons, peanut," he said. "Prenons un petit somme."

He hauled Henri up.

"Let's leave the truck, okay?"

Draco set the truck back, and Henri seemed content for a moment, but he seemed remember something and his lip rolled up in a pout.

"NOOO," he whined. "Lammy."

"Okay," Draco sad. "Lamby is right here."

Draco handed him the stuffed animal, but Henri continued to fuss.

"Nonap!" he wailed. "_Laylon_! _Laylonnnn!_"

Leolin gave a resigned laughed.

"Peanut," she groaned, coming over. "You are impossible."

She stepped forward, and suddenly she and Draco were toe-to-toe, Henri between them. She rubbed the baby's back, avoiding Draco's keen gaze as he watched her.

Henri retracted the slimy finger from his mouth.

"Kess," he demanded, leaning towards hers.

"Kiss, please?" she asked.

"Peas kess."

She touched her lips to his cheek for a second, trying not to give an audible exhale, despite her hammering heart.

Draco's glittering eyes were only hers before they settled on her lips, tracing the curvature of her bottom one almost begrudgingly.

"Nodder kess," Henri was demanding, and for an absurd second it felt like he was urging them to give in and kiss.

However, Leolin reminded herself of how Draco always reacted when they kissed, and she took Henri's request as a way out. She pressed a hearty kiss on his cheek before stepping back.

"Alright, votre Altesse," she said. "Go take a nap now."

Henri laid his head on Draco's shoulder.

"Yeah, I know," she said. "All this bossing around has probably made you exhausted."

"Eight o'clock, Lefevre," Draco said stiffly. "I mean it. We don't need complications."

She rolled her eyes and looked away, at which point Felix came to her defense.

"Heard you the first time," Felix interrupted, standing as if he meant business. "Later, Malfoy," he said pointedly.

Draco didn't even give him the courtesy of looking at him. His glittering eyes were still drinking Leolin in a final time, despite the fact her back was turned.

"Yeah," Draco said finally, raising his eyebrows at Felix and give him what sounding like a painful clap on the back. "I can't _wait_ to see what you're going to wear. No pressure, though; I'm sure you'll be dashing in whatever you pick, handsome."

Felix gave a dour half-smile as Draco closed the door. When he was gone, Felix scowled.

"Free tip," Leolin said, smiling at him. "That was the part where we Brits retort 'bugger/sod/fuck off."

"Dieux," he sneered when Draco was gone. "_Why _do love him? il est fucking terrible _atroce_."

"He's not always atrocious," she said. "Not to me."

"Are you kidding me?" Felix snapped. "Leolin, he's always atrocious to you! Why do you think I hate him so much?"

"Look," she said. "It's complicated. I know he's not perfect, but he is the love of my life, and from his perspective, I fucked him over and broke his heart only to come back and try to do it again."

"That's the problem," Felix snapped. "He only ever sees things his way."

"Ren," she said softly. "He doesn't know about any of this. The Le Fey, the gag, nothing. He only knows that I cleaned out my bank account and ran off the day of our wedding. Lucius has him convinced I was carrying on with some bloke in Geneva while he was tearing Europe apart looking for me. It almost killed him. The only reason he's still alive is my mum. I can't ask him to forgive all that heartache in the six months I've been home. In fact, I can't ask him to forgive it until he knows the truth."

"All I will say is that if he doesn't fall at your feet and sob for your forgiveness once we break the gag, I'm going to hire a Sphinx to shred him to ticker tape."

Leolin laughed.

"I don't think you can buy a Sphinx's services freelance. They're sort of their own masters in the 'shredding people to ticker tape' department."

Felix smiled, too.

"Fine, then I'm going to find one and make it tell the hardest riddle ever."

"Good luck with that," Leolin said mildly. "He's annoyingly clever."

"Ugh!" Felix said, his disgust half joking and half serious. "Stop defending him!"

"Look, I never said he was particularly likeable, but I love him, so learn to accept that."

Felix shrugged.

"Fine," he huffed. "I'll reserve judgment. _For now_. But I am serious about the Sphinx thing if he doesn't pull his merde together soon."

"As far as Draco's concerned, that's all I can really ask."

"It is. It _so _is. But since you're my friend, I will defer to your dubious—" she raised a hand to hit him and he laughed and shirked away. "I mean good judgment."

"Thank you," she said, finally disappearing behind the screen again.

"I will admit I very much enjoyed watching you force him to obey you like a serf. Honestly,you played him like a fiddle.I've never seen anyone knee-cap him like that. Certainly haven't seen Gen manage it."

"That's because she's _no _me."

"I'll drink to that."

"Besides, when you meet the right person, you would do anything for them. Even be their serf from time to time. Someday you'll see."

"Please," he said. She could tell by his tone that he was embarassed about what he'd said about liking Reagan and he wanted to gain back some caddish, Renardian ground. "No mare could tame this stallion."

"Ugh," she began, and he cut her off.

"I know, I know. '_Felix! __Gross!_"

He said in her voice.

"Not bad," she shrugged. "I'm impressed."

He brushed his nails across his coat arrogantly.

"Perfection in all things, mon belle."

"Oh my gods," she said, rolling her eyes. "Right, I have one more dress to try and we can duck out."

"Thank Merlin," Felix said. "We're almost out of champagne. Also, I can just _feel_ my couilles shriveling up into my body with every minute we're in here."

She disappeared around the screen.

"Felix, _gross_!" they said in unison and she gave a growling laugh.

"Why am I friends with you?"

"Because you refused to sleep with me and forced me to fall madly but platonically in love with you?"

"So I did," she agreed, stepping around the partition. "Alright, what do you—"

"Yes," he interrupted immediately, setting down his glass with a soft clink and standing, awestruck. "This is—yes. Tu es une vision, bichette."

She smiled.

"Yes?"

Felix began to laugh outright.

"What?" she demanded, laughing as well.

"Gen," Felix said, still mirthful. "Elle va mourir when she sees you in that tonight."

Leolin smiled.

"Good," Leolin said. "I hope she does die when she sees me."

"Evil," he said jovially.

"Toujours," she replied, sending for the seamstress. "Shall we?"

* * *

"Ah," Felix said, flopping down on the couch in Leolin's hotel suite and staring up at the fresco on her ceiling, his arms folded behind his head. "This is the life."

"Get your shoes off the upholstery, you heathen" she laughed, slapping his shined Berluti Rapiécés onto the floor and handing him a glass of champagne as he sat up.

They'd only just arrived to the lavish hotel in Bavaria, and Leolin had to admit it was everything it had been advertised to be. The floors were marble and the moldings gilded,and the chandelier overhead glittered with thousands of crystals. Leolin had to admit that there were very few things she didn't enjoy about being obscenely rich.

Felix was un-phased by her chiding, tugging her by the wrist so that she tumbled to sit next to him. The chaise, as he'd intimated, was insanely comfortable. He gestured up to the ceiling as she settled in next to him.

"What am I looking at here, Genie?"

"Don't call me that!" she laughed. "You're going to get me chucked in Azkaban."

"Calm down," he said, looking at her and biting his lip. "We're alone."

"Gross," she sang before looking up at the ceiling. "It's Phaeton," she explained, pointing at a blonde youth blazing across the starry expanse in a golden chariot. "He's the son of Helios, the sun god. He was charged with riding across the night sky in his father's fiery chariot to bring the dawn."

"What's going on down here?" Felix asked, pointing at a dark and stormy patchy in the corner where the wall and ceiling met. The di sotto en sú made it seems as if Phaeton would fall and crush them at any second.

"Phaeton was young and reckless, and he lost control of the horses and almost burned the earth."

"The earth looks fine to me," Felix pointed out, looking at the depiction of lush verdant trees and sparkling azure lakes.

"Zeus stepped in," she said simply, pointing to the stern Zeus, who stood with bolts in each hand.

"Stepped in?" he asked. "Is that a euphemism?"

She gave him a look to signal it was. Her eyes were suddenly filled with fear.

"It's a warning to people who step into things they aren't ready for; they get put out with the fire."

She bowed her head and licked her lip, her right hand instinctively cradling her left right. The bone had long since been healed, but Felix knew it had left a scar invisible to the naked eye.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore, Leolin," he said seriously. "He can't touch you tonight. And we are ready for him. _You _are ready. Show him that he should be just as frightened of you."

"This a powder keg and we both know it," she pointed out. "One wrong move and the whole thing blows to kingdom come."

"Well if it does," he pointed out. "At least we won't be put out with the fire."

"No," she agreed. "We'll just be Phaeton and accidentally burn down the Earth."

He shrugged, putting his hands behind his head and looking up again.

"We all have to die sometime, bichette. Better we go down are you up to for the rest of today?"

"I'm getting my nails and hair done with Gin and Hermione. You?"

"Decidedly less pleasant," he replied. "I got roped into lunch with Brank."

"Doesn't sound too bad," she admitted. "Why are you so glum about it?"

"Ashley and Genevieve are coming as well. I don't mind Gen, mostly because I love torturing her and she's easy to look at, but I can't stand Ashley. He's dumb as a mountain troll and he's painfully shallow; it makes for some pretty terrible company."

Leolin sat up, eyes suspicious.

"Are you lot in some depraved foursome or something?" she asked seriously. "You're always running off together, and it's making everyone antsy."

"So they're noticed?" Felix asked, running a hand through his hair.

"If you were going for stealth, you failed miserably. Then again, you are yanks, so what could we really expect."

"I'm not an American!" Felix defended, laughing.

"Ah-ha! But you _are, _though!" she said triumphantly, standing on the couch and jumping like a child, her finger pointed at him.

"Why do you get to jump on the couch?" he whined. "And how am I an American? Just become I lived there? Pah! I lived in Paris, but as I'm sure you would happily point out, je ne suis pas Français."

"No," she agreed. "You're not a Frenchman; I'll grant you that. You _are, _however, a citizen of North America."

"Pah," he grumbled and she leapt gracefully off the couch, pinching his cheeks.

"Tell me I'm wrong, ma puce."

He slapped hers hands away playfully.

"You will this round," he said, giving her a begrudging smile. "mais je vais gagner la prochaine."

"We'll see about that," she said smugly. "Now, back to your foursome. Please tell me you're not a bad guy," she said, sobering up a little. "It would break my heart."

"I'm happy to hear it. Of course, it's going to make betraying you that much harder…"

She drew her wand, flicked her wrist, and her invisible snapped him across the face, leaving a red mark.

"Ow!" he demanded.

"That was cruel," she shot back. "Don't joke about something like that, especially after what happened to Isobel."

"You're right," he said, sobering up. "That was unkind." He touched her cheek. "And you have to know I would never betray you. Never."

She placed her hand atop hers.

"I know," she said. "I'm sorry. I think I'm just on edge from this morning."

"It's not too late, you know," he said. "I have a guy; I could get a snarling Sphinx here before cocktails are served."

She laughed and gave him a playful shrug.

"Shut up and tell me what you and Max are up to," she said.

He shook his head and looked a little more serious.

"Je suis desolé," he said. "I can't tell you."

She opened her mouth argue, but he held up a hand.

"Before you object and throw one of your adorable tantrums, let me explain. Remember a few weeks ago when you trusted me with la genie, and you made me swear not to tell a soul about it, not even Max?"

She nodded grudgingly.

"This is the same, only for him. He's put himself in a delicate position, and the fewer people that know, the better for him."

"But Benton knows?" she demanded. "Why him and not me?"

"Non," Felix said resolutely. "No pouting, bichette. You just have to trust me."

She gave a frown.

"Do you trust me?" he probed.

"Of course," she grumbled.

"Good," he said. "Then I promise I will tell you the minute I can."

She nodded.

"That's all I can ask, I suppose."

"Bon," he replied. "Now let's go try out the bed and finish this bottle of champagne."

She wrinkled her nose, and he gave a merry laugh.

"For once in my life," he said, dark eyes twinkling. "I don't mean that as an innuendo. I just mean let's see if it's comfortable."

She smiled.

"Get the bottle."

He did as he was told, and they lay on their backs for a long time as Leolin explained the bedroom's fresco.

"It's an odd topic," she said, laughing. "Especially for a bedroom. See that woman?"

"Is that Venus?"

"Very good! Then who is that?"

"That good-looking guy?"

"Yeah."

"Mars?"

"You're an expert," she said, nudging him.

"Who's the ugly guy in the back?"

"That's Venus's husband, Vulcan. It's even better in Greek. Hephaestus. Doesn't that just _scream_ ugly?"

"Yeah," he laughed. "Kinda."

"So Venus and Mars were lovers," Leolin explained.

"Obviously."

"How could she not love him?" Leolin laughed in response. "He was handsome and virile and mad for her."

"Was he really so great?" Felix sniffed with distain. "He seems biting, and rude, and callous, and annoying, and pompous."

"Stop projecting," she said. "This isn't an allegory for me and Draco."

"Shut up, yes it is. I get it, star-crossed lovers, an Earth-shattering love, visciously torn apart by fate but ultimately destined to be together, blah blah blah."

"Do you want to hear this story of not, foxy-boy?"

"Yes, I do. Go ahead."

"Well Hephaestus was wildly jealous. He'd essentially won the lottery when he got to marry her."

"Bad luck for her," Felix sneered. "He's hideous. Why _did_ she marry him?"

"Sort of hard the explain, but essentially Vulcan had mummy issues with Juno and he trapped in her throne, and eventually Zeus, Juno's husband, agreed to let Vulcan marry Venus if he let Juno go, and he agreed."

"Talk about a raw deal for Venus."

"Also oddly relevant to me and Draco. Lucius Malfoy's always treated me like a pawn, even though I've gotten my shots in here and there."

"Not anymore, you aren't," he said.

"Thanks," she said softly.

"Toujours," he responded, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"Anyways," she continued. "Obviously Venus wasn't too thrilled, and she stepped out on Vulcan a lot. She had tons of lovers, but none like Mars. They had children together and they loved each other. Well, Vulcan found out that Mars was shagging his wife, and obviously he was furious, so he booby-trapped Venus's bed with this mesh wire he made. As soon and Venus and Mars got naked and laid down, the net entangled them, and stupid Vulcan dragged them around Olympus to shame them."

"Bully."

"Totally," she agreed.

"Have you even been to the Louvre?" he asked.

She gave him a weird look.

"Right, Art thief. Dumb question."

Her weird look intensified.

"Art thief?" she demanded. I worked there for a year after graduation. I had a job lined up there. We were supposed to _move _to Paris after the wedding."

"I didn't know that," he admitted. "Though of course it doesn't surprise me. But tell me the truth: did you ever steal anything from the Louvre?"

She laughed.

"I knew it!" he laughed. "What did you take?"

"A lady never burglars and tells," she said in a faux sultry voice.

"Alright, well in that case you must know the Mars and Venus statue by Canova."

She swallowed a lump in her throat.

"It's one of my favourites," she admitted.

It was also, as fate would have it, one of several pieces she _had _stolen from the Louvre. However, it was somehow too painful to admit that to Felix. Of all her grabs, that one had always pained her the most.

"Mine too," he said.

"It's the way they're looking at each other," she said breathlessly, remembering the last time she'd seen it. "Like they've never seen anyone else."

"It's sort of beautiful," he agreed. "If you like that shit."

"I know I'd find your gooey centre eventually," she said in triumph. "Your future wife is going to owe me royalties."

"If she exists, that is," he said, sounding shockingly somewhat sad.

"She does," Leolin said. Reagan Chaisson. It's sort of charming, actually."

"I thought you told me not to go after her."

"I did, and you shouldn't. Unfortunately for you, you blew it."

"We'll see."

She laughed.

"I guess we will."

They laid in silence for a long time after that, and Leolin even dosed off a little. She finally sat up, rubbing her eyes. Felix was sitting up and reading a book.

"How long was I out?" she asked.

"About a hour," he said. "You look like a little baby angel when you sleep. Minus the snoring, of course."

"What?" she demanded. "Are you serious?"

He laughed.

"No," he said. "You were so quiet that I had to check occasionally that you were still breathing. Seriously, I've seen dead men sleeping less soundly."

"So I've been told. What's the time?"

"Two fifteen."

"Bollocks," she said. "We've been laying here for a bloody age. I've got to go."

He nodded.

"Me too. Unless you want to push me out the window so I don't have to."

She shrugged.

"I've got a fever fudge in my bag if you want. You can just hang out in here until I get back."

"No," Felix grumbled. "This is admittedly important. "I should go."

She nodded.

"Shoot—whoops! I mean _suit_ yourself."

He laughed, and she grabbed her purse.

"Ready?" he nodded, and they headed out the door.

They bumped into Gen almost immediately, and she gave a pleasured smirk.

"How did I know I'd find you're here, Felix?" she said devilishly.

Felix didn't miss a beat.

"I love when you wear pink, Genny," he retorted. "It reminds me of the colour of your tits when they're bouncing below me."

She scowled.

"You're nasty," she spit.

"I was actually just talking to Malfoy about it the other day and he totally agreed."

"Stop it!"

"Oh, sorry," he said, touching his temples as if remembering something. "That was Max. Or was it Beau? Huh. Anyways, Draco was saying he thought it was more of a salmon than a rose. Not very flattering, am I right?"

"Shut up!" Gen squealed, turning on her heel.

"That's what I told Malfoy," Felix called jovially. "I've got your back, girlfriend!"

She raised her middle finger and he laughed out loud.

When he turned back to Leolin she was beaming.

"Brilliant."

He winked.

"I've got your back, girlfriend," he said, smiling.

"See you later," she said, turning away.

"Later."

Leolin strode down the hall of the old castle, taking some ancient marble stairs to the lobby, which was a lovely mix of old and new. There were loads of people, mostly quidditch players, milling about, speaking tons of languages with great animation and posing for photos almost constantly.

Unlike the English national pitch, which was a small stone oasis in an otherwise empty field, the German stadium was adjacent to the hillside town of Hohenschwangau, a small municipality in Bavaria. The town was old and Medieval, the stone buildings tightly packed, and it was surrounded by forest on three sides and the Alsee Lake on the other. Because of all this, there was no way to camp in Hohenschwangau, and thus the visitors stayed in quaint inns and bed-and-breakfasts instead. That was, the regular visitors did.

Leolin and the others were staying in the Oberammergau, an old Muggle castle that had been turned into a five-star Wizarding hotel. It jutted above the trees around it and overlooked the shimmering lake, and she had to admit it was rather heavenly. Besides, it was where the pre-tournament ball was being held, which made things easy. Or rather, easier. Leolin wasn't particularly looking forward to going, especially if her interaction with Draco that morning had been any indication; his longing looks were almost as hard to bear as his hatred. And then there was Adrian. No one had actually laid eyes on him since the disaster at the manor, and Leolin admitted she wasn't eager to.

She bit her lip. _Get yourself together, Lefevre._

Ginny and Hermione were waiting for her when she arrived and she tossed her head back dramatically.

"I'm ready," she said in a breathy voice. "Make me over."

"You laugh," Hermione said. "But I really can't wait to have someone who's obligated to rub my swollen feet."

They all laughed.

"Are they that bad already?" Ginny asked. "I mean, you're only like sixteen weeks, right?"

"They aren't terrible," Hermione said as they all three eased into chairs. "They just make wearing heels uncomfortable. Then again, I never really liked heels anyways. I do have to wear them tonight though, I suppose."

"Only if you want to be accepted," Leolin said, and Hermione laughed.

"I do."

"Tough luck, then," Ginny said, patting her arm as an attendant came by to draw them each a footbath.

They sunk feet in a sighed in unison. Leolin tipped her head back.

"Gods, I needed this," she murmured.

"How's it going with everything?" Ginny asked cryptically. "I've barely seen you."

"It's—" Leolin paused. "Things are really happening fast now."

"How so?" Hermione said.

Leolin had agreed sthat Ginny could tell Hermione, and it admittedly helped. Hermione, resourceful as ever, had unearthed some tips that even Felix hadn't thought of. It had probably saved Leolin weeks if not months, and with her deadline, that was probably going to make all the difference.

"Swish got me a pensieve from Merlin knows where," Leolin said. "That meant I could go back and get the exact words right. Felix says that's the most important part. If I don't have them right, the link will be incorrectly formed. They aren't though, which is a good sign. The feeling gets stronger with every link."

"How can you tell?" Hermione probed.

She was both wholly devoted to Leolin's happiness and desperate curious, and Leolin gave a soft smile.

"I can—I can _feel_ it. Imagine someone playing your heartstrings like a harp; it's not unpleasant, exactly, but it's really deep. Draco should be feeling it too, probably more than I am."

"He is," Ginny affirmed. "He told me he's been feeling sort of queasy a lot. I had no idea that's what it was. Does this mean it's weakening?"

Leolin shook her head.

"It won't change until it just snaps—it'll be instantaneous. One second it will be there then—boom—it will be gone."

"Will he just—know after that?"

She shook her head again.

"He won't know what's happened. Not until—"

Ginny beamed.

"Until you tell him and he falls at your feet, begging for your hand and your eternal forgiveness."

Leolin couldn't help but smile.

"Yes," she laughed, a little choked up. "Until that."

"This is so exciting," Hermione said, breathless. "How many links do you have so far?"

"Eight," Leolin replied.

"And how many do you think you need?"

"Twelve, most likely, though it could be more."

"But you've done eight in two months? Lai, you'll be done in less than a six weeks!"

"Eight was when things were quiet," Leolin said. "Felix and I were working on it all day most days. I have a feelings I won't be so free after this weekend. We're on a knife's edge here. I'm afraid we're about to teeter off. Once Swish finds the coins—"

They both nodded, and a comfortably silence reigned for several minutes.

"Can I ask you question?" Hermione finally said in her sweet voice.

Leolin nodded.

"Of course."

"Is Felix in love with you?"

"What?" Leolin said at once. "Of course not."

"He follows you around like a puppy," Ginny pointed out. "And he's bent over backwards to help you with this gag."

"He isn't," Leolin affirmed. "I swear he isn't. I know that seems impossible because everyone thinks he's a cad and a chauvinist pig, but he—he's a lot more than that. He's one of my best friends."

This was more directly aimed at Ginny, and Leolin reached for her hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. Felix may have joined the ranks, but he would never take her place at Leolin's side.

"And he's actually very loyal," Leolin continued. "Draco showed up wand sparking at Amelie's today and Felix threatened to feed him to a Sphinx. I believe his exact words were 'shred him to ticker tape'."

"That's oddly festive," Hermione said, smiling wryly.

"Did something happen?" Ginny pressed. "With you and Drake? Now that I think about it, he did come over complaining up a storm about Chaisson around noon."

Leolin nodded.

"We didn't—nothing happened, exactly—" she sighed. "There was this moment where—" she broke off.

"Go on," Ginny pressed.

"First, I don't know, we kissed, or almost kissed, then Amelie came in and we went back to being sullen and frosty. Then we were holding Henri between us, and I think he wanted to—I know I certainly did. But that was just baby seduction, you know; it didn't mean anything."

"Everything between you two means something," Ginny said pointedly. "A great deal of something, in fact. He's been a proper twat since since that night at the manor. Blaise can barely stand to have him around. It drives him mad that instead of admitting he was worried half to death about what Adrian had done to you, Draco keeps harping on the fight you two had before you left. I had to hold Blaise back from legitimately tackling him the other day."

Leolin rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that was no one's finest moment, I admit. I may or may not have cast a venomous snake at him."

"Don't get discouraged, Hermione urged. "You're right there."

"I know," Leolin said. "But I'm kind of dreading tonight. If something happens between us, it'll make things worse. Draco always feels so guilty after we kiss, then he lashes out at me."

"That's unfair," Hermione said, giving a tiny frown.

"Well, you know Draco: arbiter of justice."

"Just think of it this way," Ginny said. "If you were Venus and he was Mars, you child would be the goddess of Harmony."

"True," Leolin countered. "But if I were _Aphrodite _and he was _Ares_, our children would be Phobos and Diemos. Fear and Dread."

"Damn the Greeks," Ginny grumbled, leaning back and closing her eyes.

After about twenty minutes of silent companionship, an attendant came by.

"Something to drink, damen?" he said, giving a blithe smile.

"Do you have that lovely water with cucumber in it?" Hermione asked.

"Certainly, frau. And you, frauline?" he said, looking at Ginny.

"Oh, the same, please."

"Frauline?" he said looking at Leolin.

"Champagne. Bollinger, if you have it."

"Always."

He nodded, and Leolin smirked at Ginny, slapping her arm.

"Ginny Weasley not drinking after two pm? Sound the trumpets, ladies and gentlemen. The _end days_ is upon us."

"Oh stop!" Ginny flushed. "I'm just thirsty, is all!"

"Brüt is the ultimate thirst-quencher," Leolin laughed. "Everyone knows that."

Ginny laughed, too.

"I _know _I know, I'm just—"

She paused, her cheeks the colour of her blood red hair.

"Oh my god," Leolin said, her hands clapped to her mouth. "Oh my gods. Are you—?"

Leolin choked on the last word and ultimately just swallowed it instead. It was acrid on her tongue and jagged in her throat."

Ginny let out a large breath, and Leolin couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying.

"Gin, darling, are you alright?" Hermione said.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything before. I—we just went to the doctor last week. I wanted to floo and tell you, but I—"

"Congratulations!" Leolin burst, and the excitement in her face and voice didn't quite resonate in her heart. "Oh my gods, this is so amazing!"

Reassured by Leolin's reaction, she smiled.

"I—we—Blaise is so excited. It's mad."

"Were you—trying?" Hermione asked.

"No!" Ginny said, unable to stifle a delighted laugh. "I've been on the potion since I was sixteen!"

"It's not infallible," Hermione said. "I kept telling Ronald that when I got pregnant."

"But you're excited?" Leolin said, eyes sparkling. "I'm excited! Mixed race babies!"

"Have you told Molly yet?" Hermione asked.

Ginny laughed.

"We made the truly _epic_ mistake of telling Lauren and my mum at the same time. It was a bloody waterworks show."

Leolin gave a musical laugh.

"I can only imagine!"

She could feel something hideous and horrible and emerald green clawing up her throat, and she sought to drown it in a healthy swallow of champagne. However, when it reemerged, gorged on the drink, she simply beamed instead.

"Just think," she said. "Two Weasley babies at the same time. Molly is going to die."

"A Weasley and a Zabini baby," Ginny smiled. "I've made up my mind. I'm going to change my name after all."

"After all that feminist posturing?" Hermione laughed. "Still, though, Ginevra Zabini."

"Have you ever heard something so charming?" Leolin asked.

"Yes," Ginny replied, looking at her. "Leolin Marié-Therese Malfoy."

Leolin smiled, swallowing more champagne.

"Names?" Leolin asked, forcing another smile.

"We're thinking either Xander or Hugo, if it's a boy," Hermione said. "Rose, if it's a girl. We've already agreed."

"That's lovely," Leolin said, touching her chest.

Her heartbeat was manic and her hands were trembling.

"We don't—" Ginny laughed. "This is so new! We've never even talked about names!"

"You didn't?" Leolin said, voice a touch sharper than she meant it to be.

Ginny didn't notice.

"Did you?" she asked.

Leolin _forced_ herself to react casually even knowing a truly epic meltdown was on its way.

"Course," she said calmly, trying not to visibly shake. "Elias, for our firstborn; Draco was convinced it would be a boy. Ava for a girl."

"Ava," Ginny breathed. "That's beautiful."

"Isn't it?" Leolin smiled. "Draco picked it."

Ginny smiled back to Hermione, and when Leolin closed her eyes, she could see Ava in her mind, no older than Henri, toddling towards her with white blonde hair and stormy blue eyes.

"Frauline Lefevre?" a voice interrupted. "Your massage is all prepared. Are you ready?"

"More than!" Leolin laughed. "Gin, hug me first."

Ginny obliged, and Leolin tugged her into her arms and told herself to relax the muscles in her shoulders and down her back. She was nearly there. A mere fifty feet if that. She only had to hold on that much longer.

"I'm so happy for you!" She said, touching Ginny's cheek. "Right, well see you two later. I'll be the relaxed one."

"See you!" they chorused, and Leolin followed the attendant farther back into the spa.

She could feel herself coming completely unraveled before they even reached the door, but she let the woman explain things before all but slamming the door in her face. It only took one glance at herself in the mirror to tear Leolin in two, and she collapsed to the floor, knees to her chest and face buried as she began to weep bitterly. The force of her tears rocked her whole body, and she heaved in air as her sobs rent the air with her acrid jealousy and grief.

"Frauline Lefevre?" a soft voice called, a knock at the door. "Are you ready? May I come in?"

"No," Leolin sobbed, shuddering from her tears and the her short, manic breaths. "Please, just go away."

* * *

"Come in!" Leolin called, swishing her wand elegantly and watching her dark hair twist itself into a voluminous updo.

It had taken Leolin twelve years and Severina's expert touch, but she'd finally managed hair charms. It was a whole new dawn.

"You look nice," Leolin said, admiring Felix's tux in the mirror. "It suits you."

It was dark gray, almost black, and the lapel and the bowtie were both a smart black velvet.

"Oh, this old thing?" he tugged on the lapels self-importantly. "Please."

She laughed, standing and crossing to where her own dress hung.

"Why aren't you dressed yet?" he said, obediently turning around as she dropped her robe. "Was today's torture seriously not enough, you sadist? Hurry up."

She dropped her robe to reveal a snug pair of cheeky knickers in a show white with a matching bustier. She quickly stepped into the dress and affixed the back.

"Shut up," she said. "And apologise to her majesty."

She turned, giving a twirl. He clapped.

"Well how about I just give her majesty these?"

He held up two of the largest diamonds she'd ever seen dangle.

"Where did you _get _those?" she said, afraid to even touch one. "Be honest, are you a jewel thief?"

He gave a merry laugh.

"I wish. I—loaned them from a friend. Take them."

"I can't," she said, biting her lip. "I'd be terrified to lose one."

"There's charms for that, witch," he said, pushing a soft curl aside to attach one a naked lobe. "With these on, how will Malfoy be about to take his eyes from you?"

"Thank you," she said, smiling at him and touching his chest affectionately.

"I just want you to know I'm in your corner, bichette," he said hoenestly. What you want, I want. And I know I've done some despicable things and you're more than I deserve, but I am so grateful for you."

"Thank you," she whispered, lifting her head a little so he could affix the other. "And you have to know I feel the same. I admit that you—but that's in the past, and you've more than made up for it. If Draco and I do ever get our second chance, it will all thanks to you."

"Not all," he corrected. "Not even mostly. It was you who did all the work. I just sorted of guided you along. And you _will_ get your second chance. In fact, you might get it in that dress." He laughed, relieving the seriousness of their conversation with much-needed levity. "I wish I'd thought to bring a camera so I could take a picture of Genevieve's face and blow it up and frame it and put it over my mantle."

"Don't be too unkind," she chided. "That's cruel, even for that bitch."

"Fine," he said, rolling his eyes. "Even though you don't even know a tenth of the cruel things she's done in her lifetime, not to mention the girls' lives she's ruined. Still, since you're an infinitely better person and apparently insisting on taking the stupid high road, I will just keep it in secret and look at it from time to time."

She sighed.

"Fair," she admitted. "And I can't deny that the mantle thing is tempting. I mostly said that because that's valuable decorative space and I don't want to waste it on her."

He laughed merrily, obsidian eyes twinkling.

"Enough about her let's have a drink. Champagne?"

"Gin, I think," she said sweeping out of the sprawling closet and through the bedroom into the large living room.

"Bold," he said. "But I like your style."

He watched as she padded barefoot to the large bar.

"Can I get your something?"

"Neat scotch," he said, and she poured it before extending it to him and flopping beside him on the couch.

"Cheers," she said, touching her glass to his.

He watched her carefully as she took a large sip.

"Long day," she admitted.

"Even longer night ahead," he said.

"How your super secret spy stuff?" she said, taking another sip.

He shrugged noncommittally.

"How was spa day? No offense, but you don't look terribly relaxed."

"Ginny's pregnant," she said flatly, taking another swallow.

"And what? You don't like kids or something?"

She looked at him seriously.

"You really don't know?" she croaked. "Max seriously never told you?"

"Told me what?" he demanded.

"I can't have children," she whispered, looking at her lap.

"Why not?" he asked softly.

"The sectumsempra," she said, looking at his eyes, which were like liquid onyx. "It tore through my uterus."

"Did you want them?" he asked.

She nodded.

"I didn't think I did for a long time," she admitted. "Because my parents never married and they always seemed so terrified of failing me. But, then I—"

"Malfoy convinced you," Felix said, his voice mournful.

"He didn't have to," she admitted. "I just—when I was with him I realised all I wanted was to have a family with him. No coercion necessary."

"Does he know?" Felix asked quietly.

"About this?" she asked. "Yeah, he does. No idea what he thinks about it, though. Wouldn't be easy to give up the notion of ever having kids of your own, especially for a pureblood elitist like Drake."

"Not for the right person, it wouldn't be," Felix said softly, he wrapped a comforting arm around her bare shoulders, and she laid a head on his chest.

"We should go," Leolin said begrudgingly.

She admitted wanted to stay at more. She didn't know who's eyes terrified her the most. Draco's silver ones of Adrian's gold.

"Ready?" he asked.

She laughed.

"Hell no. Just don't let me drink too much."

He bubbled his lips.

"I'm not promising that. Je parie que être un ivrogne hilare."

"I'm hilarious at all. In fact, I get blubbery very quickly."

"Hmm," he said. "No drunkenness, then."

She nodded, accepting his proffered arms.

"Right," she asked. "As your Americans would say, 'let's boogey.'"

He rolled his eyes but accepted the comment without complaint. There were two footmen guarding the large oak doors of the ballroom. At Leolin and Felix's appearance, they tugged them open simultaneously, revealing a room of soaring heights than literally dripped gold. The vaulted ceiling reflected the cloudless, moonlit sky, and it was delightful.

There was a series of stairs leading down into the heart of the ballroom, and they were lined with photographers. Bulbs flashed from right and left, and Leolin drew a delicate pearl-studded hand fan, using it to shield her face. Everyone was calling her name, but didn't stop, and she firmly grabbed Felix's hand and dragged him to the bottom as quickly as she could.

"Escaped the gauntlet, at least," he said, smiling at her. "You alright?"

She snapped her fan shut and vanished it with a flourish.

"Impressive, as always," he said appreciatively.

"I didn't even need to do that," she admitted. "I just like showing off."

"You would."

"Love me as I am," she said, laughing. "Not as you'd like me to be."

"Ren!"

Felix turned and smiled, and Leolin did the same and frowned.

"Brank," Felix said, gravitating over at once and shaking his friend's hand. Leolin reluctantly followed, folding her arms across her chest and not looking at Max.

"Lefevre," Max said evenly.

She raised her eyebrows imperiously but didn't speak.

"Oh come on, you two!" Felix exclaimed. "Let's not do this anymore."

"I haven't _done_ anything," Leolin shot back, glaring at Max.

"Have you not?" Max snapped, looking annoyed.

"What exactly are you accusing me of?" she demanded nastily.

"You know."

"No, I don't. Otherwise, I obviously wouldn't be asking."

"We're on the same team!" Felix reminded them.

"If you want to be a twat," Leolin said hotly. "That's fine, but stay out of my way. I have enough shit to deal with, I don't need...you..." she trailed off, distracted by something over his shoulder.

He moved to say something hateful, but when he say her expression the words died on his lips and he turned to see what it was.

Adrian was sliding gracefully down the stairs, Annalysse at his right and Torrii at his left. He wore a dark blue tux, almost black, with a crisp white shirt underneath, and his hair was elegantly pushed off his brow with a light pomade. His teeth glinted as he angled his head to speak to Torrii, and Leolin shrank back a little instinctively. Whatever he'd said made Torri laugh, and even though Leolin couldn't actually hear it, it made her shudder.

"Somehow I was hoping he wouldn't be here," Leolin said quietly.

"We knew he would be," Max said,quietly narrowed his eyes in scrutiny as Annalysse leaned in to receive her orders.

Unlike Torrii, whose slinky white gown barely covered the essential bits, Annalysse's dress was conservative and unremarkable, her dark hair once again drawn severely back into an unyielding ponytail. She was wearing the same dour expression from the manor, and she looked none too pleased to be there.

"Nice, Brank," Felix said, squeezing Leolin's hand, which had begun to quake.

"Do we have any idea what he's up to?"

"No," Max said, finally tearing his eyes away from Analysse to share a glance with Felix. "Not yet."

Leolin wasn't really listening. She was busy ensuring that she didn't start hyperventilating. Just seeing Adrian made her wrist ache psychosymatically. Accepting a flute of champagne from a passing waiter, she took a huge swallow and grit her teeth. She wasn't going to do this anymore. She wasn't going to be afraid. She watched as Annalysse nodded, peeling back up the stairs away from the ballroom. Torrii was still waiting for orders, and Leolin could see a brand new wand strapped it her thigh, ready to be used. Had it really been Montague who had subdued her and allowed Leolin to escape? She thought about Graham and Daphne's children, now orphans, and bit her lip.

"Leolin," Felix said, touching her arm and breaking her reverie. "Are you alright?"

She glanced at Max, who was giving her a concerned, though none-too-warm, look as well.

"Fine," she said, taking the last draught from her flute and accepting a second before Felix could protest. "I can handle him."  
Even as she was saying it, Torrii was gesturing towards them, at which point Adrian's gaze followed, finding Leolin at once.

His glittering eyes began at the hem of her gown and moved all the way up to the twist in her hair. He drank her in like she was an expensive wine, looking positively drunk on her by the time he caught her eye. She'd expected after the part she'd played in Tommy's death he would be livid, but he wasn't. At least, he didn't look it. In fact, he looked self-satisfied and hungry, which made her feel a bit sick. Instead, he flashed a handsome grin and blew her a kiss. She stiffened immediately, but she didn't look away. Forcing her shoulders away from her ears, she raised her glass to him.

"Are you effing crazy?" Max demanded. "Don't fuel the fire!"

"Don't tell me what to do," Leolin replied as they watched Adrian relay orders to Torrii and glance hungrily at Leolin again before sizing Max and Felix up in turn.

"Leolin—" Felix began, but she shook her head, finally looking back to him.

She seemed frightened but resolute.

"I have to start standing up to him," Leolin said. "You saw what happens when I don't."

"Did you not see that look he was giving you?" Max said. "We can't take any chances, least of all you."

Despite his cool tone, Leolin could tell Max was trying to be nice. She gave him an earnest look.

"I have to do what I think is best," she said. "And you have to let me. Please."

"Fine," Max said, eying her with a mix of disapproval and respect.

"I'll kill him," Felix snarled, baring his teeth at Adrian.

"Let's just stop him first," Leolin said, finally running out of courage and turning her back to Adrian, who had by this time reached the bottom and the stairs and disappeared into the crowded ballroom.

"You alright?" Max said, watching Leolin try to get her breathing under control. His voice was warmer now.

She nodded, allowing Felix to squeeze her hand, which was trembling.

"I will be," she said, cashing out her second glass of champagne. "Just give me a minute."

Max nodded, but Felix was distracted by something over Leolin's shoulder.

"Who. Is. that?" he said breathlessly, watching a blonde beauty descending the stairs in the most magnificent dress Leolin had ever seen. Leolin wasn't even sure what material it was, but it honestly looked like molten brass, and it made her sun-kissed skin glitter. Her roots were dark and the rest a honey blonde. Her eyes were large and chocolate brown.

"Wow," Ren said, biting his lip.

Max smirked.

"Do you seriously don't recognise her?" Leolin said wryly. "Look at her date."

Felix's eyes flicked to Jaime Quinn and he sneered.

"I don't like her with the two brown eyes," Max remarked. "She's way hotter with that wicked green one she usually has."

"Quinn must have insisted she change it," Leolin sneered. "That little swine."

Felix was still staring.

"Merlin, she's hot," he blurted. "But I agree, Brank. She's not Sharpe without that eye. Still…"

"Go over there, you idiot," Max said. "She's looks wicked bored with Quinn, anyways."

"No," Leolin said, grabbing his arm. "Wait."

"No," Leolin said, grabbing his arm. "Wait. "

"I don't care about my chances," Felix said in response to what she'd said earlier that day at the Salon. "I've got to go try, Let go, bichette."

"Ren," Leolin said seriously. "She's over there working Quinn. She will _not _thank you if you blow her cover. You can go slobber over her later, though she probably won't thank you for that, either.

Felix was only half listening, and his eyes danced across Reagan's partially exposed back.

"I'm serious, Felix," Leolin said sternly. "Draco will not hesitate to kill you if you put even one wrinkle in his plans."

Felix looked sullen.

"Fine," he said. "I'll wait. But you should know that I fully intend to make my move tonight. She looks good enough to eat in that dress."

She shrugged, suddenly fending off an unexpected smile.

"That's you're funeral, of course. Wouldn't presume to keep you from it."

He nodded, smiling at her and turning away.

"Remember me fondly in your euology, bichette," he said, and Leolin smiled, the stress of seeing Adrian partially erased by Felix's inexhaustible good humor and charm. He kissed her cheek and started off, at which point the smile faded.

"Where are you going?"

He shrugged.

"You and Sharpe aren't two women for me to shamelessly hit on. Honestly, it might be nice to have some success for once. Excuse me."

"Ren—" they both began, but he simply gave a salutary wave in response.

"Be back in a bit."

With that he swept off, and they watched him.

"Drink?" Max asked, snapping his fingers at a passing waiter.

"Please," she said tersely, accepting his proffered flute.

"To Team USA," he said wryly, touching his glass to her and making her roll of her eyes.

"Cymru am byth," she bit out tartly.

"What's that alien language, then?"

"I said Wales forever. Excuse me."

She made to sweep off, but he scrambled in front of her, blocking her exit.

"Lefevre, wait."

"No," she said. 'Thank you. I don't want to ruin the evening by punching you in the face."

"Hang on a sec," he demanded, foiling her second attempt to escape him. "I'm sorry about the way I've been acting, okay? It's just that Genny is one of my best friends, and I'm very protective of her.

"What am I supposed to say to that?" Leolin snapped. Because I'm not going to apologise! She's in pretty of good shots."

"I know she has, and I—fuck. I know this isn't any of my business anyways."

"No," she agreed. "It's not."

He gave a defeated laugh.

"I forgot how blunt you can be."

"Don't say taht like you know me," she warned. "Because you don't."

He sighed again in veiled annoyance, clearly worn out by her combativeness. Still, he swallowed his frustration.

"I'm sorry," he admitted. " And you're right; I know I'm the last person you need to tell you this, but you're an incredibly brave woman, and I should be grateful, not an asshole. And as far as Pucey goes, I'll rip out his heart if he tried to lay a hand on your again. Just say the word."

She gave a small turn of her lips.

"Thank you."

He nodded, extending a hand.

"Friends, then?"

She shook it.

"Something like that, yeah."

He smiled.

"In that case, I should tell you, at the risk of getting that slap charm Ren told me about, that you look wicked beautiful tonight."

She smiled graciously.

"Thank you."

"You're a gorgeous woman, Lef," he continued.

"Don't push it," she warned jokingly.

He laughed, holding up his hands in surrender.

"I just mean some guy is going to be wicked lucky to marry you someday."  
He was still smiling, but the insinuation was quick and unsavoury. Whoever this bloke was, he wouldn't be Draco. Despite her initial instinct to, Leolin decided to say nothing to this. She knew that someday Max and Gen would both be forced to watch Draco made her instead"

"What about you? When's your lady love's chariot due to arrive?"

He looked down, adjusting his bowtie simply to give his hands something to do.

"Not sure I'm the marrying kind. I think I'd rather join Ren in his banquet of easy woman."

She raised her eyebrows to signal she wasn't fooled by his caddishness.

"Haven't you heard?" she said mildly. "I put him on a diet. He's eating healthier these days."

He laughed.

"I don't know I'd exactly call Reagan Sharpe healthy fare."

"Maybe not," she agreed. "But she's certainly not junk food. She's going to be good for him, even if all she does is stomp of his heart a little bit. At least then we'll know he has one."

"Good to hear it," Max replied. "That means more bimbos for me."

She gave a sad smile.

"I know how much you miss her, Max. You don't have to pretend you don't, least of all for me."

He bit his lip, disarmed by her candor. Finally he nodded.

"Things like this that make me miss her the most," he admitted. "She was on the philanthropy board at St Meono's in Boston, and we went to tons of charity events." he smiled at the memory. "She was like you, running around shining like the friggin' sun and making everyone fall in love with her. She was just so brilliant and funny and passionate, and she always got the most obscene donations from people, men and women both. I remember coming home from the party and thinking, 'I can't believe this girl actually chose me'."

She touched his arm, and he seemed warmed by the gesture.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

He looked at her, eyes sparkling.

"Leolin," he said seriously. "Ren told me what happened with Pucey that night at the manor. It makes be sick for you."

"Don't be," she said gently. "It could have been a lot worse."

"I would honestly kill him tonight if I thought I could pull it off."

"I appreciate that," she said sincerely. "But I think I want that honour for myself."

"You've certainly earned it," he agreed. "More champagne?"

"Please," she said, trading her empty flute for a full one.

"I would accuse you of trying to get me drunk and talk me into shagging you, but at this points it's a bit 'been there, done that'."

He laughed, running a hand through his thick hair as his blue eyes sparkled devilishly.

"Again, at the risk of personal injury, that's a standing invitation. Any time you want an encore, let me know."

"You sound like Ren," she said, giving a resigned laugh. However, when she looked up it was to find him frowning.

"Do you know anyone in the IAO?"

"Yes," she said. "Wh—oh _bollocks_."

Crofton Teller was striding purposefully towards them in a rented tux, looking decidely immediately turned her back and took an overly-ambitious mouthful of her champagne before wretching off her earrings. The first she vanished with a practiced flick of her wrist, and the second she deftly transfigured into an obscene diamond ring that she slipped on her left hand.

"What—" Max began.

"For the next two minutes," she commanded. "Ask no questions and do everything I say."

She turned to smirk at Crofton, who was by this time practically on top of them, without another word.

"Naomi," he spit contemptuously. "Or should I call you Leolin?"

"Tex," she purred in response. "Lovely as always to see you. And your choice, of course. I assume you know my husband, Max Brankovitch?"

If Max thought this utterance was strange, he gave no indication of it.

"Charmed," he said, beaming down at his new bride.

"Likewise," Crofton said in a tone that suggested just the opposite. He barely glanced at Max before his steely gaze flicked back to Leolin. "Leolin Lefevre, you're under arrest."

"Excuse me?" Max demanded, taking a protective step forward.

"It is," Crofton continued sourly. "As I'm sure both of you are aware, against the law to provide the International Aurors Office with a false identity. Seeing as Miss Lefevre is in violation of that law, I'm placing her under arrest. Come along quietly and I won't embarass you in front of your friends."

"It's Ms., if you please," Leolin said calmly. "And considering that I did _not, _in fact, break any laws, I'm going to have to decline your offer. Respectfully, of course."

She flashed him a dazzling grin and he growled in frustration.

"You're got to be kidding me," he snarled.

"Hey," Max snapped, taking a step forward and consequently driving Crofton several back. At 5'9, he was closer to Leolin's 5'4 than Max's strapping 6'6. "Step back."

Crofton grudgingly obliged. Max's size and stature gave him formidable authority.

"Forgive me, Miss Lefevre," Crofton spit. "I didn't mean to interrupt your tawdry lie."

"Ms.," Leolin corrected again. "And I was _invited _ to join the La Genie case under a false identity to investigate the possibility of a leak in the organisation."

"Without my knowledge?" Crofton demanded. "I was the officer in charge!"

"I know," Leolin said in condescendingly sympathy. "But unfortunately we couldn't exclude you as a suspect intially. Dn't worry; you were cleared of suspicion almost _immediately._"

"Newt Scamander's Hippogriff," he said sourly. "You don't actually expect me to believe any of this, do you?"

"Again, your preogative," Leolin said, smirking. "But I would, considering it's the truth and it will be very embarassing for you if you didn't."

"And your supervisor?"

"Classified, I'm afraid," Leolin said flippantly, smiling at Max as he eased a fresh martini into her hand.

"This is garbage," Crofton growl. "Your slimy lawyer can tell this sorry yarn at your trial. I'm placing you under arrest. Let's go."

Max put on a hand on Crofton's chest, asserting himself solidly between Croften and Leolin now

"Not without a warrant, you're not," Max snapped

"And you're going to stop me?" Crofton said.

"Is there seriously any doubt in your mind I could?" Max shot back.

"If you don't step aside, I will arrest you for obstruction of justice."

"Afraid you'll need a warrant for that, too," Max said.

Crofton knew he was quickly losing ground, and he visocusly fought to gain it back.

"Assuming your story is true—"

"Which it is," Leolin said mildly.

"Which it _isn't_," he snarled. "How do you intend to explain your friendship with the daughter of Europe's most dangerous crime family?"

Leolin laughed heartily.

"You can't seriously believe I would investigate an art crime and not look into Severina Borgia, can you? Honestly, Crofton, it's no _wonder _you haven't caught La Genie yet!"

"Except I have!" he cried, exasperated. "In fact I'm looking right at '_him'."_

"Now you're accusing my husband? Merlin, Tex, you're all over the place!" she said, eyes twinkling merrily.

"I have you, Genie," he sneered. "And you're going to pay."

Just then Draco approached, smirking at Max and blatantly ignoring Crofton.

"Brank," he said congenially. "You're looking fighting fit. You ready?"

"I would be," Max affirmed. "If my wife were rooting for me and not Wales,"

She bent her head back to receive his kiss, and though Crofton didn't catch it, Draco's eyes flashed.

Draco gave Leolin a fake wink before finally deigning to look at Crofton.

"Have we met?" He said mildly. "I never forget a face." He narrowed his eyes in thought and condescending scrutiny before snapping his fingers. "Ah, that's right; we met in Greece. Camden Tanner, right?"

Draco extended a hand.

"Crofton Teller," Crofton said, his clip-on bowtie. "And why am I not surprised you're involved in this charade?"

"Because my father is the British Minister of Magic and he's the one who appointed Leolin to find your leak?"

Leolin sneered at his boldness and turned away as Draco smiled.

"Drake!" Leolin said in faux reproach. "That's classified!"

Draco shrugged.

"I'm just trying to keep poor Camden from embarrassing himself. Trust me, Teller, you do _not _want to make an enemy of my father."

"You're making a grave mistake protecting her, Malfoy. When I bring her down, I'm bringing you down with her."

"Are you threatening me?" Draco demanded. He was not quite as tall or as bulky as Max, but besides Xavier and perhaps Adrian, he had the fiercest aura of anyone Leolin knew. Crofton took an instinctive step back. "Becaue you have no idea all the ways I could ruin you."

"He's right, Teller," Max warned. "Step down."

Croften, seeing that he was outmatched, bared his teeth at Leolin.

"This is over," he warned her, snatching a martini from a passing tray and taking a large swallow before giving Draco an ugly look as well. "And you're not without your limits, Malfoy, and neither is your father."

"Well sink me if you aren't _right_," Draco mocked,weaving his head back and forth. "But good luck finding them."

He fished the olive out of Crofton's martini and popped it in his mouth. "Have fun this weekend, Camden. We'll see you at US match tomorrow morning."

Crofton sneered at Leolin, who winked salaciously. When he screamed in frustration, Max gave a protective frown and Crofton turned on his heel and stormed off. When he was gone, Leolin re-conjured her right earring, transfigured her left, and put them both back on.

"Thanks," Leolin said, glancing up at Max and giving Draco a chance to drink in her fitted cardinal gown.

"Happy anniversary, sweetheart," Max said wryly in response.

"Malfoy," Leolin said, ignoring Max's cheek and turning to drink Draco in. "Thank you."

His tux might have seemed black at first, but as he came closer Leolin could see it was actually a dark green, and it looked even more so next the bright red of Leolin's gown. The satin lapels of the jacket and matching bowtie were combined perfection. He hair was pushed away from his face in his usual style, and Leolin felt her heart pause of a second as she watched him approach. It overcompensated by hitting the next few beats with a renewed vigour, and all the oxygen rushing to her brain made her feel merely raised his eyebrows mildly.

"Does anything get between you and trouble?"

"It would be awfully boring if it did," she said, taking a sip of her martini. "Don't you think?"

"I suppose," Draco said, studying her beautiful face appreciatively. "Nice dress, by the way."

She raised her eyebrows.

"I think we can both agree this one suits me much better."

"Yes," he admitted. "I daresay we have to."

"Yeah, thanks, bro, I'm doing great tonight. Thanks for asking," Max added sarcastically, agitated by their sinful banter.

Draco gave him an imperious eye roll.

"I'm not going to tell you look beautiful, Brankovitch. You're going have to get Chaisson to do that for you. Speaking of which, where is your little puppy dog, Lefevre? He's using right on your heels."

"He's busy trying to get Reagan Sharpe to notice him," Leolin said evenly. "Where's Gen?"

"Right behind you, sugar."

They turned to watch Gen approaching a gown so pink it was particularly white. In fact, it reminded Leolin a bit of a wedding gown; she was sure that was intentional.

"Play nice, Lefevre," Draco warned.

"Why do you always say that to me and not to her?" Leolin demanded sourly.

"Darling," Gen said, sweeping towards Draco.

She let go of Ashley's arm and threaded her hands through Draco's silky blonde hair, kissing him a manner wholly inappropriate for the venue.

"What about me, Gigi?" Max demanded, and she flitted from Draco's arms to Max's.

As she did, Leolin and Draco met eyes. Leolin could see in his face that Gen's presence was causing him some sort of mild disturbance, and Leolin knew what it was. He shifted subtly from foot to foot as he looked back to Gen, and she could seeing the guilt lying across his shoulders like a coat of iron mail.

"Leolin," Gen said at last. "I love that dress. It's so seductive! You look gorgeous, like Satan's mistress or something."

"Genevieve," Draco drawled, annoyed. "Enough."

"No," Leolin said, giving a dazzling smile. "It's alright. I think she meant that as a compliment."

Gen gave a beautiful little laugh, and Max shook his head good-naturedly.

"Of course I did! As always, Leolin, you pull off the things no one else would dare to."

"C'mon, Genny," Max said, obviously aware of Gen's ability to make insults seem like compliments. "Don't be like that."

Max shot Draco a dark look too, mostly because he'd been privileged to what had transpired with Leolin and Draco before Gen had even arrived.

"Where's Felix?" Gen asked, looking at Leolin. "I haven't see the two of your separated in forever and a day."

"Oh I don't need him here," Leolin said sweetly. "He's given me plenty of new ammunition. Draco, you never told me that Gen could put her ankles behind her head! How charmingly _bendy_ you must be."

Draco gave Leolin a cold look.

"I think we've had quite enough of that," Draco said imperiously.

Gen gave her a smug look, but Leolin returned it with a sparkling smile.

"That's right, _Genny_," Leolin said savagely, "Go and hide behind Daddy."

"What's your problem, Lefevre?" Draco demanded.

Leolin turned to face him again, forcing him to drink her in fully.

"I don't have one. Excuse me."

"Wait, Leolin, wait!"

She had swept off at a pretty quick clip, but it had only taken Max four jogging strides to catch up with her.

"What?" she demanded.

He laughed.

"You're the least annoying person here. If I get you another drink will you stay and keep me company?"

She eyed him.

"Gin martini, please," she said, and he nodded.

"Be right back, then."

However, before he could hail a waiter, Felix had appeared and was offering her one, keeping her pleasant buzz buzzing.

"Damnit, Ren," Max said good-naturedly. "Why do you always have to steal my thunder?"

Felix gave an arrogant smile as Leolin took a sip.

"Just call me Zeus," Felix said smugly.

"Certainly not," Leolin said in dry voice.

"Jupiter."

"No."

"Thor?"

"Fuck off, Ren. Its douchy when people try to give themselves nicknames," Max pointed out, though he was smiling. "Especially when they already have one."

"Maybe I want to trade Ren in!"

Max wasn't listening.

"Oh _wow_," he breathed, and they following the direction of his gaze to Severina, who was descending the stairs, her body glued to Xavy's.

The dress, much like Severina herself, was intoxicating. It was backless, beaded, and, as per, the bottom part was covered in ostrich feathers in an enchanting peacock blue.

"Who's she got with her?"

"That's Xavy's cousin Anaïs," she explained as the three of them watched her.

She was wearing an ornamental gown in a pale pink. At first her hair was white blonde. However, the minute her foot touched the bottom stair, it flamed a wild red. When Severina turned to speak to her, her skin was suddenly caramel and her hair auburn.

"She's a metamorphagus," Max said. "Interesting."

"And doesn't she know it," Leolin said. Anaïs admitted made her uneasy.

"Why is Borgia drunk?" Max said disapprovingly. "This is serious."

Severina wasn't drunk, certainly, but it was obvious by the way she and Xavier were staring at each other that they were buzzed.

"No," Leolin said, smiling widening. "That's her play. She plays drunken temptress and she gets all the information she needs. Watch."

They did, and no sooner had she hit the floor than Xavier was sweeping away to fetch her a drink. Dom Godfrey, who was one of Adrian's low-ranking thugs, and she pressed her hand to his chest as he said something and she laughed.

"See?" Leolin said.

"Brilliant," Felix agreed, watching as the glittering Borgias worked the room in tandem.

"They're Nag and Nagaina," Leolin said. "King and queen cobra."

"I only hope they're careful," Felix said, keen eyes scanning the ballroom. "Pucey reminds me of a mongoose."

They had little more time to discuss this before Max was looking someone and laughing.

"Oh no you don't," he called to the figure. "You're not going to trick me into getting drunk and fucking up the first match on Monday."

Kelly Troy smiled.

"No need, Yankee Doodle. Moran and I already agreed you should catch the snitch. Won't make a bit of difference, I'm afraid."

Leolin turned the face them, beaming. Kelly had a fetching redhead on his arm, her skin the colour of buttercream and her hair the shade of bright cinnamon. Her curls were wild, and they tumbled over her shoulders and down her back. She wore a shimmering gown in champagne, and it made her freckle-dusted skin glow.

"Leolin," Kelly said, his eyes sparkling. "This is my wife, Cara."

Cara beamed, adorable dimples forming in your cheeks.

"Oh Leolin!" she burst. "Is it weird if I ask to hug you?"

"Not at all," Leolin laughed, and she folded happily into Cara's arms.

Seeing her at last made Leolin's ache for Kelly dramatically less acute. Seeing the source of his happiness made her happier than she would have thought possible.

"I'm just so pleased to meet you," Cara said excitedly. "The boys can't shut up about you! Especially Ieuan. He makes you seem like a goddess."

Leolin laughed.

"I assure you I'm not," Leolin said.

"You look like one in that dress," Cara said. "Is this one of your step-mother's? I love her designs so much. This is one of hers," she explained, showing off her pretty champagne and sequined dress. "I had a bitch of a time picking it. I wanted all of them."

"This is one of hers," Leolin said. "Thank you. And I'm happy someone likes it; I was compared to Satan's mistress earlier."

"Don't suppose I have to ask who said that," Felix said dryly.

"Don't suppose you do," Leolin affirmed.

Kelly's eyes grew hard.

"Malfoy's here then, is he?"

"Ooh, where?" Cara demanded, craning her neck. "I promised Kelly I would duel him and gallantly restore my husband's honour."

They all laughed.

"He's right there," Max said. "In that stupid green tux."

"KT!" Cara said, scandalised. "You didn't tell me he was _beautiful_!"

"Ugh," Kelly said. "Not you, too!"

"Well, I'll still fight him, of course, but now I'm going to fell dead bad about it!"

"Ever the loyal wife, Cara Troy," he said softly, bending to kiss her.

She smiled, laying a palm and her head on his chest.

"I'm always in your corner, darling; you know that. Now, where'd I put my gauntlet?"

He winked at her before meeting Leolin's eye for a second. She nodded subtly. She'd never been gladder to have not kissed someone, and she vowed right then to spend the rest of her life trying to make it up to Cara.

"I always told Kelly that no one would ever truly be worthy of him," Leolin said, beaming at Cara. "I never dreamed I could be _this_ wrong."

"It's the opposite, isn't it?" Kelly laughed, smiling down at Cara.

Cara flushed.

"Love you, KT."

"Oh bollocks," Kelly groaned. "Malfoy's heading over here."

"Of course he is," Felix said coolly, his jaw tense. "That's because Leolin's here."

"Right, well I'm out of here," Kelly said, wrinkling his nose. "I would like to go just _one_ day without having to watch him slaver over Leolin. It's equal parts pathetic and unpleasant."

"But—" Cara protested, laughing.

"Cara Marie, we're not going to stay so you can ogle my archenemy!" Kelly laughed. "Off with you!"

Kelly was playing dragging Cara away, and she was playfully resisting.

"Can I just smell him? Just once. I bet he smells ah-_mazing_."

Leolin winked at her.

"He does."

"Kel-lyyyy," Cara fake whined, and he grabbed her around her slender waist, lifting her feet off the ground.

"We'll be back when Monsieur Le Twat has cleared off," Kelly promised. "Come on Woods, let's get you a drink."

Leolin's eyes sparkled as she watched them.

"I love her," Leolin announced. "She's amazing!"

"She really is something," Felix agreed before turning his eyes to the newcomers.

"Ginny!" Leolin said, beaming.

She felt on surer footing now that she'd had a bit of time, and she could see the glow in Ginny's cheeks. She was wearing a gown in a soft gray, one of her favourite hues, and the softness leant itself to her new condition. She'd yet to begin showing, but the flush in her cheeks told of her impending joy.

Leolin kissed her gently on the lips, trying to avoid Draco's eyes, which were on her now.

"Congratulations again," Leolin breathed, her joy sparkling her in storm-ridden eyes.

"And you, daddy," Leolin said, hugging Blaise as well, her face pressed to his navy tux. "Congratulations. Thinking of how beautiful she's going to be," Leolin said, taking both their hands. "Caramel skin, green eyes, and fire-kissed hair. You'll be fighting them off."

"She?" Blaise laughed in response. "He, you mean."

He and Ginny smiled at each other, and she tipped her chin up to receive his kiss.

"Healthy," Ginny said. "And fat like the Muggle Buddha. That's all I ask."

Leolin smiled, but the ache was swelling up again. She filled the void with gin, but it only remained full for a moment before circling down into a deeper drain.

"Where's Genny?" Max asked.

"Genevieve?" Draco replied coolly, smoothing his hair self-importantly. "I'm afraid she and Benton and back in secret conference again."

"Pity for you, then," Felix added casually. "All dressed up et personne pour la course de ton ego."

Draco smiled, though his tone was tart.

"Pourquoi ne pas garder ton petit langue fourchue derrière ton dents, _Renard_?"

"Ensuite, maintiens ton," Leolin bit back.

She was unwilling to let anyone insult Felix, even Draco.

"What are they saying?" Max demanded.

"Something about egos and forked tongues," Blaise affirmed. "I would guess it's less than friendly."

"You don't say," Max said. "Alright, enough of this circus. I'm going to find Genny."

"Quinn's dancing with Borgia's cousin," Felix said keenly, eying Reagan from across the ballroom. "I'm going in again."

"If you fuck this up, Chaisson," Draco warned. "I will kill you. Make _no _mistake about that."

"Oh fuck off," he said coolly.

He adjusted his bowtie and winked at Leolin before slinking off, leaving just the four of them.

"Shall we dance, darling?" Blaise asked Ginny.

His gaze was full of meaning and she nodded, and they swept off as well. Finally and it was just Leolin and Draco.

"That was rather noble of you, Lefevre," he commented taking a sip of his vodka drink.

"What?" she said mildly feigning casualness.

"You don't have to lie to us, you know," Draco said, eyes glittering as they turned on her. "Gin knows this isn't easy for you. She understands. She said you've behaved magnificently, but no one would blame you if you felt like being otherwise."

"Why should I be sad?" she asked, meeting his gaze. "She's my friend and I love her dearly. Besides, there's more than one path to motherhood," she said, chin up. "When the time's right, I'll find it."

"That's brave of you," Draco admitted. "You never fail to impress me."

"Much as you seem loathed to admit it," she said, eyes cast out to the glittering couples on the floor.

"Tonight I'll make an exception. For that dress and your impeccable conduct, if nothing else."

She nodded at him more fully, and there was something beautiful and dangerous glittering in his eyes.

"You're not always a good woman, Lefevre," he admitted, borrowing something she'd once told him. "But you're certainly one of the greatest I've ever known."

She had no idea what to say to that, but luckily she didn't have to.

There was a great disturbance at the top of the stars, and the photographers flashed furiously as the German anthem swelled.

"Who is that?" Leolin asked, watching a young German woman descending the stairs in a snow-white gown, her hand on her stomach.

"That's my new stepmother Regine," Draco said grimly. "She's four months pregnant with my father's new heir."

Regine was certainly not ugly, though she would've looked plain next to Narcissa even despite her extreme youth.

"How old is she?" Leolin asked as someone offered Regine a hand and she stepped onto the ballroom floor.

"She turned twenty-three in June. Her birthday is six days after mine. I turned twenty-six."

"She's younger than me," Leolin admitted. "I turn twenty-four this September."

"The fourteenth, I know; I haven't forgotten," Draco said stoically.

She knew they were thinking the same thing; she and Draco had agreed to start trying for a baby at midnight on her 24th birthday.

It became clear with a minute that Regine had spotted Draco and she was making for him, and Leolin made an impulsive decision.

She grabbed his hand and squeezed. For a minute his fingers remains immobile, but finally he reciprocated the gesture. She could hear his breathing increase.

"I'm here," he said softly.

"Draco!" Regine cried excitedly. "Come hug ihre Mütterchen!"

Draco smiled, extending his arms.

"Good to see you, little sis," he said, and she folded against him.

"Do see how round I've gotten?" she beamed, touching her belly. "Your new brother is going to be strong."

Draco smiled, though Leolin could see the pain etched in the smile creases. Narcissa had talked often about agony even the earliest days of her marriage were, and Leolin knew from Draco that her pregnancy had been extremely difficult. Much as he hated Lucius, she knew seeing Regine glow tugged at Draco.

"Ah frauline," Regine said, touching Leolin's cheek. "I have heard so much about your beauty! None of the stories do you justice."

"I'm sure that's not true, but thank you anyway."

Regine turned back to Draco.

"You need to come to the Manor more often, Draco! You're father worries, you know. He's said he hasn't seen you in months! Since the engagement party, he said."

Draco looked around mildly while Leolin tried not to outwardly panic at his side.

"I confess I was hoping I would see him tonight," Draco said. "Is he not here with you?"

Regine laughed, putting a hand on her stomach.

"Nein," she said, eyes merry. "I wish. He had some sort of work function in London, I'm afraid.

However, there was something more latent shining in them that suggested she was perhaps not as eager to be with her husband as she seemed. Draco gave a sympathetic frown.

"I'm sorry to hear it."

Regine smiled, touching his arm. Had this been a cry for his help? Leolin couldn't tell.

"I should make my rounds. I will see you at the first match on Monday. Germany und Argentina?"

"I'll be there," Draco agreed, and she smiling, brushing a last kiss on his cheek before sweeping off.

When she was gone, Draco turned to Leolin.

"Are you alright?" he asked seriously, eyes skating across her face concernedly.

"Me?" she asked, heart still pounding. "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Lefevre," he said, sounding bored. In reality she knew he was just fighting not to seem outwardly concerned. "I am pretty sure the people on the other side of the ballroom can hear you panting; that's how loud you're breathing."

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I'm fine."

Draco was still looking at her.

"Does he really terrify you that much?"

She thought about the wedding day and all the crucios and Adrian's lips forcing hers, and her heart was suddenly in her throat again.

"Yes," she admitted breathlessly.

"It worries me that he isn't here tonight," Draco said, eyes scanning the ballroom. "And that Pucey's got Blake and Thivierge criss-crossing the place. It feels like—"

"—trouble," she breathed. "I know. I feel it too. We need to keep our eyes open at the matches. Could be Adrian is going to use them as a distraction to corner important people.

Draco nodded, listening without comment as Leolin fought to get her breathing under control.

"Are you alright?" he said again at last. "Can I get you another drink?"

No sooner had he snapped his fingers than a cool martini glass was being eased into her hand.

"Take a sip, Lefevre," he urged. "You look like you could use a little Dutch courage right about now."

She did as she was told, and she admitted felt a little calmer.

"Thank you," Leolin said. "I needed that."

He rewarded this with an intense look.

"I can't have you driving yourself off the bleeding edge," he said. "I still need you."

"A charming sentiment," she said somewhat sourly.

She looked up at him and his eyes were glittering again.

"Dance with me."

"What?" she demanded.

"Dance with me," he replied, extending a hand.

"You hate dancing," she scoffed.

"Then you should be flattered I'm making this exception."

Leolin looked at his hand and forced herself not to bite her lip. She knew she shouldn't. Draco could lash out if things got to intense, or she might tip Adrian off to the kind of progress she was making. There was also Gen, who always seemed to find a way to make Leolin suffer when it came to Draco.

"We shouldn't," she said, looking away from his outstretched palm.

"Why is that?"

"You're engaged, for one."

"Gen's still out with Brankovitch," Draco said seriously. "Besides, it just a dance. It doesn't mean anything."

Leolin turned back around, her conviction waning quickly.

"Drake," she said softly. "We can't do this again."

"We aren't doing_ anything _again," he said softly. "Just dancing."

She finally acquiesced by putting down the rest of her drink, vanishing the glass, and taking his hand. She gently found the gown's wrist loop, pulling the trailing hem off the floor to make movement easier.

He extended his left arm out, the fingers of his right hand warm as they rested on her bare back. Her right hand gently sank into his outstretched left, and she put hand tentatively on his strong shoulder. They began to swing, cutting a dazzling figure as they did. The dark green of his coat was a perfect complement to her bright gown, and he swung her effortlessly across the floor, almost as if she weighed nothing.

Leolin was feeling breathless again as the music began to fade from one song to the next, and she tried not to look at Draco. However, when the piano strains began for the next song, she had to sag against him, momentarily unsteady on her feet. The violin had begun to whine now, and Leolin's head was spinning faster than her feet.

She looked up at Draco, meeting his glittering gaze.

"Did you do this?" she demanded.

"No," he said, eyes on fire.

Leolin looked away. This was the song they'd intended to be their first dance. It had no lyrics, and was plaintive yet sweet. It tugged at Leolin so hard it felt that the fibers keeping her together would all snap. Leolin didn't know why, but the song had always reminded her of a collection of love sonnets she'd once read.

_I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,_

_I love you simply, without problems or pride:_

_I love you in this way because I don't know any other way of loving._

The hand on his shoulder tightened as she fought to remain calm and avoid looking at him. She honestly wasn't sure what would happen if she did.

_I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, _

_in secret, between the shadow and the soul_

The hand on her back was more insistent now, and she didn't fight him. She bent more fully into his form, their breath mingling as they fought the inevitable pull which had taken hold that morning in the dress shop.

_Bitter love, a violet with its crown of thorns in a thicket of spiky passions, spear of sorrow, corolla of rage: how did you come to conquer my soul? What brought you"?_

Leolin couldn't take it anymore, and she looked up at Draco, desperate to know if he was feeling the same thing she was. He was looking at her in a way he hadn't in a long time, and it resonated in a place so deep inside her soul, she'd forgotten it had existed. Leolin closed her eyes, and it was easy to transform the ballroom in her mind. Soon enough she had them swirling around the marble floor of the Manor. She could see her wedding gown, and suddenly it was so vivid it was almost as if she were wearing it.

Something occurred her, and even as the idea surfaced she knew it was a terrible idea. After all, she'd never done legimency, and this could do more harm than good. Still, she had to try.

She closed her eyes again, recalling her fantasy and pushing it outward. She could feel the barrier when she reached the perimetre of Draco's solitary mind. It was extremely well-guarded, but after a second he seemed to have dropped his defenses, allowing her vision to wash over him as well.

When Draco's mind had taken up the fantasy it instantly grew in potency, and it seemed to sustain itself. Leolin wondered if anyone could see them; she could only imagine what they looked like clinging to each other.

The song was reaching its straining climate, and the energy charging between them increased with it.

"Cal—" Draco croaked painfully, licking his lips.

He was breathless, the blue glints shining in his eyes making them truly resemble gems.

"I love you," she breathed as the song ended.

Draco hand's dropped away from her, and Leolin realised the dance floor was actually quite crowded.

His fingers ghosted across her cheek, as if he wanted to cup it but couldn't.

She tipped her head back into his touch, and he looked ready to walk away, but at the last minute he changed his mind, wrapping an authoritative hand around her neck and pushing forward for a short, brutal kiss. There was more tongue and teeth than actual lips, but Leolin still relished in it. She grabbed his satin lapels to try and hold him, but he tugged them off as once.

"I'm sorry," he grit out, his eyes the very portrait of anguish and longing as he gazed down at her. His eyes traced her lips even as his hand fell limply to his side. "Callie, I—I have to go. Please—don't follow me."

"Drake please!" she begged desperately, as he strode away, cutting a path through the couples and moving quickly off the dance floor. Leolin knew without a doubt he was going to find Gen and reassure himself that had been a mistake.

_In this part of the story I am the one who dies, _

_The only one, and I will die of love because I love you,_

_because I love you, Love, in fire and in blood._

She turned away from the direction he'd disappeared, and she would have collapsed onto the floor if it weren't for the strong arms that caught her.

"Shh," a voice soothed quietly. Leolin looked up at Xavier, who was watching her seriously, eyebrows synched. "Breath, cariña," he ordered her gently.

She could feel herself beginning to hyperventilate, which pushed panicky tears to the corners of her lids.

"Look at me," he demanded softly. "Leolin, look at me. I know you're hurting, but you can lose yourself here. There are too many enemies around. Look at me; I need you to breath. Breathe, cariña. You have to keep breathing."

She didn't immediately do as he said, but he was insistent. He murmured a spell, and suddenly Leolin's oxygen seemed like it was on loop. She was breathing in her own air.

"Take a big breath of that," Xavier said. "It will help you relax."

Leolin did as she was told, her eyes wild.

"That's it," Xavy urged. "Breathe. Keep breathing."

Finally, she nodded, the panic subsiding. When she was done she felt spent, and she collapsed her head against his shoulders, tears staining the velvet of his lapel. He put a soothing hand to her head.

"Xavy," she wept, and he pressed a kiss to her temple, his eyes cold and dark as he surveyed the scene; it was the look of a father protecting his child, and he looked terribly fierce.

"It's alright, carina. Don't cry. This_ isn't_ over."

* * *

"I thought I'd find you here."

Leolin didn't turn at Felix's utterance, just continued staring out over the stone railing of the terrace that overlook the breathtaking landscape beyond. It was cold, but she was dressed in only in her gown, her feet bare. Leolin leaned into Felix's warmth as he wrapped his arms protectively around her shoulders from behind.

"I saw what happened," he said softly, pressing a kiss on her temple. "Are you alright?"

"Not really," she admitted, taking a deep breath.

"I don't know how many more times I can do this, Ren. It's killing me."

"Then don't," he said softly. "Wait until we've broken the chain."

"October 24th is four months away," she said. "Time's running out."

"But it hasn't yet," Felix pointed out, urging her to turn and face him. "Keep the faith, bichette. Please, just for a little longer."

"You saw what happened," She countered. "It's what always happens. We come _this _close, then the gag drags Draco under and he runs back to Gen to reassure himself he loves her, and she wraps her tentacles a little tighter. Every time we go through this, I'm just pushing him towards her."

"No," Felix said softly. "That's not true. And I _did _ see you tonight. I saw the way he was looking at you. I saw the way he kissed you. Lai, this is far from over. Trust me on that."

She nodded, and he shrugged out of his smart dinner jacket and eased it over her bare shoulders.

"It's going to be alright. Tomorrow will be kinder. You'll see."

She nodded again, pulling the jacket more fully over her shoulders. She found a flask in the inner pocket, and she took it out and took a sip. It was Odgen's, and the firewhiskey warmed her stomach.

"Have we heard anything from Adrian's camp?" she asked finally.

Felix shook his head, accepting the flask from her and taking a draught.

"He and Thivierge disappeared fairly early. It makes me nervous. Could be they're planning something big for tomorrow."

"Or he just wanted to get a shag in," she said, bowing her head.

He wrinkled his nose and she nodded.

"I know. How did it go with Sharpe? The fact neither of your legs are broken is an encouraging sign."

"Pas vraiment," he admitted. "I could never quite get to her; Quinn's got her on an annoyingly tight leash."

"It's annoying he has her on one at all," Leolin grit out. "Honestly, he's such a swine. She's a bloody saint for putting up with his shite."

"Je sais," he said. "I agree. And _Merlin_, she looked good enough to eat in that dress."

"Normally a would be revolted," a voice echoed. "But I'm feeling charitable, so just this once I'll be flattered instead."

Reagan was barefoot too, though she wore a trendy dusty over her metallic gown. Her left eye was green again, and it sparkled with mischief. There was a bottle of expensive vanilla vodka in her hand, and she took a casual sip. Felix was still eying her appreciatively, and Leolin furtively slapped him on the back of the head to make him stop. Reagan didn't notice.

"You alright, Sharpe?" she said instead.

Reagan shrugged.

"Can't complain too much, I suppose. I slipped Jaime a sleeping draught; he's passed out cold on our bathroom floor."

Felix laughed, and she rewarded his mirth with a wry smile.

"I just couldn't bring myself to fake another orgasm tonight," she explained. "And he was decently drunk anyways. He'll just assume he drank too much. I contemplated giving him a puking pastille first, but that seemed like too much of a bother."

"So what are you doing with your night off?" Felix said, trying to sound casual.

She gave him a cool look.

"Sleeping blissfully alone. Honestly, whoever invented cuddling should be tarred and feathered."

The comment was unexpectedly painful for Leolin. She thought of how it always felt when she laid in Draco's arms. It had been over five years since she'd done so, but she could still feel his warm, soft breath on her neck as he lay sleeping beside her.

"I should go," Leolin said abruptly, sliding Felix's coat off her shoulders and offering it back to him. "It's been a long day."

"Do you want me to come with?" Felix said, sensing her distress at once. "I can sleep on the couch."

"No," she said, as if the wound from her and Draco's dance reopening and issuing blood. I'm just going straight to bed. But thank you." She took off the earrings and handed them back before touching his cheek affectionately. "Have a good night; I'll see you tomorrow morning. Sharpe, see you when I see you. Good luck with Quinn."

"Sweet dreams, Lefevre," Reagan replied, taking another swig of vodka.

"Bon soir, bichette," Felix said. "And lock your door."

She nodded, blowing him a kiss and heading out. There halls were quiet, all the quidditch players having long since retired in anticipation of the matches. The only people she saw were drunken couples kissing and fondling each other before retreating to their rooms to indulge in their carnal desires.

Leolin imagined she and Draco doing the same thing, undressing each other and shagging with desperate passion on the sofa or the soft rug. She pictured herself ridng him into ecstasy, eyes closed. However, as she opened them, even in her fantasy, it was Adrian below her instead of Draco, and she immediately sick to her stomach.

She quickly admitted herself to her suite, muttering several protective charms before leaning heavily against the door. She could feel tears forming, and she tipped her head back to push them to the outer corners. She thought about what Felix had said about keeping the faith. He was right; if she gave up now, she would regret it forever.

Wiping her eyes, she trudged into the bedroom and dispassionately shred her dress and flopped down face first, fighting the need to weep even as she fell away.

* * *

Leolin's eyes snapped open to the sound of distant screams. What time was it and what was going on? Suddenly she realised there was a dark figure looming over her, and she made to scream. However, they clamped a hand over her mouth before she could.

"Shh," the woman said desperately. It was Annalysse Blake.

Leolin struggled against her, but Annalysse shook her head, a wild panic in her sloped eyes.

"I know you have no reason to trust me," Annalysse breathed. "But if you want to avoid something truly unpleasant at Adrian's hands tonight, shut up and do everything I say."

**#CLIFFIE **

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* * *

**TRANSLATIONS**

"Come se va?"—How are you

"Isadora, por favor no lo toques su pelo. Tus manos están sucios"—Please don't touch her hair. Your hands are dirty.

"et je serai toute à toi."—and I will be only yours.

"Comment ça va ici, lapin?"—how's it going in here?

"Hello, Felix. Tellement agréable de te revoir."—How good to see you again.

"Tu peux dire 'renard'?"—can you say 'fox'?

Lebewohl—see you (bye)

"Prenons une nomme"—let's take a nap

"votre Altesse"—your majesty

"mais je vais gagner la prochaine"—I'll win the next one

"pompier"—arrogant

"Je parie que être un ivrogne hilare"—I bet you're a hilarious drunk

"éouter"—relax

"Cymru am byth."—Wales forever.

"et personne pour la course de ton ego."—and no one to stroke your ego.

"Pourquoi ne pas garder ton petit langue fourchue derrière ton dents, Renard?"—Why don't you keep your little forked tongue behind you teeth?

"Ensuite, maintiens ton."—Only if you hold yours.


	27. Chapter 26: The Walls of Jericho

**1850 NEW WORDS ADDED. THE BEGINNING IS THE SAME, BUT THE ENDING IS WAYYYYYY ALTERED. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEWWWWWW**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four: The Walls of Jericho**

"_When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city."_

_-Joshua, 6:20_

* * *

"_Adrian. Come in and shut the door."_

_Adrian did as he was told, slipping into the minister's sprawling office and letting the lock click behind him. It was nearly midnight, and the rest of the ministry was dark and silent. Adrian had received an owl about twenty minutes ago insisting he come to the Ministry at once._

_He'd been out with a fetching brunette at the time and hadn't particularly wanted to abandon what he knew was a sure thing, but as Lucius was often reminding him, Adrian's good fortune was the minister's to bestow or take away._

"_You wanted to see me, sir?"_

"_We have a problem," Lucius said. "There's a leak somewhere in my administration."_

_Adrian ran a hand through his light hair as he considered._

"_How big?"_

"_I don't know," Lucius admitted in cold annoyance. "But I want you to find out and stop it up. Now."_

"_Of course, sir. But if I may ask, what think we've been breached? Reed assured me he kept the department tight and discreet."_

"_Well I'm afraid this latest incident has forced me to…sever ties with Mr. Reed. He's made one too many blunders. Let that be a lesson to you."_

"_Who was the traitor?"_

"_An American arithmatist Reed recruited to protect certain investments. As it were, she was passing those discreet transactions to someone State-side."_

"_What do that Americans care what we do here? They didn't lift a finger when the Dark Lord assumed power last time."_

"_I thought the same," Lucius agreed. "But the I remembered that my son has been spending quite a bit of time there recently. He's no great admirer of the Americans; what's he doing there?"_

_Adrian shrugged._

"_It might be nothing. He's dating an American woman. He has been for almost two years. Still, I'll look into it."_

"_He's seeing an American?" Lucius sneered in disgust. _

_Adrian nodded._

"_Draco rarely brings her with him to London. __I've only met her once, but s__he's rather fetching,__" Adrian said noncommittally _

_She had accompanied Draco to Adrian's wedding, and he admittedly had paid her minimal attention at the time. The memory of it made his lip curl._

"_More fetching than the last one?" Lucius said wryly._

"_It would be hard for any woman to be more desirable than Lefevre," Adrian pointed out mildly._

_"You think so?" Lucius said_.

_Adrian licked his lips._

"_Yes," he admitted. "I__ do."_

"_Then do as I ask, and when the time's right she's yours on a silver plate."_

_Adrian didn't smile, but his gold eyes glittered greedily._

"_Of course, Sir. Always__."_

"_I want all Draco's contacts in the States run down at once. Find if they're involved. Be thorough, Adrian. No stone unturned."_

_Adrian nodded, invigourated by the prospect of getting to fuck Lefevre at last._

"_Of course, sir. Should I start with the spy? I can extract any secret you need."_

_Lucius gave an annoyed sneer._

"_I'm afraid not. I told Reed to bleed her down from the answers, and he hired Dolohov. She was dead before I could get anything of value. I need you to find me someone with a subtler touch. Someone who knows the line better than thugs like Dolohov."_

"_There's no__ need, Sir. I can handle that."_

"_No," Lucius replied. "I need you to stop up the leak, and I don't want you to divide attention. Find me someone here in London. Someone to…coerce the next few traitors we catch."_

_Adrian considered._

"_I might have someone in mind," he said. "They would need coaching, but I think they could be perfect."_

"_Then I want them trained up immediately. I won't be kept waiting on this."_

"_I'll see to it at once, Sir," Adrian said._

"_See that you do," Lucius agreed._

_Adrian nodded, already pulling his floo from his pocket. He flooed his younger brother Tommy. _

"_T," he wrote. "I need you to reach out to one of your Hogwarts classmates, preferably tonight. It's important"_

_The following evening Adrian sat at the bar at the Em, waiting. His guest was due to arrive at 11, it was currently 10:50. He took a large sip of his whiskey before setting eyes on her._

_She was a wisp of a thing, averagely tall and extremely willowy. She had girlish face, like a China doll, with impossibly large blue eyes, though their hardness made her seem less docile. Her skin was extremely pale and her breasts small, but Adrian found there was something oddly alluring about her._

_Her eyes found him and she started over._

"_Victoria," Adrian said, as they were friends. "Sit down."_

_She eyed him somewhat disdainfully._

"_You__'re Tommy's older brother?"_

"_I am. Drink?"_

"_What do you want to talk about?" she said instead. "Tommy said it would be worth my while."_

_Adrian snapped to Quinn, who was tending the bar. Jaime nodded._

"_I like to think so," Adrian said casually. "And I hope you like gin. Don't be shy, pull up a chair and stay awhile."_

_She sat down as Jaime set a martini front of her, and she eyed it but didn't take a sip._

"_What's this about?" Victoria repeated._

"_Take a drink and I'll tell you."_

_Victoria sneered. She was clearly unaccustomed to taking orders. However, she acquiesced. She tried to remain stoic, but she couldn't completely hide that she found the taste too bitter._

"_I forgot you're only eighteen," Adrian said, giving her a mocking smirk. "You look older."_

"_We both know I don't," she sneered, taking another large sip to prove him wrong._

"_You seem older, then," he said, giving her a casual leer._

_She said nothing in reply._

"_So Tommy said you were in Ravenclaw," he continued. "How was that?"_

_She took a gulp this time, draining the last of the clear concoction. Jaime was placing another in front of her almost at once._

"_Wholly unsatisfying," she replied, taking a third sip. _

_Clearly the bitter taste of the gin was growing on her._

"_I can imagine," he replied, tawny eyes dancing across her face. "I think you would have been better suited to Slytherin."_

"_It wouldn't have been a sufficient challenge."_

_"Forget schoolwork," he said imperiously. "If you'd been in Slytherin, you would have found __**people **__to challenge you."_

"_They could have tried, I suppose."_

"_You would have loved the challenge. I can see how ill Ravenclaw suited you."_

"_That didn't keep me from being excellent."_

"_I'm sure it didn't," Adrian smirked. "But you said yourself it never quite satisfied. I bet you didn't have a ton of boyfriends either."_

"_What makes you say that?" She demanded hotly, cheeks flushing with embarrassment._

_"Tommy said there were always buzzards, but you didn't bite. You know what that tells me?"_

"_That I have no patience for over-confident sods with tiny todgers?"_

"_That you're still a virgin," Adrian said, giving a sardonic grin before taking a sip of his drink._

"_Fuck off," she sneered, embarrassment growing._

"_That wasn't a no, Torrii."_

"_Don't call me that," she hissed. _

_In the low light, his eyes glinted like two gold coins._

"_Then man up, look me in the eye, and tell me I'm wrong," he said evenly._

_She took a sip of her drink before answering._

"_I have no interest in being pawed by some fumbling boy who won't last five minutes."_

_Adrian raised his eyebrows._

"_Good point. Then again, you've never been with someone like me. I won't grope you like a little boy; I'll fuck you the way only a powerful man can."_

_"That's a lofty claim. I seriously doubt you're as powerful as you think __you are."_

_His eyes flashed again. He rarely, if ever, allowed someone to speak to him that way. He leaned in, and he could see a latent fear in her feisty blue eyes._

_"Then why don't you sleep with me and find out?" he challenged._

_She took another sip and looked away, as if he was boring her. In reality he suspected he'd begun to make her nervous._

"_Is that all you asked me her for?" She said, trying to feign casualness. _

"_No," he said. "I also came to offer you a job."_

"_In the Auror's office?" she said, eying his badge, which was lying on the bar, with distain. "Not interested. If I wanted an ineffectual rubber wand, I would buy a dildo."_

_He laughed aloud, impossibly white teeth glittering under the chandeliers._

"_It's not an…official position. It's more like an independent contract."_

"_What is it?"_

"_Extraction work."_

"_I'm not a dentist," she said, nonplussed._

_He laughed again._

"_What I need you to extract is information."_

"_How?" she said, growing visibly interested._

"_Mostly through physical means. However, I need a—delicate hand. No one too over-eager. That really does me no good. To get what me what I need, you'll have to be patient and calculated."_

_Her eyes were glittering._

"_I'm neither impatient nor heavy-handed," she agreed._

"_I wouldn't imagine not," he said. "That's why I chose you. I think you have the raw talent I need. Everything else I can teach you. In fact, I can teach a great many things about the human body. Pain and pleasure are two sides of the same coin. You can't fully understand without the other."_

_She took another sip in lieu of responding. He could practically hear her pulse quickening, and he recognised the look in her big blue eyes; it was a look women had been giving him since he was sixteen years old. He raised his eyebrows at her and she flushed._

"_If I were interested—" she began at last._

"_Which you are," Adrian pointed out casually. _

"_If I were," she repeated. "Is the job mine?"_

"_Not quite," he said. "I need two things first."_

"_And they are?"_

"_You come back with me right now and I give you your first lesson in pleasure," he said, leaning in and casually fingering a lock of her dark brown hair._

_She turned her head away, clearly, despite her air of confidence, slightly nervous at his touch._

"_Is that it?"_

"_No," he said, dropping his hand. "I also need to see what I can do. You have to audition for me."_

_She considered._

"_On whom?"_

_Adrian shrugged._

"_I leave that to your discretion. However, if you'd really like to impress me, I'd warn against a stranger. Too—impersonal."_

_She nodded grimly, cogs turning at once._

"_You already have someone in mind," he surmised, eyes glittering._

_She gave a shrug._

"_If I was the product of my mother's first marriage and not her second, I would be a pureblood. As it stands, I'm a half-blood."_

_Adrian's smile turned someone grim. He was cruel, he knew, but his family was one of the few things he actively sought to protect. However he considered the idea of a Muggle father. It disgusted him, too._

_He nodded._

"_Do we have an agreement?"_

_She considered his outstretched hand before sliding her fingers into his waiting grasp. He immediately tugged her to feet so she was nestled between his splayed quadriceps._

"_Let's get started, then, shall we?"_

* * *

"C'mon," Annalysse insisted, looking urgently over her shoulder even as she spoke. "Get up. Adrian's two minutes behind me, tops. You should be gone already."

There was a crash from the distant hallway, and Annalysse's head snapped to the noise as she listened, breathless. When she turned back, it was to find that Leolin had risen, and her was wand trained on Annalysse. Annalysse's wand was still in the holster, and she wouldn't be able to grab it before Leolin got at least one good spell in. At this distance, one was all she would need.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you right now," Leolin said, voice quaking along with her outstretched wand hand.

"Go ahead," Annalysse breathed, holding up her arms and eying Leolin's menacing eleven and a half inch Yew. "But if you do, Adrian will drag you back to London and toss you at the minister's feet. Lucius is unhappy with you, Lefevre; he's looking bring you to heel."

There was another crash, and they both looked. Annalysse was growing more agitated, and Leolin more desperate and fearful.

"Why would be help me?" Leolin demanded, voice pushed higher by her mistrust and fear.

Annalysse was breathless with agitation. If she was faking her distress to trick Leolin, she was an excellent actress.

"I promised Max I would look after you if I could," Annalyse said, and there was a yearning to the way she said his name that Leolin sensed was genuine. "But if Adrian catches you in here, I'll have no choice but to bring you in."

Leolin lowered her wand.

"It was you," she whispered in disbelief. "At the manor. You stunned Victoria and imperiused Graham."

Annalysse nodded, though if she'd expected Leolin to lower her wand, she was disappointed.

"You got Daphne Greengrass murdered," she snarled, wand still raised. "Tate left her body in the house for her _children _to find!

"I know," Annalysse said. "And I'm sorry about that. I never intended for her to get hurt. I just—"

There was a not-too-distant bang, signaling someone had just entered the suite.

"That's Adrian," she said in panic. "Quick! You have to hide. In the closet, go! I'll stall him as long as I can," Annalysse said, pushing Leolin backwards. "Do you know any cloaking spells?"

"A few," Leolin admitted.

They could hear the heavy boot-tread of Adrian's dragon-hides and the resonant sing of their steel-tips against Italian marble. They knew they had only seconds.

"Drop them all," Annalysse said. "As many as your can remember. I'll do what I can to keep him out here."

With that she slammed the door shut, and not a moment too soon.

Leolin watched through crack as Adrian burst through the French doors to the bedroom, golden eyes alight.

He too was dressed all in black, and he held what resembled a Venetian carnivale mask in his hand.

Leolin squeezed her eyes shut and cast a disillusionment charm. Immediately she experienced a sensation similar to being inside the womb. She could hear, but everything sounded distant and out of focus. When she peered through the doors again, it felt like she was looking at them underwater.

"_Salvio Hexia_," she whispered to herself once she was protected, though she realised that if she reached the point of defending against hexes, she would already be in extremely hot water.

"Where's Lefevre?" Adrian was asking, his furious tone unhampered by the charm.

"Gone, sir," Annalysse said dispassionately, her fear long forgotten.

She stood with her hands behind her back and her feet shoulder-width apart, just like a shoulder.

"Gone?" Adrian repeated. "What you do _mean_, gone?"

"I don't know, sir," Annalysse said in a calm voice. "I came straight here, but she was already gone by the time I arrived. Maybe she never came back. Maybe she went to Chaisson's room instead.

"Without this?" Adrian snarled, throwing Leolin's vermillion gown at Annalysse. "Are you suggesting she came back here, took this off, then sauntered over to his room in her fucking knickers? Lucky him!"

"No, maybe she chang—ah!"

Annalyssa called out as Adrian grabbed a fistful of her ponytail and dragged her head backward.

"I don't know how she got out," Annalysse grit out, trying again. "I only know that she was gone when I got here."

Adrian released his grip at last, and Annalysse immediately tipped her head forward towards her chest to relieve the ache in her neck.

"I want this room torn down to the studs," Adrian demanded imperiously. "Even if she was warned, she might still be hiding in here somewhere."

"Of course," Annalysse said in a cool tone.

"What are you waiting for?" Adrian demanded. "I mean now."

Behind the door, Leolin was forcing herself to breathe as quietly as possible. She was so terrified she felt she might faint. Her mind was already simmering with the prospect of being "brought to heel".

Annalysse began muttering spells, as Adrian's eyes danced around, falling on each corner and swell of the room.

"Where are you hiding, Lefevre?" he called quietly. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Finally his eyes fell on the closet and he smiled. Leolin backed away swiftly as he his body blocked out the light of pouring through the crack. He opened the door, eyes swiveling. He drew his wand and cast an uncloaking spell, and she could feel it swirling over her protection charm, seeking entry. The wall of her protective bubble weakened. If he tried that again, he would find her.

"Lefevre," Adrian breathed stepping farther in and forcing Leolin deeper. "I know you're in here. I can smell your perfume."

Finally Leolin'd reached a corner, and she held her breath and turned her head away as Adrian came within six inches of her.

He raised his chin and closed his eyes, and she knew he was inhaling her scent again. Why was it that smell could pass through the charm? She prayed the smell of it on her clothes would put him off. She chastised herself for the perfume; her mother always said she wore far too much.

For a terrifying instant, his keen eyes met hers, and she was sure he could see her. His gaze seemed to dance and forth across her face, and she realised he might be studying something behind her head. She didn't dare turn to look.

Finally, he turned away at last, curling his nose in disgust. She had to clamp a hand to her mouth to stifle an audible sigh.

"Damnit, Blake!" Adrian screamed as he emerged, attempting to slam the door, which bounced off part of the lock mechanism of the other door and swung back open. Leolin remained in the shadows. "I gave you one fucking job tonight! Keep an eye on Lefevre until the time was right. How is it that you still managed to fail me?"

"She's clever," Anna defended. "And it's not just her I was up against. She's got Malfoy and Zabini and that new curse-breaker Chaisson on her side as well. That's a lot of pieces to be managing at once."

"I thought I could trust you with this," Adrian sneered. "Maybe I should have sent Torrii instead."

"If you had," Anna sneered. "Lefevre would have been lying in a pool of her own blood. Torrii's brilliant, but she can't handle finesse and you know it."

"That's right," he said coldly. "But that's why I have you, Anna my love. To handle the important things that need handling. And yet for you supposed cunning, Lefevre's in the fucking wind. I _needed_ her, damnit!"

"Perhaps if you'd told me sooner what you had in mind for her, I could ha—"

_Whack_.

Adrian backhanded Annalysse across the face. Leolin knew from personal experience how much it had probably hurt. However, Annalysse took the blow without complaint.

"No bloody excuses from you. I want her found. _Now._"

"She might already be gone," Anna pointed out. "She probably went to Brankovitch or Chaisson and took off for an unplottable safe house. That's what I would do, if I was her."

Adrian slapped her again, this time harder. She gave a soft cry, but she straightened almost immediately, even as her cheek grew scarlet.

"Then get out of here and find me a suitable replacement. Someone in the inner circle."

"Of course."

"And Blake?"

"Yes?"

"If you fail me again, don't bother coming back. I'll just send Torii to fetch you. She can send along what's left in a pill box."

Annalysse gave a solemn nod.

"Of course."

With that Adrian disappeared in the Death Eater's characteristic vortex-form disapparation, Annalysse right behind him.

When they were gone, Leolin collapsed to the ground, her legs no longer able to hold her. Her heart wasn't pumping so much as flitting across beats sporadically, and she took several huge breaths. She needed to get out of here. She thought about what Annalysse had indirectly told her; find Max or Felix and leave.

Of course, her first instinct was to find Draco, but she realised with a pang she wasn't his responsibility. It wouldn't help anyone if he were taken hostage, and Leolin was sure he and Gen had already absconded to one of his safe houses. Same with Ginny and Blaise and Severina and Xavier.

She knew that Sev and Xavy would be loathed to leave her behind, but the group had collectively established a protocol for emergencies, and the rule was always draw the fight outwards by scattering. If they all remained to account for every man, they were all in greater danger.

She rose, shredding her lingerie for loose black clothes and trainers. She had a feeling she would need to be able to run tonight.

Cautiously, she pushed out of the closet, making sure she really was alone. She had to find Felix and get to safety. She had a feeling she wouldn't be able to remain hidden from Adrian for long. If either he or Thivierge got a hold of her, she would be in hot water.

She headed for Felix, a bit worried he hadn't found her already. She prayed he wasn't in some sort of trouble.

_Felix and get out_, she repeated to herself as she tore for the balcony in the sitting room; she was sure the front door was being watched. _Felix and get out_.

However, as she tore open the French doors and was assailed by the chilly night air, something occurred to her. Annalysse was Adrian's right hand. She was as deep and as high as any spy could hope to go. She was likely privy to information Adrian kept from lieutenants like Montague and Rawle.

She felt an anger welling up at Max for keeping this information buried. Annalysse as a double agent changed _everything_. She froze. She had to get to Kelly.

She glanced over the edge of the balcony. She was on the thirteen floor of a structure built on a ravine's edge. If she jumped, she would die. Still, she couldn't go out the front. That was surely a trap.

She glanced over again. Even with _Arresto Momentum_, she would be dashed on the rocks. She leaned farther over, considering the balcony below her. It was a formidable twenty feet or so, but it was more manageable.

Slowly, cautiously, she climbed over the edge, her head spinning at the dizzying drop. Slowly she climbed down towards the lower deck, holding on the columns of the railing and glancing down again, wand clutched in her hand and compromising her grip. She would have to swing in to avoid tumbling backwards into the abyss beyond the safety of the enclosure, and she would have to cast a successful _Arresto Momentum_ the minute she began falling or she would break both legs.

She took a deep exhale.

_One. Two. Three_

She squeezed her eyes shut and let go, contracting the muscles in her abdomen to send her swinging it.

Her eyes tore open and she whispered, "_Arresto Momentum_."

She slowly dropped to her feet with a soft thud. The doors to the next suite were open, and she saw the portly figure immediately standing guard imediately. She recognised Ferran Rosier—whom Adrian and the others called Algie—from his thick profile. Algie turned immediately at the sound, grinning as he saw her.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't little. Leolin. Lefevre. Nice of you to_ drop_ in, darling."

He casted a binding curse at once, but she blocked it.

"Adrian was hoping you might come down this way," he said, casting another curse.

She blocked again, circling swiftly around him. He countered by circling as well, hurling jinxes every few seconds. She watched his jowls bounce as they moved. She could tell at once Algie was no great dueler, and he'd always been comically out of shape. If she stayed calm, she could win this.

She countered his latest hex before leaping over the nearest couch and hiding behind it.

Much to his growing annoyance, he couldn't penetrate the brocade barrier.

"Stop faffing about, Lefevre!" he demanded, coming around and hurling another bind.

"Shouldn't have eaten so many sweeties at dinner, Algie," she called back, flitting between furniture with agility, and dancing out of the reach of each of his curses.

He was getting winded, and like the snake was she so often accused of being, she was almost ready to strike. As his latest jinx flew past her right hip, she whirled on him. She parried his final attempt before hurling a sonic hex, which hit him squarely in the chest. It drove him backwards violently and off his feet entirely, and she leapt on top of the nearest couch so she had to high ground, taking advantage of his disorientation to cast a tight binding curse.

Iron chains leapt from her wand and snaked around him.

"Be sure to tell Pucey I stopped by, then," she sneered as he struggled. "Oh _wait_! You won't be able to. What a crying shame. _Obliviate._"

His eyes immediately glazed over as he inhaled the silvery curse through his nose and mouth. She knew she hadn't cast a strong enough charm to make it permanent, especially because Tate Rawle was a noted master of memory charms. Still, it would at least take him out of play for now.

"_Levicorpus,_" she said, as he looked around wildly.

"What is this?" he asked desperately. "Please, help me!"

She said nothing, only transported him to the closet and stuffed him inside.

"Wait!" he cried, voice distant from the barrier. "Please. I don't know what you think I've done, but I'm innocent. Please, don't leave in here. Please! _Please!"_

She cast a disillusionment charm over him for good measure before giving a cruel smile.

"Merlin, it is going to take them _forever_ to find you."

She slammed the door and locked it. It felt good to have at least one victory to her name.

When Rosier was sorted, she tore from the room and wrenched the door open into the hall. Robby Macnair was standing guard, but she stunned, chained, and obliterated him before he could even draw his wand. She quickly stuffed his unconscious form in the room and locked the door.

The hall was full of duels and screams, and Leolin drew her hood down over her face and headed off. She remembered Kelly saying their suite was several floors below hers, and she headed in that direction. It was a long shot, but she had to start somewhere in looking for Cara or Kelly or both.

Fortune, it seemed, was on her side, as she tore down the marble staircase, she slammed into someone. She recognised the curls at once, and she cried out in relief.

"Cara," she said. "Oh my gods, thank Merlin!"

"Leolin!" she replied, collapsing into Leolin's embrace. "I've never been so happy to see anyone in my life."

"Where's Kelly?" Leolin demanded. "We have to find him!"

Cara gave an agonised sigh.

"Gone," she whispered. "Already gone."

Leolin shook her head frantically.

"We have to find him. We have to stop him. Blake is on our side. That means we don't need Kelly."

Cara's eyes slipped closed and she gave a shuddering sob, covering her mouth.

Leolin tugged her into her arms again as Cara began to cry.

"It's alright," Leolin said breathlessly. "He's going to be safe! Do you know where they're collecting hostages?"

"I heard a deatheater talking," Cara said. "There's a clearing in the forest. It's across the ravine, near the pitch."

"We have to get there as quickly as possible," Leolin said resolutely. "How many minutes ahead of us is Kelly?"

"Ten," Cara said, wiping her hears and steeling her voice. "Maybe even less."

Leolin nodded.

"Are you ready to run?"

"I could run all night," Cara affirmed.

She was sensibly dressed like Leolin. She pulled on a hood to hide her curls and they took off hand-in-hand.

The lobby was a chaotic jumble, and they tore through skidding across marble and cursing those in masks.

Leolin saw faces she knew all around her.

Fred and George Weasley were back-to-back, firing curses rapidly and hitting ever target.

She saw Vik with a cut on his cheek, hurling hexes at Graham Montague, Daphne's husband.

Leolin longed to help them, but she knew they could all handle themselves.

She and Cara pushed out the door.

"What the hell is that?" Leolin said, pointing a grotesque symbol shining in the inky night sky. It looked like a human heart that had been pierced by three swords.

Cara looked up, shaking her head. Her mother was the retired British ambassador to Romania, Kelly had told Leolin, and she seemed to recognise it at once.

"It's the Bulgarian terror sign," Cara said breathlessly. "Like the dark mark. Things have been tense between Bulgaria and Turkey for months. I heard that Victor Krum and Sergej Genadiev ever mixed it up pretty bad tonight. Lucius was clever to use the Bulgarian terror as a smokescreen. This keeps the heat off him."

They looked up at the bloody heart for a second, which continued to pump grotesquely.

"Alright," Leolin said. "Come on. The bridge across is this way."

She began to tug her to the right, away from the town and towards so darkened rope bride swinging ominously in the wind.

"The main bridge is that way," Cara protested.

"I know," Leolin urged. "But that way will be watched by the Deatheater patrol".

Cara bit her lip. The darkness admittedly looked no less foreboding or dangerous. There were less people this way, but screams still echoed from the darkness, and they stunned three masked men before reaching the yawning chasm.

The bridge was thin and slick, and Cara bit her lip.

"C'mon!" Leolin said, tearing across the wooden planks no wider than two feet.

Cara didn't move.

"I'm terrified of heights," she said, biting her lip.

"Then it's time to conquer it," Leolin said, extending her hand. "Go ahead of me. I have your back."

Cara finally nodded, jogging forward. She gained confidence as she moved, eyes squeezed shut. By the time they were three quarters of the way across the bridge, she was sprinting.

"You're near the end," Leolin cried. "Open your eyes, Cara!"

Cara did as she was told before leaping to safety on the dirt and letting out a loud exhale. When Leolin had joined her, they took off down the darkened path that snaked towards the pitch.

"It's this way," Cara said. "It's not far."

Leolin nodded.

"Be on your guard," Leolin warned, her breath pushing past her lips in a visible puff. It was cold, colder than she'd anticipated, and her legs had began to cramp. "If this is their epicentre, Adrian, Thivierge, and Rawle are probably prowling around."

Cara nodded.

They started off, wands raised. However, they came around a bend, and they could see the light of the campfires in the clearing about three quarters of a mile off. Spurred by their urgency, they began to run, and that was perhaps they grand mistake.

They'd let their haste lower their guard, and they didn't see Mackenzie Travers emerging from the shadows until they were already sprinting past him.

"What have we here?" he demanded, grinning as he disarmed them both, casting their wands casually to the side.

He flicked his wrist lazily and had them both in chains. He yanked off their hoods and laughed.

"Leolin Lefevre!" he laughed, crouching down and grabbing her roughly by the jaw. "Aren't you just a sight for sore eyes! You're the talk of the town this evening. Adrian's been in _right_ state looking for you."

"Don't touch me," Leolin hissed, twisting her head back and forth.

He laughed as he straightened strutting casually to Cara. "Who's your friend?" he asked, He crouched down and Leolin cried out.

"She's no one!"

It was too late. He was pushing Cara's hood back and letting her curls spring forward.

"I know you," Mackenzie said gleefully. "You're Kelly Troy's little wife."

Cara sneered and turned her head away as he pushed her onto her back.

"I liked that dress you were wearing tonight," he said, expression lewd. "Troy has _such _good taste. Right, Lef?"

Leolin struggled.

"Get _off _me!" Cara sneered.

"Nah," Mackenzie said, readjusting Cara's chains so they bound only her wrists and ankles.

"I mean it," Cara cried, fighting her panic. It was clear what he intended. "I'll tear you apart!"

He gave a condescending laugh.

"Not sure how," Mackenzie replied, ripping the zipper of Cara's hoodie down and leering at her slender torso.

"I will fucking kill you, Travers," Leolin warned. "Get off her."

"Oh, shut it or I'll shut it for you," Travers sneered.

"You—" Leolin began, and immediately she was silenced.

"Get off!" Cara cried, bucking her hips back and forth.

"That's it," Travers purred. "I like when girls fight back. It makes it so much hotter."

Cara was beginning to cry, but she remained brave, gritting her teeth and still struggling.

Leolin watched in horror as Travers scraped two palms firmly up Cara's torso before squeezing both breasts firmly. Cara gave a discontented half-sob.

"Well they're not as big as Lefevre's," Mackenzie mused, squeezing harder as she tried to dislodge his hands by thrashing. "But I love how fucking firm they are."

Leolin drove her nails into her palms so hard she drew blood, screaming silently. It was heinous to be a victim of rape; she knew that better than anyone. However, watching a friend suffer the same fate was infinitely worse. Still, she wouldn't abandon Cara by looking away. She gave her a reassuring nod. She would stop this. She began screaming the counter-charm in her mind, determined not to fail her friend.

Mackenzie was pushing Cara's shirt and bra up now, exposing her breasts to the cold night air. Mackenzie laughed delightedly as her nipples hardened almost at once.

He bent a head and caught a perfect bud between his teeth.

She cried out in miserable pain as she thrashed violently against the pain.

"Is that really the best you can do?" he demanded, closing his teeth tighter.

Cara gave a piercing scream, and Leolin struggled ever harder.

"Gods, that's it," Travers said, leaning back onto his heels as he began to stroke himself.

Cara began to cry in earnest as he grew visibly in his trousers. She turned her head away to avoid looking at him, but he held her chin.

"No, watch me," he demanded. "It's so much sexier that way."

Cara whimpered.

"Get off me," she said gravely, and he laughed, softly slapping her sore nipple and making her whimper again.

Leolin was working furiously, and she could feel the chains loosening. Still, she didn't have much time. Travers had released Cara's legs, grabbing her ankles to keep her from kicking as he forced her running pants down her creamy legs. He looked at her red thong and laughed.

"Oh Troy, you little _temptress_!"

"Stop!" she wailed as he rebound her ankles. "Please. _Please!_"

"That's right, keep begging," he goaded, his eyes closed as he stroked himself. "Don't stop."

"Please!" she said, still fighting despite the fact that she was obviously exhausted. "I'll give you anything you want!"

He ignored her plea.

"Just so you know," he laughed, watching the tears leak from Cara's eyes as he wrenched down her knickers. "I like it really rough. Rougher than your pansy-arsed husband's capable of, I'm sure."

He was nearly ready when Leolin tore an arm free, rolling over and grabbing her discarded wand. Travers turned in fear, todger still out as Leolin flourished.

"_Avada Kadavra."_

Travers slumped sideways, dead. Immediately Leolin freed Cara, and she yanked down her shirt and tucked her knees to her chest before resolutely wiping tears.

"You didn't have to do that," she whispered, rocking gently.

Leolin mended her knickers and handed them back.

"Yes I did," she said.

Leolin turned away so Cara could redress, and she tore Travers' shirt open to reveal his naked chest.

"_Falconinae adoleret_," she said, and she gave grimly satisfied smile as Travers skin sizzled with a raw, angry brand.

It was in the shape of a small bird of prey.

"What is that for?" Cara said meekly, not wanting to look at Travers, who was still hanging shamefully out of his trousers.

Leolin gave her a fierce look.

"The falcon is my patronus," she said sourly. "I want Adrian to know this was me."

Cara flew into Leolin's arms, and Leolin smoothed her hair. They pulled back and Leolin kissed her cheek.

"Now let's go and get Kelly."

Cara nodded, still holding Leolin's hand.

They proceeded more cautiously towards the light, which by now was a mere 20 metres away. They heard voices as they approached, and no more than fifteen deatheaters prowled the parametre, watching the prisoners who were bound in the middle. Some wore mask and some didn't, and Leolin recognised some faces.

Kai Morris, who was no taller than he'd been at Hogwarts, stood eying the captives with distain. Dom Godfrey, who'd been the strapping Hufflepuff quidditch captain, stood with arms crossed and feet apart, looking menacing. Rodger Yaxley and Will Avery were in a whisper conference, and Leolin thought they might be talking about the figure who stood in the middle on a stump, overseeing the entire operation with arms crossed.

Annalysse and Victoria Thivierge were Adrian's lieutenants in London, managing Adrian's bribes and threats and consolidating power for Lucius. However, when it came to Adrian's more covert operations, it was his old friend Tate Rawle that he relied on. Tate had been three years older that Leolin and Adrian, and he'd taken a shine to Adrian in a way he never had to either Draco or Blaise. Leolin was fairly sure that Rawle felt threatened by Draco, and didn't fancy tangling with him. However, he and Adrian had always been of a like mind, and now that Adrian had won some power, Rawle was his natural ally.

Rawle was a handsome bloke upwards of six feet with dark skin and dark eyes, which sparkled with intelligence. Leolin thought it was the high arch of his dark brows that made him look so imperious as it always seemed as if he was peering down in distain. He often wore a tall collar with gave him a further air of intimidation and power. The hem of his leather trench fluttered in the wind, but he seemed unaffected by the cold.

He stood with arms crossed, barking orders as his chocolate eyes swiveled keenly across the assembled crowd. It seemed that they were in the midst of transporting their prisoners, who were mostly important foreign diplomats and political opponents of Lucius's.

"Yaxley, you and Avery take this lot. Five each. Drop them at HQ and report back."

"Sir," Yaxley said in a gravelly voice so much like his fathers.

He hauled Barty Crouch, Ludo Bagman, Reg Cattermole, Dirk Cresswell, and Dilys Derwent to their feet.

In a swirling pop, they were gone.

Avery hauled his group to their feet and disappeared in a similar fashion.

"I don't see Kelly," Cara whispered as they peered into the clearing from the dark safety of the trees.

"I don't either," Leolin breathed. "I don't know if that's good or bad."

The crowd had thinned considerably now, and Deatheaters disappeared as Rawle ordered them away. Soon it was only him and a handful of others. Then, with a swirling pop, a new figure appeared.

Victoria Thivierge looked a lot more intimidating in all black, especially considering her combat boots and the thin knife strapped to her left thigh to match her wand at her right.

"What do you want, Torrii?" Rawle said in a bored voice. "Shouldn't you be sucking Adrian off somewhere?"

"Don't be jealous that I give him the one thing you just can't," she replied in her musical voice.

Leolin could tell from her accent that one of her parents one of her parents must have been Welsh. She hadn't noticed that before.

"And Adrian sent me to supervise."

"Supervise what?" Rawle demanded. "The job's done."

Torrii rolled his eyes at his vitriol.

"I'm his favourite, Tate. Get over it."

"Only because you're his bedwarmer," Rawle snapped.

"Green doesn't suit you," she replied casually. "Has Anna been through yet?"

"Several times. Why?"

"Who did she have with her?"

"I don't know. Loads."

"Anyone of note?"

Rawle shrugged.

"The Scrimgeour kid. Everard III. Gregorivitch."

"No one from Malfoy's inner circle?"

Rawle shrugged.

"I wouldn't say so, no. Why?"

"Anna was meant to snag Lefevre; The minister feels like he's given her too long a leash. The problem is that that slippery bitch was gone. I think she must have been tipped off and left right after the party. Malfoy and his yank were gone as well. Adrian told me if Anna couldn't produce someone suitable that I should punish her."

"I thought punishing people was your wet dream," Rawle sneered.

Torrii shrugged.

"I've slit three throats tonight. It's enough for now."

"Ah, I see! She's your little soft spot," Rawle goaded. "You're worried she'll hate you if you do what you're told."

"She's a much more competent lieutenant that you are," Torrii explained coldly. "And she'd do the same for me."

"Look at you," Rawle taunted, and quick as a flash, Torrii had drawn her wand and sent a stinging jinx at his right hand.

He hissed in pain and flexed his fingers. He was right handed; this would keep him from retaliating until he could tend to it.

"You were saying?" she asked casually.

"Even you aren't getting Blake out of this jam," Rawle said venomously. "Lefevre's long gone."

"I'm not so sure," Thivierge said, and Leolin shrank farther into the shadows. "Macklin said he saw her little fox Chaisson sneaking around the castle not ten minutes ago. Could be he's looking for her."

"More likely she left with Malfoy," Rawle replied. "Did you see him tonight? He wants to fuck her so badly."

Torrii sneered.

"I don't see why everyone thinks she's so fucking beautiful," she snapped.

"Why don't you ask Adrian?" he said saucily as she scowled. "He certainly thinks she is."

Thivierge ignored his comment.

"Those knockers of hers are fake."

Rawle smirked, glancing at Torrii's slender form dispassionately.

"At least she has some."

"Fuck off!"

Tate gave a rich, deep laugh. It was like a jaguar inside a cello.

"I warned Adrian not to fuck a virgin; they get _so_ girlishly attached."

She stung him again, this time on the arm.

"Damnit!" he sneered, clutching his arm. "Stop it."

Torrii wasn't listening.

"What was that?" she demanded, eyes swiveling through the trees. "I heard something."

"I didn't," he drawled. "You're just trying to change the subject."

She sneered at him, the sound forgotten.

However, she had been right. Cara nudged Leolin silently, pointing to shaded figure hiding among the trees across the clearing from them. He was obscured from Rawle and Victoria, but Cara and Leolin could see him rather clearly.

Cara tensed at once. It was Kelly.

He gave her a pleading look, blowing a kiss. She shook her head violently, putting up a hand to indicate he wait before pushing her hand together in a praying gesture. He shook his head, but she repeated it, desperate. Finally he nodded.

Immediately Leolin and Cara began picking their way towards him, careful not to touch a single branch. Luckily the ground was wet, and their trainers were able to whisper across fallen twigs without snapping any. They swung wide around Kelly, and when she was close enough, Cara tugged him deeper into the shadows with them.

They said nothing, but Cara dragged him into a desperate kiss. Kelly didn't know the horror she'd suffered from his sake, but he held her protectively all the same.

"I have to go," he mouthed. "And you two have to let me. If Adrian finds Leolin we'll be fucked. Besides," he said, giving her a sad look. "He won't be kind if he catches you."

He tried to untangle himself from Cara's grasp, but she held him.

"You don't understand," Cara whispered desperately. "Annalysse Blake is our spy, and she's Adrian's right hand; there's no reason that you should go in there. In fact, you only risk exposing her if you do."

"If that's true," he said. "Why didn't Brankovitch say anything before?"

"I think he wanted to," Leolin said. "He and Ren kept trading looks. I think he was just trying to protect Blake. She obviously means a great deal to him."

Kelly shook his head.

"Then I should still go," he protested.

Leolin shook her head.

"She's a seasoned spy. This is much better suited to her."

"This was always a long shot, KT," Cara said desperately. "Please don't make you put yourself in unnecessary danger."

Kelly bent his head and kissed her fiercely.

"You don't understand how much I need you," she said, head on his chest. "_Please_ don't do this."

Kelly traded a look with Leolin.

"She's right, Kel," Leolin agreed. "For once, be a Slytherin and not a Gryffindor. Please."

Finally, Kelly nodded.

"Alright," he agreed reluctantly. "We'll wait for now. But if we decide later I need to do this, you both have to promise me you'll let me go. No arguments."

Cara began to silently cry, pressing her cheek to his chest.

"I love you," she breathed, and he smoothed her hair.

"You too," he agreed. "Now let's get out here."

"We need to get to the next town down," Leolin said. "It should be safe to use our floos there. We will get somewhere unplottable after."

Cara nodded.

"I have a house set up in the highlands. It was my parents'. We'll be safe there."

They nodded, but as soon as they agreed, there were two soft pops behind. They whirled around, and Thivierge's head snapped up.

"Ren," Leolin breathed. "You found a way to apparate? Get us out of here!"

Max was with Felix, and they both looked somber. Felix's breath hung in the chilled air, and there was sadness in his obsidean eyes.

"I'm sorry, bichette," he whispered.

"What—"

He drew his wand and hit Kelly in the chest with a sonic hex. Kelly was pushed off his feet as he flew backwards, landing with a thud and bathing in the glow of the camp. Torrii and Rawle reacted at once.

"Kelly!" Cara screamed, but Max had her in an instant, and they disappeared.

Felix grabbed Leolin's wrists and did the same.

They traveled fro what seemed like forever, and Leolin choked on the thin air and her unshed tears. When they finally began to slow, she began fighting.

They landed heavily in front of a small house, and Leolin punched him in the face.

"You fucking _bastard_!" she cried, struggling against him as he grabbed her wrists. He was a hell of a lot strong than he looked.

"Leolin," he said frantically. "We're not safe here. We have to get inside. _Now._"

"Fuck you," she sobbed through snot and tears, still trying to free herself from his grasp. "I'm not going _anywhere_ with you!"

"Please," he begged, looking over his shoulder in panic. "Don't make me drag you."

She finally broke his hold and her, and she drew her wand in a flash.

"I'm going to kill you," she snarled.

He held up his hands, trying to calm her.

"Please, Leolin, _please_!" he said. "We're only three miles from the stadium, and they're scouring the countryside for us right now. If their charm picks us up, we're dead."

"I don't ca—"

"I'm sorry," he interrupted, stunning her and catching her unconscious form as it sagged to the ground.

When she came to she was lying on a couch and the small but cozy chalet. She sat up slowly, watching Felix as he muttered protective spells, pointing his wand at the ceiling, walls, windows, and doors in turn. She could see her slender yew wand poking out of the back pocket of his dark jeans.

"Give me my wand," she croaked.

He turned, looking guilty.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I can't."

"Why not?" she snarled quietly, getting to her feet. "Give it to me!"

"Do you promise not to apparate out of here if I do?"

He must have dropped the wards, making it impossible to get in and out wandlessly.

"No," she said honestly.

"Then please understand why I can't give you your wand back."

"Give it back to me or I swear I will kill you with my bare hands."

"Leolin—"

She lunged at him and he threw up a protective charm just in time, quickly encasing her in an invisible cage.

"Let me out!" she screamed, pounding on the air like it was glass. "And give me backing my fucking wand!"

"I'm sorry," he croaked. "I can't."

"How could you do this to me?" she demanded, still pounding her fists. "I trusted you; _loved you_ like a brother! How could you betray me like this?"

"I didn't do it to hurt you," he defended. "I would never do that. I love you, too. The _last _thing I want is to hurt you."

"But you have hurt me!" she said in anguish. "You've broken my heart and my trust."

"I couldn't tell you," he whispered through tears. "I had to do this, Leolin. Please try to understand."

"No," she bit out. "_Never_."

"I—" he began sorrowfully, but his floo began to smoke and he flicked it open, still eying her with sad eyes.

"Brank!" It was Annalysse. She sounded downright panicked "You and Ren need to get back here _now_. Adrian's still going off the rails about losing Lefevre. I need you to get back here and stir things up again so I can talk him down. If I don't, he's going to kill Troy."

"We're on our way," came Max's solemn reply, and Felix wordlessly snapped the lighter shut

He then glanced at Leolin, who met his gaze and pounded again, this time harder.

"Give me back my wand, Felix!" she demanded. "I'm going with you!"

He backed away, towards the door. There were tears in his eyes to match the ones on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he croaked. "I can't."

"You're not leaving me here!" she screamed. "Let me _out_!"

"You heard what Annalysse said," Felix said. "If Adrian gets his hands on you after everything that's gone on tonight, he'll never let you go again."

"I don't care!" Leolin screamed, voice already going hoarse. "I'm not going to leave Kelly after what you've done. Let me go!"

She was pounding so hard her fists had begun to ache.

"I'm sorry, Leolin," Felix whispered. "I really am."

"If he dies—" she sobbed in warning.

Felix shook his head, the action dislodging several tears. "I won't let him," he said. "I promise."

"Felix!" she cried. "Don't leave me here!"

"I'll be back in later," he said in reply, giving her a final sorrowful look before heading out the door, slamming and locking it behind him. There was a faint pop a second later signaling he'd apparated back. He was gone.

When she was alone, the cage disappated, and she immediately ran to the door, tugging and tugging even knowing it would never budge. However, she kept at it for almost a half hour, not even because he thought it would help, but becaue she was too manc to stop. She was taking short, choppy breathes, and finally the lack of oxygen made her dizzy and she lost her balance collapsing flat onto her back on the worn oak floor.

She lay on there for a long time, too spent to move. Tears were still leaking slowly from her eyes, sliding vertically down her cheekbones towards her her ears before pooling on the floor. She couldn't stop thinking about Kelly the night they'd gone to The Petty Diplomat and she realised, almost painfully, that Draco wasn't the only man on Earth she could fall for. The memory was terribly bittersweet. They'd been so impossibly young then, so innocent, and she allowed herself to imagine for the first time all the ways things could have been different.

Perhaps it was just her grief, her grief at losing Draco yet again and the pain of knowing that she might never see Kelly again, but suddenly she couldn't stop thinking about how different her life would have been if she'd married Kelly instead. If she had, could she have been truly happy with him, knowing Draco still walked the Earth? If she had, would she still have ended up here, powerless to save him from Adrian? It was impossible to know. Still, when she imagined loving someone properly again, being loved by them in return, the tears began anew. Had she married Kelly five years ago, would she be a mum right now, instead of barren and alone? The idea of children wrenched more sobs from her throat, and when she relived the dance and the look in Draco's eyes just before he'd turned his back on her, she felt she might burst. She forced herself to face the reality that tonight she could lose the only two men she could ever love, and she cried so hard that she actually made herself sick.

Anguished and disgusted, she sat up and cleaned the mess wandlessly before lumbering to her feet and trudging to the kitchen. She intended to get something to eat, but when she finally made it to the kitchen, she realised the only thing she really wanted was liquor. After several minutes of searching, she finally found a dusty bottle of Ogden's Firewhiskey, and she took a bitter swig. Her stomach was empty now and didn't seem particularly ready for more alcohol, but she took a second drag anyways, and after that the third. She was quickly approaching proper drunkenness again, but far from avoiding it, she drove straight toward it. She wasn't sure how long she sat there allowing the whiskey to numb her senses and dull the ache of it all, but finally she heard the lock clicking from the living room, and she looked to find Max, not Felix, trudging in.

There was a nasty laceration on his forehead and his lip was bloody, and he looked grim and somewhat pale. He trudged in, drawing a flask from his pocket and taking a long drag. Finally he looked up at her, and there was something sad and broken in his gaze.

"Troy's safe," he breathed, leaning heavily on the island in the middle of the kitchen and giving his head wound an exploratory prod before taking another drink. He wasn't as drunk as her, certainly, but he was well on his way.

"What happened?" she said, immediately blinking back tears.

"Annalysse convinced Adrian that it made no sense to kill Troy. She told him it would hurt you more if he turned Kelly against you, and it gave him a better shot at getting to you quicker. Besides, Adrian's not stupid; he knows how badly they need someone in our camp."

He bowed his head, looking uncharacteristically ashamed.

"And everyone else?" she said quietly.

"Ren got out fine, barely a scratch on him. I only got this because I wasn't paying attention. Still, we—" he broke off, taking another swig.

"We what?" she demanded quietly.

"One of my AAO contacts came to help. Jimmy. He was twenty and he—we got jammed up early on and he stepped in front of a sectumsempra from Thivierge. He's dead."

He swallowed, and she didn't offer a retort. After everything that had happened, she didn't have it in her to be cruel about something like that. He nodded then fell silent, and they both took a drink. When he finally looked back at her, his gaze was sad and booze-ridden.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded at last. "Where's Ren?"

He gave her a storm-ridden look.

"He took Cara to her parents."

She shook her head in disgust, and he clenched his jaw.

"He loves you, Lefevre. You're like family to him. I couldn't let your beat down on him just for doing what had to be done."

"You had no right to decide that," she snarled quietly. "Neither of you."

"Troy's safe," he said in response, clearly intent on protecting Felix. "Adrian's already given the order Kelly's not to be harmed any more than absolutely necessary. Thivierge wanted him, but he gave the job to Rawle instead."

"Is that supposed to make me glad?" she asked softly, brow creasing in anguish as she wiped at more tears. "Like Tate will be any less cruel?"

"Yes," Max said, eyes a little pleading now. "You know Rawle is much more reasonable that Thivierge."

"Reasonable?" she demanded more vociferously. "Are you fucking kidding me? Tate helped Tommy Pucey _rape_ an innocent woman. He's just as cruel as Thivierge, and he and Kelly have a grudge going back to school. Do you really think he's going to be any less harsh?"

Max bowed his head.

"We all agreed that this had to be done," he said, half to her and half to himself. "You have to know I never wanted to hurt you. It just—" he paused, trying to collect his booze-soaked justifications."It had to be done. I'm sorry we had to hurt you."

"No," she snarled leaping down from the counter she'd been sitting on and swaying a little. "We agreed to this when Tommy was still alive and we didn't know about Annalysse. You and Brank knew damn well the rest of us would never have agreed to turning Kelly in tonight."

"He won't," Max insisted, trying to reassure her and himself. "Annalysse already—"

"This is _Adrian_ we're talking about!" she sobbed. "We have no guarantees he won't change his mind and kill Kelly! He's still looking for revenge for Tommy, and he's dangerous! You know this isn't over! You _know_ Kelly still might die!"

This realisation was more to herself than to him. Kelly might die. She could lose Kelly _forever_, and he wasn't even hers to lose. She'd already lost Draco yet again; she couldn't bare to lose Kelly, for her sake and for Cara's.

She was crying harder than ever, choking on the sobs and shaking from the effort.

"What have you done?" she screamed. "Who are you to decide these things? And I might have expected something hideous like this from you, but I hate you for dragging Ren into this."

"I'm sorry," he repeated, disarmed by the booze and the truth in her words. "I know how you feel."

"No," she snarled. "You don't. You have _no_ idea. If our places were reversed, if I'd sold Amelia out, do you expect me to believe you would accept it '_had to be done_' and not feel betrayed?"

She's hit a major pain point, and his brows furrowed in anguish.

"That's different," he demanded tightly.

"No," she said. "It isn't! I loved Kelly; I might be in love with him, but I still love him, and you sold him out for your own gain!"

"This wasn't for me!" he defended. "It was for all of us. And have a little faith in him. He can do this, and when we win this war, it's going to be because of what he did for us. For _you."_

_"_Stop trying to justify yourself!" she screamed.

"I'm not," he sighed, and by this point he looked close to tears. She could see what she'd said about Amelia had punctured his resolve. "But it's cruel for you to try and say that Troy going to Pucey is like what Amelia suffered. That's unspeakably low.

She took a shuddering breath, mostly because he was right. She could see the pain of his loss, made fresh by her barbs, shining in his eyes. He looked lost and alone, and she realised she knew just how he felt; she was experiencing it now."

She another heaving breath. Even standing ten feet from Max, she'd never felt more alone. She knew he did, too. Her drunken mind was addled, but even in her compromised state she felt like she was going to die from the isolation. She started towards him. She needed to touch him so she knew he was real. So she could save herself from the loneliness before it consumed her.

"Leolin—" he began as she advanced, but it was too late. She slapped him with all her might, and his head snapped painfully to the side.

"You bastard!" she screamed, pounding on his chest. "You fucking bastard!"

"Leolin!" he pleaded, trying to grab her wrists to stop her assault. He was worn down from the earlier fight, and he was drunk as well. "Please!"

"No!" she cried, getting a hand free and slapping him again. "I fucking hate you!"

She began to beat on his chest, trying to dissipate something that had began to resonate between them. It was new and charged and strong, and it made her dizzy. She beat harder, so hard she knew she'd leave bruises. It felt good to let it out, and she couldn't deny that whatever was buzzing between them was quelling the aching loneliness and her manic fear along with it.

"Leolin!" he demanded again. "Stop. Please, stop."

He had her wrists now firmly in his grasp, and strong as he was, the effort of restraining her made his biceps stand out. They were both breathing heavily, and she struggled against him as the emotion swelled and the buzzing grew. She wanted to punish him, to hurt him, to kill him, even, but more than that, she desperately needed not to feel so lost and afraid. She needed something to suppress the gruesome fact that she'd likely lost the only people she could ever love. She tried to hit him again, but he'd finally maintained control. It was here to she finally looked up at him. The alcohol was making him swim in and out of focus, but his gaze was pleading and sincere, and it struck her right at the epicentre of her anguish. Exhausted from struggling and disarmed by the pleading in his obsidian eyes, she stopped moving, studying his face again and the soul she so loved that was shining through his dark gaze.

He was studying her too, searching for her expression for comfort. She fought not to offer him either, but the intoxication was making it impossible to think clearly, and her sorrow was bubbling up again, threatening to consume her, to dragging her down to the cold, crushing deep. She was breathing so hard she felt dizzy again, and she began to grow afraid again. She looked up at him, and he was afraid, too. The loss she felt in that moment, the anger at the unfairness of it all, it was a feeling he'd been harbouring for years, and she could tell he needed a balm as badly as she didn't. Maybe more.

Both extremely unsteady on her feet and desperate for a lifeline, she bowed into him, lower lip trembling. He was breathing hard too, especially as he tentatively released his tight grip to tuck some hair behind her ears.

The tenderness of the gesture inspired more tears.

"Leolin," he breathed.

She shook her head but didn't move. In fact she bent farther into his warmth, eyes slipping closed. Before she could even stop, she pictured the sincerity and fortitude in Kelly's eyes earlier that night. _I have to go, and you two have to let me. _After Kelly it was Gen. _You can no longer offer him the one thing he wants most. I still can._ She squeezed her eyes shut, sobbing with abandon. After Gen it was Adrian. _Someone needs to teach you a lesson in respect, and I promise you that someday person is going to be me. _Finally, as she tucked even closer to Felix, her tears nearly spent, it was Draco's voice she was hearing. _I'm sorry. Callie, I—I have to go. Please—don't follow me._

Her head was spinning, every cell drowning in whiskey, but as Draco's words echoed over and over, she tipped her head back to look Max in the eye. There was something inviting and dangerous glinting in his eyes, and reading her expression, he froze, eyes flicking to her lips several times before leaning in. She pulled away at first and neither of them moved, but after she didn't pull any further away, he tried again. This time his lips found hers easily. At first she didn't respond, and he pulled away, breathless as he studied her. However, after a moment, he dove in again without further hesitation.

The kiss was brutal and violent, and he crushed her body to his as he devoured her. She still sought to injure even as they lips mashed together.

Under any other circumstance, his insistence in the face of her opposition would have been assault. However, Leolin's violence wasn't an expression of her desire for him to stop. Just the opposite, fucked up as that was. She needed him as much as he did her. Needed him with such violence that she couldn't be satisfied by another other than a rough and desperate fuck, which was exactly what she knew she would get.

Her lips were swollen as she pulled away, gasping for breath. She slapped him again, his cheek already red. However, he didn't hesitate in his work. He was already shredding her jacket, his teeth grazing her neck as his fingers desperately grabbed her arse.

He was wearing a similar zip-up, and she forced it off his broad shoulders. He was groping at her bra now, and she raised her arms and let him pull it over her head before tearing his shirt off.

She ran her sharp nails down his tanned skin, leaving angry red scratches down his smooth back. He didn't seem to notice. His eyes were on her breasts, and he was panting now. He squeezed them, biting his lip before dropping his lips to sample the soft flesh. She threaded a hand painfully through his hair as he worked, tugging so hard he had to actively resist her to keep working. Her drunkenness was making her extremely dizzy, but she quickly shut her mind off, reveling in the physical pleasure so she could block out her mental pain.

When he pulled back, breathless, both nipples were swollen and tinged a tantalizing rose. His eyes were glassy, and she knew he was drunk as well. There was tears on her cheeks again, but she swiped them away and let herself go numb.

He grabbed her wrist and spun her so she was facing away from him. His teeth raked across the soft skin of her shoulder and he shoved a hand roughly into her spandex. He wasn't delicate about his business. When she was sufficiently wet, he jerked her hips backwards with strong hand, prompting her to grind against him.

She did and he groaned, growing for her at once. She'd forgotten how big he was, and she knew she would be sore the next day. The idea was grimly satisfying. It would be pain to mask the straightened and his strong fingers ghosted across her neck, squeezing gently. She responded by tipping her head back, twining a hand through his thick hair and arching her back. While the right hand tightened around her throat, the left pushed her knickers aside again, touching a spot that made her cry out.

He forced the shorts and knickers down her legs so she was completely naked. He pushed her against the counter again, using his right hand to hold her down. The marble was cold against her bare breasts, and she was slightly breathless from the pressure on her ribcage. Pinning her with his right, his shoved three fingers in and pumped.

Leolin was perhaps the only woman in the world who melted from this kind of attention, and he could feel her tightening around him. It was then that he removed his fingers, unbuckling his belt and unzipping his jean. Not bothering to undress any further, he stroked himself from several more seconds before unceremoniously driving into her.

They both groaned.

"Hold onto the edge," he ordered breathlessly. "This marble could shatter one of your hips."

She did what she was told, forcing backward on him roughly as he drove in, making him cried out a little in pain. He grabbed her hips and slamming deep on his next down-stroke. He then set an ambitious pace, the sound of his flesh slapping against filled the kitchen.

"Harder," she croaked, trying to fight down a rushing font of self-loathing. However, the alcohol's effects were reaching their zenith, and buy now the whole running was spinning.

His work beforehand had pushed her close.

"I can't," he grit out, though he didn't slow, and even hooked a hand over her shoulder for better leverage. "You're still so fucking tight. I'm gonna break you in two."

"I don't care," she grit out.

An orgasm, dull and wreathed in guilt, because to swell, and she began gasping as the swell crested. She was crying again, and she so drunk she felt sick. Still, when she saw Draco's face again, his impossibly sad eyes, she gave in and cried out.

"Fuck," he breathed when she clenched around him.

She collapsed more fully against the counter, and the cold marble soothed her flushed her cheek.

"I hate you," she pleaded, still craving his comfort even as she remembered how deeply his betrayal had cut her.

"I don't care," he said, tone pregnant with pain.

However, he'd stopped pumping, and after a moment he pulled out.

"Leolin," he said, voice strained by emotion. Even as he said it, she could sense it wasn't her he was talking to. She'd become someone else to him, and it was her comfort he was seeking, not Leolin's.

He stepped away, clearly at war with himself. She turned slowly, watching him struggle and not knowing quite how she wanted to react. However, after a moment, he advanced on her again, crushing her mouth to his. She fought him again, at war as well, but she felt the loneliness welling up again. When she acquiesced to him, he lifted her easily into his arms, carrying her to the small bedroom as if she weighed nothing. The hiatus had granted her some small amount of clarity, and she thought to pull away. However, when she pictured Draco's face again, she pulled him closer instead.

She could see in his eyes how badly he wanted to atone, to comfort her and be comforted in return, she nodded drunkenly. He touch was gentler now as he eased her back onto her feet, made more languid by his drunkenness, and she gave in to his reverence, heart racing as he devoured her.

"Come here," he prompted, taking her hand, brushing her sweaty hair back, and kissing her gently. He urged her backwards, and when the back of her knees hit the soft bed, she collapsed onto her back. The whole room felt like it was spinning again, and she could barely acknowledge what was happening or what she was feeling beyond his touch. He immediately fell to his knees in front of her, reverently parting her legs and worshipping her with his tongue. She knotted a hand in his hand, urging him on.

His movements were unhurried, and he laved her softly and deliberately, it is was the sort of attention that would result in a long, slow mounting of pressure. Every once in a while he would hit a spot and she would give a breathy intake Finally his movements became more deliberate, and soon she was panting.

"Please" she said ragged, jamming her eyes shut and hating herself for loving this. "Please."

She wasn't even sure what that please meant. Please stop? Don't stop?

Finally she couldn't hold back, and she inhaled sharply as he dragged her off the edge again. She realised there were tears in his eyes, and she was breathing so hard she thought she might start hyperventilating.

"Shh," he murmured softly, surging up to kiss her softly. "Relax."

It was odd to taste herself on his tongue. There was a potion all the girls took to make it taste sweet. It was vain, she knew, but it was surreal to experience to taste the ripe blackberries on her own tongue. She relaxed her tensed muscles, allowing the pleasure of the kiss to wash over her.

He was multi-tasking now, stroking his considerable length with his left as he worshipping her with his right. He was ready soon, and he prepared to enter her, waiting for her permission. She grabbed his neck to give him better access, and he slipped effortlessly into her slick sheath, kissing her breasts as he began to move.

His movements were fluid and graceful, and it was worlds away from their desperate fuck from earlier or the sex they'd had some many months ago in South Carolina. She could feel pleasure stirring at once, and she arched her back. He slipped a hand beneath her, holding the weighted of her torso with a strong hand. She could feel the emotion building up with the pleasure. What was she doing? Did it matter? She was too fucked-up and broken to stop it, even if she could.

She bit her lip to stave off an aching guilt and a rising nausea, and when her lids fluttered open, she met his gaze. However, the eyes that greeted her weren't blue anymore; they were a pure, unmarred silver, almost spanish coins or liquid mercury.

It was amazing how quickly she could slip into fantasy. Then again, the mind of a witch or wizard was richer than that of a Muggle, and frankly capable of greater things. This included visualisation and memory. For a Muggle to slip into this sort of fantasy would be nearly impossible. For a witch like Leolin, it was dangerously easy, particularly when her defenses where hampered by such a large volume of alcohol.

"Callie," Draco breathed raggedly, still supporting her back. "Love of my life."

She grabbed his neck for support.

"I love you."

His undulating strokes increased, hitting a spot on her front wall that was intoxicating.

"Say that again," he commanded.

"I love you," she said. "So much it hurts."

She was breathless from the font of her emotions , and she could feel herself falling away from Draco's spectre as she tumbled headlong into her own pleasure.

Suddenly she was back, and Max was still sliding in an out of her, his thick chest slick with sweat. He had a small tattoo on his left pectoral of a sword clutched by a disembodied hand, crowned by a laurel wreath. She stared at the tattoo, trying to focus on it and not Max's amorous groans. However, it wasn't long before the ink was bleeding down his chest, diverging at his sternum and slithering across the ridges of his abdomen. She queezed her eyes shut. When she opened them, the sword was gone, and a phoenix and its companion, a falcon, stood in his place. He'd ceased to be Max entirely

She choked down an anguished sob at his last stroke, which was so deep it was painful, and she gave another half-sobbing inhale as he hit his spot.

Not able to face what she'd just done—the violation she'd just allowed—she willed Draco back, and he came at her call.

"Drake," she croaked. "I love you."

She was giving into the drunkenness now, could feel the alcohol pulling her under, but she held out, desperate to hear him repeat the sentiment one last time, even if it was just in her mind. However, he didn't. Instead he just faded slowly away, his eyes as sad as they'd been that night on the ballroom floor.

When the deed was done, she opened her eyes and somehow it was Max on top of her again, though she could tell as he studied her it wasn't actually her he was seeing.

"I love you too," he croaked to his own spectre. "And I'm sorry."

Leolin squeezed her eyes shut as she felt him slipping down her slick thighs, and unable to bare more, she let go and fell headlong into a whiskey-soaked slumber.


	28. Chapter 27:Forgive Me, For I Have Sinned

a/n: First an apology to Alice for my sister, and a grudging apology to Stout because you're annoying but I still love you and you're just trying to be protective...I guess. Beware of serious angst. I cried writing some of this, so you've been warned! Also, not to beat a dead horse, but this chapter is 10,735 words of new content. Please please please review. They are a direct factor to my update schedule. For my loyal reviewers, you are everything.

* * *

And still, after all this time,  
The sun never says to the earth,  
"You owe Me."

Look what happens with  
A love like that,  
It lights the Whole Sky."

― Hāfez

**Chapter 28: Forgive Me [Blank] For I Have Sinned**

_"Genevieve, __**goddamnit**__, I am done talking wih you about this. I'm going, and there's not a thing in Merlin's Black Cauldron you can do or say to convince me not to."_

_They were forty five minutes into one of the nastiest fights they'd had in some time, and Draco needed a drink so badly his throat had begun to ache. Or perhaps that was just from all the yelling._

_"That's absurdly unfair!" Gen whined, stomping her foot like a child. "You going to tantamount to a slap in my face!"_

_"No," he snapped. "It isn't. Stop being such a selfish brat. Ariadne is __**family **__to me, Genevieve, and not going to her wedding __**would**__ be a slap in the face!"_

_"Family?" she sneered. "Why don't you say what you __really__ mean: you like pretending Ariadne actually is your mother-in-law so the two of y'all can keep your sick little Leolin fantasy alive!"_

_"What the fuck did you just say to me?" he snarled, teeth bared. "Ari and I __**never **__discuss Leolin, and that's in deference to you! Because I love you and I know how much this hurts you! Pull your head out of wherever you've hidden it and you'll see that!"_

_"Do you still love her?" Gen demanded. "Be honest with me."_

_"I am __**not**__ answering that," he sneered, finally heading to the bar._

_"Why?" she demanded, following after him. "Because you do?"_

_"Because I've already answered it a thousand times!" he roared, smashing a crystal highball on the floor. "I'm not going to keep doing this with you! I'm over her; you know that!"_

_"If that's true," she snapped. "If that's __**really **__true, then you have no business being friends with Ariadne!"_

_He shook his head, grabbing her wrist before she could protest, and before she knew what was happening, she was tumbling headlong into his memories. They were flashes, mostly, beginning with various drunken meltdowns and outbursts. There were police wizards and interrogation rooms, and jumbled memories of drugs and alcohol. It a particularly violent flash, Gen watched a gaunt, waxy Draco bend double and vomit a mouthful of blood onto the floor. When they finally re-emerged, most of the fierceness had bled from Draco's face. _

_"She's saved my life, G," he said softly at last. "If she hadn't come when she did, I would have drank and drugged myself to death. She fixed me, helped me heal. If she hadn't, we would be here together right now. You would be dating some poncy twat like Beau Tanner, and I'd be in a pine box in the ground. I'm the man you fell in love with because she helped me become him. To not to her wedding after all that would be unspeakable. __Tell me __you see that. Besides, I have made so many sacrifices for you! I've missed birthdays and babies being born and big Quidditch matches to spent time in the States with you. Merlin, I __moved__ here for you! I haven't been to the London flat in six weeks so I could stay here and be with you! I am running my own company from four __**thousand **__miles away! Is none of that enough to prove I love you? Besides, you're bloody acting as if I'm insisting you stay here. I told you you could come with me! I __**want**__ you to come with me! Why can't you be supportive, for __**once**__, and do this for me?"_

_He cleaned the shattered glass and filled it with an ambitious pour of whiskey, which he put down in an equally-ambitious swallow. _

_"I'm not supportive?" she repeated contemptuously. "What about all the effort I've put in to being Ginny and Blaise's friend, neither of whom are particularly easy to get to know! And I went with you to your friend Adrian's wedding!"_

_"How can you expect to become friends with someone from an ocean away?" he demanded. "And that wedding was almost __**two**__ years ago, and Adrian and I aren't even really friends! He works for my father, for Merlin's sake!"_

_"Then why did you go to his wedding if y'all aren't friends?"_

_"Are you fucking kidding me?" He snarled. "Are you seriously—__no, you know what? Nevermind. That argument is too stupid and weak to even warrant a rebuttal. Stop splitting hairs, and __**stop **__acting like Ari and Adrian mean the same thing to me! They don't. You've met him; he's fucking hideous."_

_She opened her mouth to argue but her cut her off._

_"I swear to Merlin, if you're about to repeat that fucking bollocks about Adrian's wedding, I'm leaving."_

_"Just because you can't have your way doesn't mean you can storm off," she warned._

_"Have my way?" he snarled. "That's rich, coming from you!"_

_"What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded hotly._

_"That you are being __unbelievably__ selfish right now," he shot back._

_There were fat tears in her eyes now, but she ignored them._

_"Drake," she said quietly. "That's unfair."_

_"The hell it is unfair," he snapped. "Why are you being like this? Can't you see how important this is to me?"_

_"It is important!" she agreed through tears. "How can we ever have a future if you insist on living in the past?"_

_"Ari isn't part of my past!" he roared. "She and Adrien and Amelie are family, independent of Leolin and even you. That is __**never**__ going to change."_

_"So I just have to accept living with your ex-fiancee's parents for the rest of my life?"_

_"If you can't," he said in a cold, quiet voice. "We have no future together."_

_At this she began to cry outright, and he clenched his jaw and ran a hand through his hair._

_"G," he said penitently. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that; you know I didn't mean that."_

_She came forward and folded into his waiting embrace, laying her head on his chest._

_"I'm sorry, too," she said through tears. "I need to let Leolin go. I'm sorry I keep bringing her up. but you know I love you. I love you more than anything."_

_"I__—__" he started. "You too. So much it hurts."_

_They shared a passionate kiss._

_"I need to floo Ariadne," he said against her temple. "Then I will take you out to dinner."_

_She nodded, and they kissed again. She then leaned up and pressed her forehead against his._

_"Thank you," she breathed, smiling. "Drake, you don't know what it means to me."_

_He tensed and stepped back, releasing her from his embrace._

_"I do love you," he whispered. "But I'm going to this wedding, whether or not you approve."_

_"Fine," she bit out tightly, looking down to mask more tears._

_He touched her chin so she would look up at him._

_"Please, will you come with me?"_

_She gave him a wounded frown, shrugging out of his touch._

_"No," she said in a soft, chilly voice. "I'll just see you when you get back. I'm going to stay at Max's until then."_

_He shook his head in hurt and frustration. "Fine. I'll be back in two weeks, maybe longer. I'll let you know."_

_He turned to look at her, silently offering her one last chance to reconsider. She bit her lip and gave him a sad frown in return._

_"Genevieve_—" he began, taking a step towards her.

She countered it with two steps back.

_"It didn't have to be like this," she reminded him reproachfully, arms wrapped protectively around herself._

_"No," he agreed in a thin voice, eying her with a mix of pain and contempt. "It didn't. See you in two weeks."_

_She brushed away a tear as he disappeared with a soft pop._

* * *

Kelly lay flat on his back, manning the battlements of his solitary mind. Tate Rawle had been at him for hours, and Kelly was exhausted from the pain. Still, despite the four broken ribs and what he thought was probably a concussion, he'd yet to break. It seemed, for the first time, that he might actually manage to pull this off after all.

He'd been a bit rusty when Malfoy had tested him, but he'd been diligently training since then, and now he's skills were razor sharp. Kelly had the seasoned work ethic of a professional athlete, and he'd thrown everything he had into his training. His first step had been to seek out the one man he was convinced was most equipped to help him: Severus Snape. He knew from Harry that Snape was an accomplished legimens and prodigy occlumens, and he was a was with plenty of self loathing to spare. He'd strengthened Kelly's defenses, firing cruciatus after cruciatus util Kelly begged him to stop. Slowly, though, the agony decreased and the imperius lost its intoxicating edge. The cruciatus was still paniful and the imperius inviting, but they both had been brought down to manageable levels. Training for the World Cup had also brought his body to peak physical condition, and that certainly didn't hurt, either.

Tate was circling around Kelly, sleeves rolled. Kelly could see the faded dark mark on his left forearm.

"What do you think, Kelly?" Tate said mirthfully, nudging one of the cracked ribs in Kelly's side and making him cry out in pain. "Had enough yet?"

Kelly only moaned in response. He knew there was more pain to come, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying the reprieve. Tate cast a powerful imperius, and Kelly imagine a frigid tundra as the warmth washed over him.

"Tell me a secret, KT," Tate goaded. "Tell me what you lot know about Audige and Jean du Bones."

Kelly said nothing, only braced himself for the pain instead.

"Crucio!"

Kelly twitched, heaved, and cried out, but finally the pain ceased. He lay panting, eye squeezed closed as Tate watched him in amusement. Kelly listened as the heavy door swung open. He didn't bother opening his eyes because he was already sure he knew who it must be. Kelly could hear the sharp steel tips of Adrian's boots on the stone floor as he prowled around in his characteristically feline way.

"How fares our good friend Kelly Troy?" he said to Tate.

"Admittedly less weak than I expected," Tate conceded. "Though no less self-righteous."

Adrian crouched down to Kelly's level.

"What's wrong, KT? Worried what your friends are going to think when they eventually find out you broke in less than a day? After you spill all their secrets, that is."

Kelly turned his head away and Adrian laughed.

"You really think you're tough?" he demanded, straightening this his full height again. "_Crucio_!"

Kelly screamed immediately. Adrian's curse had infinitely more punch than Tate's, and it was like a tribuchet to his stony mental defenses. He hung on bitterly until it was over, and when Adrian cast the imperius, he let the warmth wash over him, relaxing the muscles in his neck and chest.

"Alright, Kelly," Adrian said casually, twirling his wand through elegant fingers. "Tell us something."

"What?" Kelly said hoarsely. His lips were cracked and bleeding, and he felt as if he'd swallowed a pint of ash.

"Anything," Adrian replied casually, shrugging. "Tell us something about your wife." He raised his eyebrows at Tate. "Tell us what she's like in bed."

"No," Kelly croaked. "Never."

"Oh-ho-ho," Adrian mocked, smirking at Tate and raising his eyebrows. "Touch-y! _Crucio_."

"Please!" Kelly screamed after a minute. The pain was getting to be too much, and if Adrian kept on Kelly knew he'd lost his grip entirely.

""Go on, then," Adrian goaded. "Tell us about Cara."

"No," Kelly repeated, gritting his teeth and tried to catch his breath. The broken ribs made it hard. "Fuck off."

"Crucio!" Adrian snapped, and Kelly could feel Adrian's keen displeasure. His defenses were wearing dangerously thin, and he knew he needed to give some ground. Still, the idea of humiliating Cara was harder to bare than the pain.

"Don't be a prude Kelly," Tate sneered.

"Tate's right," Adrian agreed. "Stop being so dramatic and tell us what it's like to fuck your tight little wife."

Kelly opened his mouth, but the words died even as they traveled up his throat.

"No," he repeated finally. "Please."

Adrian raised wand before thinking better of it.

"Alright," he purred, eyes sparkling as his face split into a dark grin. "Then tell us about Lefevre. That's a more interesting topic, anyways."

Tate gave a coarse laugh, and Kelly felt sick to his stomach. Somehow he'd known this line of questioning was coming, but he dreaded to answer it.

"_Imperio_," Tate purred, and the effect was better than a vein full of Muggle heroin.

"C'mon," Adrian jeered. "Don't hold out on us. Tell us something about Leolin."

Kelly paused, and Adrian seemed to sense his answer because he sneered.

"Tate? Send Torrii to find Troy's wife. We don't need him to tell us what she's like in bed; we'll just find out for ourselves."

"You're bluffing," Kelly said at once through gritted teeth, sweat beading on his forehead. "You have no way of finding her. She went undergrou-_ah_!"

Adrian threw a new crucio that immediately silenced him. Kelly was fighting to keep in control of his mind, and even the thought of Cara's face, of her smile, wasn't enough to keep Adrian out.

"Last chance, KT," he warned. "Start playing nicely or I'll rip Cara's lungs out while you watch. Don't believe me? Then keep pushing. I _dare_ you."

Finally the pain relented, and Kelly lay heaving and twitching on the floor, desperately trying to reenforce his mental defenses.

"Please," he begged quietly. "Just make it stop."

Adrian looked grimly satisfied.

"Then tell me about Leolin."

Kelly squeezed his eyes shut. He only hoped he could someday earn her forgiveness for what he was about to do.

"What about her?"

Adrian and Tate grinned at each other.

"Did you sleep with her?" Tate queried eagerly.

Kelly bit his cheek but didn't reply.

"Kel-ly!" Adrian sang.

Kelly remained silent even as Adrian drew his wand again. The pain was quickly becoming too much.

"Yes," Kelly croaked before Adrian could curse him. "The night Malfoy brought Severina Borgia with him to the opera."

"You only slept together once?" Tate asked. "That's a pity."

"Well don't be shy!" Adrian prompted, laughing. "How was she?"

Kelly didn't reply. Maybe he couldn't do this after all. Adrian raised his wand and Kelly braced himself for a pain that never came.

"_Imperio_."

Merlin, it felt good. He let the curse loosen his tongue.

"She was incredible," Kelly breathed honestly, a tear slipping down his cheek.

"Was she tight?" Tate pressed.

"Yes," Kelly croaked. "Very."

More cruel laughter.

"Settle a bet for us," Adrian said mirthfully. "Those gorgeous knockers of hers, are they real?"

Kelly paused.

"Yes."

"I told you," Adrian crowed to Tate. "You owe me five galleons."

"Well what else, KT?" Tate said. "Don't be shy, mate!"

"N—"

"_Imperio_."

"She likes to be on top," Kelly admitted truthfully. "And from that angle, the view was—"

Adrian gave a low whistle, gaze wolfish.

"I bet," he said. "What does she taste like? I know you know; blokes like you are always so eager to please."

"There's that potion, or charm, I don't know," Kelly croaked. "It makes it—"

"Oh, we know," Tate finished sardonically. "So what was it, then? My ex tasted like key lime pie, my hand to Merlin."

Kelly squeezed his eyes shut, and shook his head.

"_Imperio."_

Still he said nothing.

"Merlin," Adrian said gleefully. "It must be really good. _Crucio_!"

Kelly was losing himself to the pain, which was corroding the occlumency shield he'd built. He had to give in or he really would break.

"Blackberries, I think! I'm not sure! It was—"

"It was—?" Tate repeated in a mocking tone.

Kelly let out a shuddering breath.

"I could have stayed down there all day."

"Oh my gods," Adrian said, laughing heartily. "That's honestly the best thing I've heard all week, and I've had a _lot_ of good news."

"What about you, KT?" Tate pried. "Did she return the favour?"

Kelly nodded tightly.

"I always imagined she's the type of girl who doesn't really have a gag reflex," Adrian mused, drumming his fingers against his lips in contemplation. "Am I right? Does she?"

Kelly's broken ribs were making it hard to breathe and even harder to think. He tried not to remember to spare some of Leolin's dignity, but he was inundated with memories by that point. He could still feel the softness of her bare skin tingling in his fingers.

"Not really."

This was met with more hearty laughter.

"I knew it!" Adrian jeered triumphantly, and Kelly heard a sharp snap as Adrian and Tate high-fived.

"Right," Tate said as the traded a nasty smile. "One last question. Did she let you put it in her..." he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"No," Kelly said immediately. "We didn't—I wouldn't—"

"Oh of course _you _wouldn't, you boring little saint," Adrian sneered. "But I happen to know for a fact she loves it."

"How?" Kelly croaked, feeling ashamed.

Adrian gave a blithe grin.

"When they broke up the first time, Malfoy spilled a lot of secrets about her he probably shouldn't have. Not that I'm complaining, of course."

Adrian and Tate both laughed.

"Shame, KT," Adrian said in mock pity, raising his eyebrows. "Looks like you had an opportunity and you missed it. Oh well, I'll be sure to let you know how it is."

Their laughter grew, and Kelly squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to be strong. His only chance at sparing Leolin from further humiliation and making sure they never got a hand on Cara was to fight, right here, right now. Adrian raised his arm and Kelly pushed all his remaining emotional strength into the shield.

The pain came swift and sharp, though it lacked its earlier fervour. He felt sick to think that the idea of sleeping with Leolin had divided Adrian's attention. Finally it stopped, and Kelly took a deep breath. This was it; he would succeed here or everything he'd just endured would have been for nothing.

"_Imperio_," they hissed in unison, and Kelly was momentarily overwhelmed. However, he began desperately clawing his way back towards control. He thought of Cara the day he'd married her, listened to her infectious laugh. He pictured Malfoy's face as he endured the cruciatus's effects along with Kelly. _Fight, Kelly, fight! _He grit his teeth and gave an agonised cry, desperate not to fail. With a great gust, he felt the warmth in his chest extinguished like a flame, and he could feel that he was once again the master of his own mind.

Tate and Adrian looked triumphant, and if Kelly wasn't in such pain, he would have had to fought not to look the same. They'd bought it.

"So, Kelly," Adrian said casually, pulling up a chair and sitting backwards on it. "Tell us about Guillarme Audige."

Kelly paused. Merlin's_ pants, _he was in.

"What do you want to know?"

* * *

Leolin woke up hungover and wreathed in self loathing. When she sat up and look at Max lying beside her, the wings on his back flexing as he exhaled each breath, she knew she was going to be sick. She barely managed to make it to the toilet before purging all the alcohol from her stomach. She clung weakly to the porcelain rim, but she pictured the shock and fear on Kelly's face as Felix's hex sent him reeling back or the touch of Max's hands on her bare skin, she threw up a second time, then a third. Finally she had nothing left to purge, and she melted to the cold slate floor, sobbing.

In all the things she'd done and endured, she'd never felt more disgusted with herself. There was a dull but desperate ache between her thighs, and she felt sick all over again. She tried to force herself to vomit, but when she only managed to spit out a mouthful of blood, she gave up and laid back down. With last night's foul act, she'd betrayed the only two men she'd ever loved. She'd given into Max even knowing what he'd done to Kelly, and she callously allowed him to slither between her thighs and take the one thing that was supposed to be Draco's alone.

She could feel love bites and bruises all over her neck, and her sobs rent the air, bouncing off the sterile walls and riddling it with her sorrow. She remembered seeing a small creek rushing just beyond the barrow meadow the night before, and some dark part of her wanted to fill her pockets with stones and throw herself in. She wouldn't, thought, she knew she wouldn't, if for no other reason that the idea was selfish and vain, and she'd been selfish enough the night before. Instead she crawled into the shower still dressed in her bra and knickers and curled into the fetal position, letting the streaming water was over her.

She thought about Kelly again—by this time she couldn't stop—and remembering the cold fury in Adrian's eyes the night Tommy died, she gave another heaving sob, though she'd long since run out of tears. She had to do something, something to right this wrong before it was too late. She felt powerless and a hypocrite, but that only spurred her on all the more. She couldn't fix what had happened with Draco or take back what she'd done with Max, but she had to try and save Kelly. He was the best of all of them, and he deserved so much better than what he'd gotten. He and Cara both.

She bit her lip and forced her mind to a scalding, unwanted place, refusing to relent even as her stomach began to turn again. She imagined Adrian's pearly teeth raking across her skin the way Max's had and shuddered even as she pushed the thought to its sickening climax. She perhaps hadn't want to admit it before, but this was the only thing she could do, her only avenue to rescuing Kelly. She sat up, tucking her knees to her chest. If Adrian was going to cede Kelly for anyone, it was going to be Leolin. As for what it would cost her, she didn't care. She'd given that right away to the night before. Briefly she envisioned what Draco would say when he heard what she'd done, both with Max and with Adrian, but that _was _too painful, and she banished the thought at once.

She acknowledged that she was being deliberately self-sacrificial, and that at its core this wasn't entirely about Kelly. It was, as always, ultimately about Draco. Without him, she felt hollow and in the winter, and if she couldn't have him, she wanted to throw herself on the sword of not having him and revel in the exquisite pain. If she couldn't have him, she at least wanted the bittersweet knowledge that he would mourn her loss. Besides, some small part of her did still love Kelly, would _always _love him, and she couldn't bare to see him hurt or worse. Even if she had Draco back, she still owed Kelly her loyalty in this.

She let her eyes slip closed. It was time; she had to go. It could be too late already. She chewed her lip and considered. She had no idea where to find Adrian, but Felix said they were less than four miles from the stadium, and considering he and Max had gone back to re-join the fight, Adrian had to know, or at least assume, they'd remained close by. She had a feeling that if she left the safe house, he would find her without any trouble. She squeezed her eyes tighter. She had to go. Max could wake up any time, and she had no intention of fighting with him over this decision on her way out. She would give herself five more minutes to mourn her losses, and then she had to leave.

"Leolin."

Max stood in the doorway of the small space dressed only in low-slung khakis, hair mussed and face grim. His semi-nakedness prompted a spiking shame in her stomach, and she looked away.

"Leolin," he repeated, but she shook her head.

"Fuck you," she snarled quietly, almost to herself. "And leave me alone;I have nothing to say to you."

"I'm sorry," he said in response, taking a step forward instead. "I know things got super fucked up last night. But you should know I never meant to hurt you."

"What does that matter?" she demanded. "You did hurt me. I was vulnerable, and you took advantage of that to assuage your guilt over what you'd done. Kelly can't fix what happened to Amelia. You know that. You had no right to send him to the slaughterhouse. If you still feel responsible for her death, you should have given _yourself _up to Adrian."

Her wounds cut him to the quick, she could see that, and she felt a guilt swelling up. She knew how badly he loved Amelia; she loved Draco just as fiercely. Still, when she thought of the betrayal he'd forced Cara to endure, she bit back her apology.

"I know last was fucked up," he repeated brokenly. "I'm sorry."

"Have you just waiting all this time?" she demanded. "Biding your time until your opportunity arose again? I'm _not_ her, Max. I'm not going to be her surrogate for you."

"You're not," he pleaded, though she could see in his eyes that he was lying.

"I trusted you," she said in response. "Both of you. And you exploited on my love for Ren so you could blindside me on the Kelly front then used me so you could make love to Amelia's ghost to make yourself feel better. Is that why you came back instead of him? Because you knew I was fragile and broken and you'd have no trouble getting me to spread my legs for you again?"

"What?" he said, looking like a kicked dog. "No, of course not. I didn't plan to sleep with you, it just—happened."

"At least admit it," she said. "At least do me that courtesy."

"Leolin, I would never do that. And even if I'd wanted to, Ren would never would have let me. You're family to him; he'd never let anyone hurt you."

"After all the lying you've done, how can you possibly expect me to believe that?"

She wiped as a lonely tear.

"Because that's not me. Maybe you don't believe me, but I want you to be happy. I would never hurt you on purpose."

"If that were really true," she bit out. "You wouldn't have tried to keep me and Draco apart."

"That's different," he said, tone hardening. "I wasn't going to let you stand between her and happiness. She deserves it more than anyone."

"Who are you to decide that?" she demanded. "You are you to stand as judge and jury and manipulate things so they'd go her way? Draco and I love each other. I know you don't want to admit that to yourself, but deep down you know it's true."

"If it was, then the little I've done wouldn't have stopped him," he said firmly, brow furrowed. "He loves Gen. I couldn't let you get inside his head and trick him into thinking he didn't. He loves Gen, and she deserves that. I meant what I said last night; you deserve someone to love you, too, but it's not Draco."

"Again," she said. "Not your place! This isn't some game that you help Gen cheat in. This is my life, _our _lives, mine and Draco's, and I will never forgive you for interfering. Besides, even if your sick little machinations hadn't cost me Draco, last night you willingly betrayed the only other man I've ever loved. I could kill you for that alone."

"I'm sorry about Troy," he said. "I know you care for him, and it wasn't my intention to hurt you or Cara."

"You lied to us, all of us, took advantage of our trust to serve your personal agenda. We agreed to the Kelly deal under your deliberately false information!"

"I never lied. You all knew I had someone on the inside, and I couldn't risk Annie's safety. She can't do this job, Lefevre, only Troy can. I know it's painful, but will both of them we're doubly strong."

"Who are you to decide that!" she screamed, getting to her feet still soaking wet. "Why is it that your love—your love for Amelia and Annalysse—gets to supercede everyone else's? Amelia is _dead_, Max, she's already gone, so how can you justify submitting Cara Troy to the pain you went through?"

"I can't apologise for what I did; this is war, and it was too important. We have to make tough choices if we want a prayer at winning."

"Is that supposed to excuse what you've fucking done?" she demanded. "This is _Adrian_ we're talking about! He's out for after what Annalysse did to Tommy, and now Kelly is at his mercy with no guarantees Adrian won't kill him! And if he does, it will all have been for _nothing_!"

"She did that for you! She was saving you so something awful! And Troy's not going to die," Max counted. "Annie already convinced Pucey flip him. He'll be back within the month."

She shook her head.

"Fuck that," she snarled quietly. "I'm done doing this you."

She made to leave, but he blocked her exit.

"Where are you going?"

"To fix what you've broken. Get out of my way."

"It's already done," Max said gravely. "Pucey already gave Troy to Rawle. It's beyond our control now."

"I don't care!" she screamed. "I'm not just going to leave him there to rot! Besides, I owe Adrian what you stole from him."

"What is that supposed to mean?" he pleaded.

"The right to defile me like you did was his," she spit, sick with self-loathing again. "At this point, he's more than earned it."

"Don't say that," he demanded softly. "Please."

"That's not your decision to make. I'm _done _letting you run the show."

She shoved past him and he grabbed her arm.

"Let go!" she screamed, struggling against him.

"I won't let you leave, for your own sake."

"Get off!"

"Leolin, I know you're grieving, but this won't help! If you love Draco and Kelly as much as you say, you won't do this!"

"Don't you dare throw them back in my face after everything you done!" she roared. "And you have no dominion over what I do! You _stole _my dignity from me last night; the little I have left is mine to give away."

Her skin was still slick from the shower, and she managed to wriggle away from him and scramble into the bedroom.

"You can't leave without a wand," he said dolefully. "And Ren still has yours."

"Then give me yours," she snarled. "Before I kill you and take it anyway."

"Leolin!"

"I'm not your prisoner! I won't be. Give me your wand and let me go!"

"Don't make me force you," he pleaded.

"What are you going to do?" she screamed. "Get me drunk and torture me about Kelly and Draco until I give in and let you fuck me again?"

"No," he said, looking wounded. "Please, this is for your own good."

"Don't," she snarled. "Don't you dare."

He drew his wand.

"Leolin," he said. "I'm so sorry. For everything. _Stupefy._"

* * *

Draco sat, head in hands, and let the soft Aegean sunrise wash over him. He'd barely slept since they'd arrived back from Germany the previous evening. His back and shoulders ached, but so did his heart and soul. They were the pain's point of origin, and it had started to feel like the aguish had gotten into his bloodstream and was being pumped from his temples to his toes. He wouldn't cry, that wasn't him, but the effort of stopping himself was making it hard the breathe.

The minute he arrived at the villa after the cup, Draco made desperate love to Leolin on the Persian carpet on his bedroom floor. At least, it was Leolin in his mind. Gen had faded the minute they began tearing at each other's clothes, and just the idea of Leolin's lush lips on his neck was enough to push him over.

Since the night they'd rescued Sebasten, Draco had completely given in to his fantasies of Leolin. Having done so, he once again found it easy to be with Gen. Still, it was only Gen one out of every ten times. The other nine it was Leolin, and he relished in her soft skin and lush body.

This new coping strategy was working so well Draco was thoroughly convinced by the cup that he could live a happy marriage with Gen and still fuck his vision of Leolin for the rest of his life.

That had been before the ball.

That had been before the dance.

That was before he saw Leolin in her wedding gown and they _finally _shared their first dance.

Now the sexual fantasy wasn't enough, not _nearly_ enough to hold him together. He needed the real thing, the real Leolin, and now he felt so plagued by his love that he wasn't sure he could go even one more day without her. He needed to go immediately and fall at her feet.

He missed everything about her. In fact, it was the sex he missed the least, which was saying something. Mostly he missed her smile. He missed her laugh. He missed her wit. her intellect. her perfect french. her lilting voice. her fierceness. her tenderness. the way she smelled. the sparkle in her eyes when she talked about art. When she talked about their _future_.

The truth of her flight—which had seemed critical when they'd been in Atlanta three months ago—was suddenly inconsequential. He didn't care. He didn't care, because a small voice in the deepest part of his dark heart kept telling him that whatever reason Leolin had for leaving, it was a good one. Besides, this was love. True love. Epic love. A love for the very ages. He had been a fucking fool to try and keep a tally. It didn't matter what either owed the other. It only mattered that he'd finally accepted what he'd known since he was seventeen years old: he loved her with everything he had been, he was, and everything he would be, and he would rather die than live without her.

His greatest fear in those few days after the attack was that after everything he'd done, she wouldn't forgive him. He acknowledged that she had no reason to, he'd been hideous, but that thought was so painful that he selfishly put it from his head. She had to forgive him, because if he didn't he would die.

He heard the soft padding of bare feet behind him, and he prayed it wasn't Gen. He wasn't ready to face her yet.

"Hey," Marina said gently, settling down next to him. She'd brought Rodames, who immediately sensed Draco's distress and laid beside him, his head in his master's lap.

"Myles and Aleco wanted to come, too," she explained. "But I think this is something for just you and me."

He nodded gratefully. She settled next to him and laid her head on his shoulder, taking his hand. Of all Draco's adopted sibling, it was marina with whom he'd formed the strongest bond. She was the closest to his age, and they'd always understood one another implicitly. On the day he'd met her, he'd immediately realised that he'd actually known her and loved her all her life.

"Mari," he croaked finally, bowing his head and letting several longer pieces on hair droop into his eyes.

"Talk to me," she prompted gently.

"What have I done?"

"Nothing yet, agapi," she reassured him.

"I lied to you yesterday at breakfast. In fact, I've been lying to myself for five years, and now I think I've lost the best thing that's ever been mine to my arrogance and pride."

"What do you mean?" she said delicately, trying not to push.

"What am I doing trying to force myself to marry Gen? I—I don't think I even love her anymore. In fact, I know I don't."

"Oh Drake," she said, stroking the soft skin of his bicep.

"How could I ever truly love her, knowing that my Leolin still walked the Earth?"

"It's not too late to fix things," she pointed out. "Where is Leolin now?"

"I don't know," he admitted distressed. "We lost contact with Brankovitch after he stabbed us in the back and turned Troy over. I assume he and Chaisson got Leolin out but I—I don't know that for sure."

"You have to find her, Drake," Marina urged. "Tell Gen the truth, then go. You can't afford to waste any more time, and after last night, Leolin is going to need you more than ever."

He nodded tightly.

"You're right," he admitted. "I just—I—"

"Drake," she prompted, gently touching his cheek. "What is it?"

"If Adrian—and I didn't stop him—"

She shook her head, her mass of black curls augmenting her gesture of disagreement.

"No," she said. "Don't think like that. Leolin's capable and tough, and she had Chaisson and Brankovitch to protect her. Besides you know your father; if he managed to get his hands on her, he'd be crowing about it."

"It's not my father I'm worried about," he said, driving his hands into his hair. "He didn't even go to Germany."

There was an elongated silence that was mitigated only by the sound of the waves below.

"Bampás told us what happened at the manor," she said quietly. "I'm so sorry."

Draco hung his head, tugging on his hair so hard she was worried he would tear it out completely.

"If Adrian hurts her now, I'll never forgive myself. I should have been by her side protecting her from him, and instead I—I did nothing. I just stood by and let him—"

"That's not true," Marina defended. "You saved her life in New Orleans."

"No!" he cried, distressed. "She saved mine! That curse was meant for me, and she stepped in front of it to protect me. She almost _died_ for me, and in return I broke her heart and ran away like a fucking coward."

Marina touched his back soothingly.

"You can't take the past, agapi, but if you truly love her, then go to her. Please, before it truly _is _too late. Floo Severina Borgia. She must surely know where Leolin is. The boys can find a way to get you to Italy, at the very least. You can take a muggle car to Germany from there if you have to. Worry about everything else once you've found her."

He nodded numbly.

"You're right," he said, glancing at her. "I've let this go on for far too long; I have to set things right."

"Of course I'm right, you idiot," she said, nudging him playfully. "I always am."

He gave a small upturn of his lips.

"Thank you," he breathed earnestly.

"What are sisters for?" she replied, touching his smooth cheek.

He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers.

"I love you," she breathed. "And I'm proud of you. Be careful and come straight back once you've found her. If you die, I'll kill you."

He gave a feeble laugh.

"I won't die," he agreed. "I promise."

"C'mon then," she said, easing him to his feet. "We're wasting precious time."

"Thank you," he said again.

"Always."

"Draco?"

They both turned to watch Gen as she traipsed onto the balcony before turning back to trade a meaningful look. Marina touched his forearm lovingly.

"I'm going to get Myles and Aleco out of bed. We'll be in the kitchen when you're ready."

Gen and Draco wordlessly watched her go, Rodames padding obediently after her. When they were alone, Draco turned back to the searing dawn, where blazing pinks and oranges clawed through the darkness, chasing it away. The sea was ablaze with light, and it sparkled like a chest of gold.

"Are you alright?" she asked, brushing a hand down his back. He tensed and she let it drop."I don't think you slept a wink last night."

"I didn't," he affirmed, sighing.

He still hadn't worked up the courage to look at her.

"Are you worried about Ginny and Blaise?"

He shook his head honestly. "They made it back through. They're at their safe house now."

She nodded before falling silent.

"I'm leaving soon," Draco said tightly, finally glancing at her.

"You can't," she said in a doleful voice. "The border is sealed."

"Aleco's making me a key."

"It's too dangerous," she said, grabbing his arm. "I won't let you."

He pulled his arm away, candor in his eyes.

"Gen," he said tiredly. "I—I can't stay. I'm going back to Germany."

She bit her lip.

"Why?" she said quietly, despite the fact she knew perfectly well what he was trying to say.

"You know," he said sorrowfully. "You have to know by now."

"Drake—" she reached for him and he recoiled.

"I'm sorry," he breathed. "But I can't pretend anymore." He ran his hands through his hair and turned away from her.

"Draco—" she reached for him again and he recoiled.

"Please," he breathed. "Please don't."

She'd begun to cry now in earnest.

"I love her, Gen," he pleaded softly. "I always have. I thought I could stop, but I—I can't. I have to go to her. To _be_ with her. I'm sorry, but I can't marry y—"

"I'm pregnant," she blurted.

"What?" he said, colour draining from his face.

"Drake," she said meekly. "I'm pregnant."

"No," he said, mostly to himself. He was quickly growing manic. "This can't be. You're lying."

"I'm not," she begged. "I swear."

"Then prove it," he demanded sadly, grabbing her by the wrist and all but dragging her to the kitchens at the bottom part of the villa. Marina, Petra, Draco, and Myles were already assembled there, and they all looked up as Draco burst in, tugging a teayr Gen behind him.

"What's going on?" Petra said in alarm, taking in Draco's agitated expression and Gen's tear-stained cheeks.

"Sit down," Draco commanded quietly to Gen before disappearing into the adjacent pantry.

"Drake!" Myles said insistently. "What the hell is going on?"

When he didn't answer, everyone turned to Gen expectantly.

"I'm pregnant," she croaked.

"I don't believe you," Aleco snapped. "You're lying."

"I'm not," she squeaked, casting a fearful glance at Draco, who'd just re-emerged carrying a small brass cauldron.

"We'll see about that," Marina snarled.

Draco had already begun brewing a pregnancy potion.

"Give me a lock of your hair," Draco demanded, voice quiet and sorrowful.

Gen plucked one dutifully and handed it to him. They waited the requisite ten minutes, and when it began bubbling as gold as a glass of champagne, Draco turned and drove both hands into his hair.

"I think she ought to take another," Petra said immediately. "We have to be sure."

Gen did as she was bid several more times to the same result.

"Oh gods," Draco pleaded, pacing and tugging his hair. Gen watched him do so in anguish.

"Sit down," Marina commanded, drawing her wand.

"Why?" Gen said fearfully.

"I want to know if you went off the potion and did this on purpose. Sit _down_."

Gen nodded and extended her arm obediently. Marina muttered several spells before pressing her wand to Gen's right wrist. A light appeared in the vein running up her arm, through her caratoid, and down the other arm. Marina caught it with her wand as it began to fade, flicking her wrist and making a chart appear. She studied it for several seconds as they watched her intently. She took a breath and finally looked at Draco.

"Her hormone levels are consistent with a woman who's been on the potion for years."

Draco buried his head in his hands as tears slipped down Petra and Gen's cheeks in equal volume.

"I—" he croaked finally, looking up. "Can we be alone?"

They all nodded and stood. Marina was resistant, dark eyes blazing as she glared at Gen, but Myles tugged her gently by the wrist.

"C'mon Mari," he said softly, and finally she acquiesced and followed the others out.

When they were truly alone, Draco shook his head, tipping it all the way back to fight off the tears.

"I told you," she said softly. "I didn't plan this. It was just a happy accident. The potion's not infallible."

He grit his teeth in anguish.

"I thought this was what you wanted," she pressed. "I know the timing isn't ideal—"

"Not ideal?" he repeated hollowly. "It's downright cruel."

She bit her trembling lip. This was clearly not what she'd wanted to hear.

"What are we going to do?" Draco said to himself, ignoring her. "What am _I _going to do?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

He looked up at her.

"I don't love you," he admitted quietly. "I haven't for awhile."

She shook her head.

"How can you say that to me?" she demanded tightly. "After everything we've through and now this," she gestured to the cauldron. "How can you expect me to just accept that?"

"I did love you," he conceded. "I just—it was never going to be enough. I love her too much. I'm sorry."

"She _left_ you!" Genevieve reminded him, finding a bit of fire. "She broke your heart! _I _was the one who was left to put it back together, or have you forgotten? Are you really going to reward her for ruining your life?"

"Stop!" he cried. "Just—stop. Please. You can't stand here and pretend you understand what she and I have been through! She's the love of my life. You _have_ to have realised that by now."

"Ten months ago you hated her! How quickly they forget!"

"This isn't up for discussion," Draco said imperiously. "I have to be with her. I'll die if I'm not."

He turned towards the door.

"And what about this?" she said tearfully, gesturing to the cauldron again. "You and I both know what it's like to grow up in a warring household. How can you _possibly _submit your child to that kind of pain?"

Draco froze. She was right. Growing up with his parents had torn him apart. It had made him the bitter man he was today. It had seeped like poison into his very soul, and he would always be crueler for it.

He whirled around, eyes blazing.

"I never meant to trap you," she said, and he grit his teeth because it was true. "But this is real now. You loved me once, and if you would just let yourself, I know you could love me again. Besides, this is what you've always wanted! A family and children, and I'm the only one who can give you that."

"There's more than one path to fatherhood," he said tightly.

"Then you look me in the eye, Draco Malfoy, pureblood prince, and tell me you could love a baby that wasn't yours as much as you could this one, your own flesh and blood."

He grit his teeth and tugged on his hair as he turned away.

"You can't!" she insisted "Because you and I both know, despite everything, how important being a Malfoy is to you!"

"A surrogate, then!" he demanded, and she shook her head.

"You're trying to fight a battle you've already won," she insisted, touching her still flat stomach. "I'm here offering you the one thing you've always wanted most: a pureblood Malfoy heir. Are you really telling me you are going to walk away from that?"

"I never said that!" he demanded. "I'm not going to abandon you, either of you! But we don't have to be together to raise this child together; you know that."

She shook her head.

"No," she said simply. "I won't do it. You're either in or you're out, and if you're out, I will disappear and you will _never_ see me or this baby again."

"Are you fucking threatening me right now?" he demanded.

"I'm telling you how it's going to be," she corrected though tears. "Stay and marry me or lose me and the baby forever."

"You are in no position to be handing down ultimatums," he sneered.

"Am I not?" she said softly, grabbing the portkey Aleco had made. He'd never be able to get to her in time. "I wish it didn't have to be this way, but I love you, and I'm not giving you up without a fight. If this is what it takes, then so be it."

"I don't love you," he repeated quietly, watching her and knowing he would never get to her in time. "I can't make you happy."

"You do love me," she said, half sobbing now. "When the baby comes, you'll remember that."

"Why would you do this to me?" he whispered, visibly distressed. "How can you be this selfish?"

"I'm not," she pleaded. "I am protecting you from a bitter mistake. She doesn't love you, Draco, not like I do, and she can't give you children. I can! Look how easily we got pregnant! Drake, this was meant to be."

"You profess to love me," Draco spit, pained. "But you're threatening to blackmail me into marrying you. What's happened to you? How did you get _this_ selfish and fucked up?"

"_She _happened!" Gen cried. "She came back here all boobs and batted eyelashes and somehow managed to make you forget all the hurt she's inflicted on you! I saw what she did to you, Drake. You were half-dead, and if her mother hadn't have stepped in, you truly would have died from the heartbreak she caused. But now, despite everything—everything that she's done and everything you and I have shared—you'll still considering leaving me and your unborn child for her!"

"I would never abandon this baby," he said, stepping forward. "You know that!"

"But you have no problem abandoning his mother," she said in a soft, sad voice.

His heart constricted painfully. She knew that even more than a child, he wanted a son, an heir to wipe clean the sins of his father and offer Draco a change to set things right.

"What do you want?" he asked at last.

"A contract," she said, lip still trembling furiously. "You agree not to leave me, and I agree never to keep this baby from you."

His eyes slipped closed, and one rebellious tear slid down his cheek. He relived every conversation he and Leolin ever had about their children or their future, and he remembered her infectious laughter as they stood on the balcony at Malfoy Manor five years ago and watched the Weasley twins fireworks exploding over the chairs that had been set up for the wedding. He pictured the look in her eyes as she lay in his arms in New Orleans, confessing she'd never stopped loving him. Finally he imagined the way he'd felt when he'd held her on the dance floor, sharing in her fantasy of a proper first dance and he fought so visciously not to cry that his stomach was aching.

"Well?" Gen said at last, drawing him from his reverie and almost sheepishly raising her wand to the portkey, preparing to disappear. "What will it be?"

Leolin woke to find she was alone, and it was a relief, however hollow or small. There was a note lying next to her on the bed, but she didn't bother to read it, just balled it angrily in her fist and headed for the kitchen floo, which was burning steadily, despite the fact the traveling grate was closed. She threw it in, watching with satisfaction as it curled into black nothingness. When it had been wholly consumed by the flames, she sank down in from of the fire, blue eyes lit by the searing reds and oranges. She sat there for a good amount of time, long enough for her eyes to begin to ache. As she turned away, she heard a small pop from the meadow that stretched in from of the small cottage.

Her vision was still mottled black and green as she stood, but she heard the lock click and the incantation to keep it firmly shut. She bared her teeth at Max, but when she realised it was Felix, some of the fight bled from her posture, though her eyes were no less fierce.

"Bichette—" he began dolefully, but she shook her head to silence him.

"Don't you dare call me that," she sneered. "You gave up that right last night when you pushed Kelly to the very gates of Hell.

"Leolin—"

"I loved you," she whispered, tears forming. "I trusted you, and in return you stabbed me in the back!"

"No," he said at once. "I never meant to! Leolin, I love you more than anything. You know that."

"If that was really true," she shot back. "You would _never _have betrayed Kelly!"

"I didn't betray him. I—he can do this, Leolin, and when he succeeds, we are all going to be better for it."

"Even Cara?" Leolin spit. "You really think she's going to be grateful while she waits on pins and needles for Kelly to come home. And even when he does, _if_ he does, we have no idea what condition he'll be in."

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I never intended to hurt you."

"What do intentions matter?" she snarled. "You _did _hurt me! First you lied to me and took advantage of my love for you so you could blindside me, then you were too ashamed to face me, so you left me to be preyed on by Brankovitch! Did he tell you what went down here last night?"

He bowed his head.

"Yes."

"You're a fucking coward," she spit. "And I will never forgive you for what he coaxed me into doing last night."

"If I'd known," he defended. "If I'd even _suspected_ that Max would do something misguided like that, I never would have let him near you. Please tell me you know that."

"You shouldn't have let him come here at all!" Leolin cried, wiping at tears. "After what had happened, it was you that should have been here to comfort me, to protect me. Instead I had to listen to Max defend Gen's 'right' to Draco before falling prey to his Amelia fantasies. Can you see how that broke me? Being used like that?"

"He didn't mean to hurt you," Felix said softly. "I know he didn't."

"What does that fucking matter? I was vulnerable and drunk out of mind, and he took advantage of that. Do you have any idea how violated I feel?"

"I'm sorry," he choked. "I should have been here."

"Like I said," she snapped. "How dare you come in here and profess to love me. You don't. You _can't_. You're broken and selfish and you're incapable of loving anyone properly."

"I'm glad we aren't blood related," she sneered. "I would be ashamed to be your sister."

He was crying now outright, and he took a step towards her even as she recoiled.

"What can I do," he pleaded. "To make things right?"

"Nothing," she snarled. "From this moment forward, you're _dead_ to me."

"Leolin—" he began, but she shook her head in disgust, shouldering roughly past him and leaving him to cry alone.

She went to the cramped den instead, sinking in front of the fire again and wishing she could give herself to the flames. She never felt more hollow or alone, and she yearned for something, anything, to dull the pain. She reached a hand to the fire, intended to stick it in. However, even as the first flame licked her index figure, the flame flashed green, and the pain ceased. She screamed in surprise before beginning to sob when she recognised Severina's face in the floo.

"Ri!" she croaked. "Oh gods, Severina."

Severina instantly began to cry as well, and she could barely choke out her comforting words.

"I'm here, cariña," she bit out, dark eyes full of glassy tears. "I'm here."

"Help me," Leolin begged. "Please."

"Leolin," Severina sobbed. "My Leolin."

"Take me home," Leolin said with a shuddering breath. "Take me home!"

"I can't," Severina said. "I can't open the portal. Adrian is scouring the countryside for you. He has every single of his men looking. It's too dangerous. As soon as its safe, we're coming.."

"Don't leave me here," Leolin sobbed more vigourly. "I can't do this alone anymore."

Severina was breaking down completely.

"Leolin," she begged. "I love you. I never should have left without you! Please, I'm so sorry. I promise we're coming. We won't leave you."

Xavier appeared now, holding Severina as she melted to the floor.

"Leolin," he croaked. Leolin had never seen him cry, but he was crying now without shame. "We love you. We're coming for you as soon as we can. Please, I know we have no right to ask, but just hold on. Stay strong just a little longer."

Leolin nodded. She didn't have it in her to be angry with them. She loved them too fiercely, and her heart couldn't hold any more hate."

"Xav," she begged, holding her palm out. He mimicked her action, and even touching his phantom soothed her.

"Don't give up, cariña. We're coming for you."

"I love you!" she cried as they began to fade, and Xavy nodded.

"I love you, too. Keep the faith tesora. We...are...com...ing..."

The flames were fading to orange again, and she crumpled to the carpet, tumbling headlong into an insideous darkness. She was was barely aware of the tread on the soft fibers, but when she felt Felix sinking to her side, cradling her, she didn't push him away. In fact, she pushed closer, seeking his warmth and comfort.

"It's alright," he breathed, stroking her hair and kissing the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Leolin, look at me." she did. "It's going to be alright. I'm here. I'll protect you."

She nodded, dropping her head into his lap again as she continued to sob. Every tear seemed to be draining her, and as they slowed, she felt herself falling back into a numbing slumber. She woke up to find Felix coming to her side again and touching her cheek.

"I have to go," he said somewhat urgently. He was dressed in all black with a knife and his wand strapped it his belt.

"What?" she croaked.

"Sweeney flooed. He has the location of the coins. We have to move."

"I'm coming with you."

"No," he said at once. "You've been through a lot. You're too weak."

She pushed his hand off roughly.

"Don't tell me how I feel," she snapped, adreneline driving the pain into retreat. She trapped it as it fled, locking it into a chest and casting the chest into the crushing deep of her subconscious. It still ached, thousands of pounds of mental pressure pushing against it, but suddenly she had the strength to stand.

"Leolin—"

"I can't just stay here," she snarled, remember how much she hated him again. "I'll die if I do."

He surveyed her critically. She really was the most resilient person he knew. Finally he nodded.

"Okay," he said. "How quickly can you be ready?"

"Ten minutes," she said with determination.

He nodded again and she fled to the bedroom, arming herself for the task. She too wore all black. When she re-emerged, he looked up.

"Wand?" she said.

He hesitated before tossing it to her. She slid it into the holster strapped to her thigh and took a deep breath.

"How are we getting there?"

He looked grim.

"What do you know about leap-frogging?"

He meant apparating through several borders to avoid official detection. The risk of splicing was high, but the payoff from successfully doing it was often worth the trouble.

"I'm an international criminal. Everything. Where are we going?"

He turned, giving her a meaningful look.

"Paris."

She didn't ask where, because she was sure she already knew. She watched as he lowered the wards and extended a hand to her. She gave him a smouldering look. They were in a long, dangerous night. He nodded, she took his hand, and they disappeared.

* * *

The long corridor of the Louvre museum iwas dark and deserted, the only light pouring eerily in from the skylights above, the moonlight casting looming shadows on the marble floor.

Leolin turned, eyes alight as she took in Sweeney and Effie, who were waiting for her. Sweeney gave a crooked smile.

"Welcome home, genie."


	29. Chapter 28: Parii Holds the Key

**a/n: **Some big rearranging in this chapter and a much more fluid/satisfying outcome, I like to think. This is the second chapter I've posted in the last six hours, so please, if you love me and want me to do shit like that more often, REVIEW!

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Parii Holds the Key**

_Leolin hadn't been back to the Louvre in years. She'd always planned return someday, but never in one thousand years had she imagined it would be like this. She'd wanted to study art, not steal it. That, she supposed, had been the dream of a different Leolin. A younger, hopeful Leolin was who madly in love and at the beginning of a very prominent career. _

_Tonight's grab wouldn't be La Genie's first from the Louvre, but it was the first Leolin herself had gotten to courage to attend to herself. The last several she'd simply sent Swish and Effie with instructions, trusting them to execute her orders. When Severina had told her three months ago what the client wanted, she'd flatly refused. She'd peddled a great number of masterpieces in her day, but this one was so painfully personal. Still, Severina eventually convinced her. Every grab, she reminded Leolin, brought her one step closer to Draco. Besides, the work wouldn't be lost forever; someday Leolin would return it to it's rightful home. _

"_You ready, Nay?" Sweeney said, drawing her from her reverie. "You looked a million miles away just then."_

"_Yeah," she said dazedly. "Sorry. You two remember the plan?"_

"_Yeah," Effie said. "The sculpture's in the front corridor. I grab it while you and Swish distract the guards, and I apparate out as soon as I'm outside the perimetre. Meet for drinks after?"_

"_After we have it stashed," Leolin said, smiling. "I'll buy."_

"_Excellent," Sweeney grinned. "Let's steal us a Canova."_

_The word hit Leolin in a part of her chest that made it somewhat hard to breathe, but she ignored it as they jogged off._

_Despite the fact that La Genie had been galavanting around Europe stealing precious works of arts and evading Croften Teller and the International Aurors Office for almost four years, Leolin still found it painfully easy to negotiate both Muggle and Magical barriers. _

_The trick, no one seemed to realize, was devising a strategy that blending Magical and Muggle means. Leolin was surprised Crofton hadn't sorted her scheme yet, but from the nature of his investigations, he was miles off base._

_All it took was fooling the Muggle barriers by Magical means and Magical ones using Muggle. It might have seemed, perhaps, that evading Magic without Magic was impossible. However, as Leolin quickly realized, it wasn't. Magical barriers were naturally designed to repel Magic, and that left that embarrassingly exposed on the Muggle end. If Crofton had the good sense to pull in more Muggle investigators, they perhaps could have told him this. As it was, he was too stubborn and too proud to admit La Genie had stumped him. His mode of attack was quite literally the definition of insanity, because he insisted on using the same method despite its continual failure. Leolin was unsure of why he thought doing the same damn thing over and over again was going to yield a different result, but for her part she was grateful he did._

_They crept along the edge of the Magical barrier, careful not to touch in quite yet. They past the works in the outer atrium areas, and Sweeney admired them as they went. _

"_This place is dead cool," he breathed._

"_It's not terrible," Leolin agreed, laughing. _

_By this time, Leolin, Sweeney, and Effie had reached the spot they were looking for. They all peered through the barrier, which shimmering like water._

"_Oy," Sweeney said, gesturing to a narrow passageway in the wall. It was impossibly dark, and it emitted a soft swishing sound, like wind whispering through trees. "What's alcove? That wasn't in the plans."_

_Leolin joined him to look and she felt her heartbeat quicken a little._

"_That's not part of the Muggle museum," she said simply. "You can only see it through a magical lens."_

"_So what is it?" Effie asked._

"_It's the entrance to Wizarding vault buried below us. I don't know what's down there, but I do know that whatever they have guarding it is the stuff of nightmares."_

"_What's guarding it?"_

_Leolin shrugged._

"_Only the custodians know of sure, but I've heard that hundreds of thieves have died trying to get that treasure out."_

_Sweeney shuddered._

"_Let's give it a wide berth, then."_

_They turned their attention back to the barrier, all three trying to ignore the eerie statue._

_It was powerful, and it was practically buzzing in the air. However, unfortunately for Crofton, the IAO had adhered the charm to the walls. As Effie raised a sledgehammer to smash the wall, the charm cracked. When she struck it again. The charm gave out with a crushing clap. She then drew her wand and repaired the wall._

_This had, Leolin was sure, triggered a silent alarm. The Aurors would be apparating in any second. Effie took off to get a good head start, and as if on cue, Crofton and his team appeared. Leolin and Swish were split in different directions. She ran tore South and he started off North._

_They were each tailed by an Auror or two, but Leolin knew the museum better than anyone, and she was able to apparate around at will. She and Swish did so in tandem, appearing and disappearing in front of the two groups of Aurors. Crofton was madly shouting orders as Leolin and Sweeney coaxed the IAO agents farther and farther from the Canova. When they had them in a proper tizzy, they both doubled back to help Effie._

_She had to take the statue down the Muggle way, despite the fact that she'd used her wand to disable the Muggle alarms surrounding it. The Aurors' charm had been woven to protect all the works, but since it had been smashed, there was no magic guarding them._

_Leolin rounded the corner just as Effie was easing Antonio Canova's __**Venus and Mars**__ statue carefully off its pedestal. Seeing it after these years made Leolin's stomach ache. She had always adored the way Venus was gazing up at Mars, as if he was the only man in the cosmos. _

_Draco had loved this statue as much as she had, and he always teased her about stealing it to put in their back garden. It was hard to bear the fact that she was about to steal it for a wealthy Japanese Healer who was an avid admirer of Canova's work. It had been hard, in some way or another, to take each of the 45 priceless treasures La Genie had stolen to date. However, this was by far the hardest._

_She wondered what Draco would think when he heard it had been stolen. Would he know it was her who'd taken it? _

_Of course he wouldn't._

_Still, would it make him think of her? Make him remember how much they'd loved each other? How desperate they'd been to spend the rest of their lives together? She had to believe it would, for the sake of her sanity if nothing else._

"_Nay!" Sweeney hissed. "What the fuck are you doing? We have to go!"_

_Leolin looked around. Effie had her arms safely wrapped around the statue, and she disappeared with a pop. She would do they customary border jumping to throw the Aurors before dropping the statue at their French safe house. They would meet her there when they were done. They heard distant shouts. They had to catch the Aurors up on their way out. It usually took them an hour or so to figure out the thieves were already gone, by which time Leolin, Sweeney, and Effie would be three or four beers deep._

_Sweeney drew an enchanted map of the museum from inside his traveling cloak and consulted it. It seemed as if Crofton had sent teams to guard the Mona Lisa, Vermeer's Astromer, the Venus de Milo, Caravaggio's Death of a Virgin, and The Seated Scribe._

_He smiled and showed Leolin, who laughed out loud._

"_Oh Crofton," she laughed. "Puppy guarding works? There's like fifteen hundred masterpieces in here, if not more. How does he honestly think he's going to catch us doing this?"_

"_Good old Crofton," Sweeney said fondly._

"_Swish, which would you like to go after?"_

_He considered._

"_What the hell," he said, shrugging. "I've always wanted to __**not**__ steal the Mona Lisa."_

_Leolin laughed again._

"_I think I will go and pretend to steal me the Venus. It will be poetic when Teller realizes what we've actually taken."_

"_Meet you at the safe house?" Sweeney asked._

"_Yeah," Leolin said. "We can pop a bottle or two of champ then head out. Teller still thinks I'm in Spain."_

"_Sounds good," Sweeney said. "Be safe, lassie."_

"_Always," Leolin said, drawing her hood up._

_They both took off._

_Leolin apparated right in front of the Venus de Milo statue, practically toppling into the auror would was guarding it._

"_Shit!" she cried in mock horror, backing away. "Jacques, they knew were we were headed!" she said frantically into her magical communicator._

_She started running and the auror followed._

_It was Effie would was in charge of playing their mock counterparts, since both Leolin and Sweeney were occupied._

"_Luke!" she said loudly through the communicator. "Just get out of there!"_

_Leolin disapparated, appearing in the hall that housed the Mona Lisa a minute later._

"_Marcus!" she called. "We have to go! Forget it."_

_She heard Sweeney disappear, and so did she. They bounced around for a bit, the Aurors vainly trying to follow or side-along, before reaching the deserted Landscape hall. _

_Their exit strategy was always Leolin's favourite part, because it was what always baffled Crofton the most. After all that apparating around, he always seemed to assume they'd apparate out and leave a trail they'd have no time to cover up. In reality, Effie would clear her trail of breadcrumbs while Leolin and Sweeney worked, and they went out a different way. Crofton always assumed he'd find the apparation ward disabled, and every time he didn't, he simply couldn't figure out the how of their escape. Of course, the answer was staring him in the face, if only he could see past his own wizard nose; they always got out the Muggle way._

_They knocked aside a vent they'd loosened earlier in the day and Sweeney gave Leolin a boost up before she extended an arm and help him disappear through the hole as well. They sealed it non-magically before shimmying through the vents and up onto the roof. From there, they climbed their way down to the ground almost casually, knowing Crofton was still freaking out inside._

_When both their feet hit the pavement, they grinned, high-fived, and disappeared._

* * *

The long corridor of the Louvre museum was dark and deserted, the only light pouring eerily in from the skylights above, the moonlight casting looming shadows on the marble floor.

Leolin turned, eyes alight as she took in Sweeney and Effie, who were waiting for her. Sweeney gave a crooked smile.

"Welcome home, genie."

Leolin didn't hesitate; she flew into their arms, folding easily into their joint embrace.

"We heard what happened in Germany?" Effie said, pulling back and smoothing Leolin's dark hair. "Are you alright."

She nodded numbly, ignoring Felix as he hesitantly joined the group.

"Kelly—" she choked quietly. "Adrian has Kelly. Our agent on the inside convinced him not to kill Kelly. Still—" she broke off.

"I'm sorry, Nay," Sweeney said softly, pushing his forehead against hers. "That couldn't have been easy."

"What happened?" Effie queried.

Leolin turned to glare at Felix, who looked bashful and ashamed, and Effie's face hardened.

"You little rat," she sneered. "How dare you."

"It wasn't like that," Felix defended somewhat sheepishly. "We agreed—and they aren't going to kill Troy—we need this."

"Just stop," Leolin said tiredly, all the intimacy from earlier in the day bled dry. "I don't want to have to listen to your pathetic excuses again." she turned to the twins, squeezing Effie's hand. "Let's go," she said. "We're wasting time."

They nodded, each giving Felix another cold look before Sweeney jerked his head.

"This way," he prompted.

They all took off, Sweeney leading, the girls hand and hand, and Felix trailing behind like a beaten pup."Why do I feel like I know where we're going?" Leolin said warily.

"Because you probably do," Sweeney said. "C'mon."

"La voûte," she said quietly as they followed him.

Sweeney gave a solemn nod.

"What's the vault?" Felix demanded.

"Its miles below us," Leolin said, willing her voice to stop shaking. "I don't know what's down there guarding the coins, but whatever it is, it's going to be fierce."

"I think it may be more than one something," Sweeney said, grimacing. "I met a bloke on the Isle of Skye who claimed his great grandfather had been a custodian. He seemed to think it wasn't just one obstacle; it was seven."

"Merde," Felix whispered.

Finally they arrive at a blank stretch of wall.

"What—" Felix began, but Effie wordlessly held up a magical lens, and suddenly a narrow passage way was visible. Just like the day they stole the Canova, it was emitting an eerie swishing sound, and a cold breeze was pouring out from it.

"You're up, Swish" Effie said, holding the lens out to her brother. "There are about a million wards on this thing, so you better work fast."

"Give me that," Sweeney said, taking the lens and scowling at Felix. "Chaisson, get over here and be useful."

He handed the lens to Felix, who peered through it.

"This isn't really my thing," he admitted, handing the lens back to Felix. "I bind-breaking. I'm not much good with physical barriers."

"Then you better learn fast. Everyone has to sing for their supper, Chaisson."

Felix looked through the lens again but didn't move otherwise, and Sweeney slapped him upside the head, making Felix scowl.

"Do something!" Sweeney snapped as Felix began weaving charms. "At least help me figure out what's keeping the portal closed to us."

Felix looked again for a long time then he and Felix went into a whisper conference.

"Are you ready for this?" Effie asked Leolin quietly.

"Not really," she admitted. "There's no guarantee we won't die down there. If we do, all of this will have been in vain."

"If I were with anyone else, I might be worried. As it is, I'm not worried at all. You're the cleverest witch I've ever known, Nay, and you have bloody bollocks of steel. I wouldn't trade Merlin for you on an op like this."

Leolin laughed, but it was tinged with anguish.

"I need to focus," she said more somberly. "I—so much has happened in the last twenty four hours. I feel number.

"Did something happen with Draco?" Effie said quietly as they watched the boys, who finally seemed to be making some headway, work.

Leolin bowed her head, biting her lip.

"We—" she paused, fighting not to lose it. Now was hardly the time. "I lost him, Eff. Maybe for good." We had a really intense moment on the dance floor last night, but then he—he walked away. Ran back to Gen, just like he always done. If I couldn't convince him to love me in that moment, I never will."

"What about that gag?" Effie pressed. "Surely that will turn the tide."

"I'm miles away from finishing it," Leolin admitted. "And Ren was the one helping me."

"Well fuck him," Effie said in comfort. "I'm sure you're more than capable of doing it alone."

She shrugged.

"Maybe, but I'm losing the strength to fight. In fact, after last night, I'm not sure I have any left at all."

"I'm sorry," Effie said. "I shouldn't have pressed."

"No," Leolin said tightly. "After everything that happened yesterday, it's not even the biggest problem on my plate."

"What's on your mind?" Effie said. "Besides Draco and Kelly."

Leolin shook her head.

"I—last night got so fucked up. After Felix and Brank turned Kelly over to Adrian, I got piss drunk, and then Brankovitch came back to the safe house and I—we—" she bent her head.

"Oh Lai," Effie said. "I'm sorry."

"I feel so foul," Leolin admitted, glancing at Sweeney and Felix as they worked in tense silence. "I—I profess to love Draco, but every time he hurts me I turn around and somehow Max Brankovitch is there, waiting to take full advantage of the situation."

"Then he's a creep," Effie said fiercely. "And I'm going to rip his stones off next time I see him."

Leolin bowed her head.

"I hate him for what he did," Leolin said quietly. "But it's only about a tenth as much as I hate myself. I didn't have to give in to Brankovitch's selfish little agenda. He didn't physically force me."

"That's not the point," Effie said defensively. "You were drunk and grieving, the fact that he even made a mood is unforgivable."

"And I hate him for dragging Ren into this. He was like you and Swish; he was family to me, and Brankovitch exploited that so I wouldn't see the Kelly thing coming. What was worse, Felix let him do it."

"Then whatever's down there waiting for us," Effie said. "At least we have Chaisson as bait, or a getaway distraction if some ravenous beast tries to eat us."

Leolin gave a feeble laugh, though as she glanced at Felix, it grew a little sad.

"What the plan after we knick the coins?" she said, desperate to change to subject.

"We scatter for awhile. You and I will both take a coin and destroy them separately. At least that way if Adrian catches one of us, he at least won't have everything he needs. Speaking of," Effie looked sheepish. "Any reason to think we might run into any Pucey-shaped trouble this evening?"

Leolin shook her head firmly.

"Us four and Draco and the only ones who know about this. I didn't even tell Ri or Xavier. Adrian's pretty clever, I'll give him that, but no one is that good."

"Kelly Troy doesn't know?" Effie asked delicately. She cleared didn't want to push the fact that he was likely being tortured for information as they spoke, but Leolin shook her head.

"He only knows we have the painting, but so does Adrian. We haven't told anyone what kind of progress Swish made the last two months, and Felix and I didn't tell a soul we were coming here, not even Brankovitch, thank Merlin."

"And you're sure you couldn't have been followed?"

Again, Leolin shook her head.

"If Adrian had known where I was hiding, he would have come after me."

"Unless he was waiting for you to lead him to the coins."

"No," Leolin said. "That idea _might_ have worried me if Tommy hadn't died, but Adrian hasn't been himself since he did. Seriously, he was holed up in London for the last eight weeks. Besides, you know how good Sweeney is; if any of Adrian's goons were trailing him, he would have known. Besides, Adrian doesn't have that kind of muscles. All his blokes are nasty thugs. He doesn't have anyone artful or stealthy. Honestly, if he does show up here tonight and make a play for the coins, I'm just going to bloody give them to him. He'll have truly earned it."

Effie nodded, laughing a little.

"Fair enough. The first thing I'm going to do after we destroy these bastards is slit Pucey's throat."

"No," Leolin said resolutely.

"No?" Effie repeated incredulously. "What do you mean 'no'?"

Leolin turned to look at her.

"Adrian is mine. I want to be the one to drive a stake into his heart and watch the light in his eyes go out."

Effie gave a grim smile.

"That seems fair," she admitted. "Though you're going to have a hell of a time convincing Malfoy."

She bowed her head in dull anguish, and Effie bit her lip.

"Merlin, Nay," she breathed. "That was a twat thing to say. I didn't mean to throw that in your face."

"No," Leolin said, taking a breath. "You're probably right. I think he hates Adrian as much as I do. Still, this honour is mine, no matter _what _Draco says."

"We'll certainly back you up," Effie reassured her.

"Thanks, I guess," Leolin said.

Effie smiled.

"Right," Sweeney said. "We're almost in. Get ready."

Leolin turned to Effie, squeezing her hand.

"Eff," she said reverently. "I never could have done this without. You are Swish both. I love you; you're family to me."

"It's been an honour," Effie said, smiling at her. "Truly."

"We'll be to Hell and back together," Leolin said. "And you never faltered. Even if I never do make it back to Draco, I would be hard pressed to regret La Genie, because it led me to you."

"You will make it back to him," Effie assured her. "I know it. And Swish and I are honoured to have known you, we were just happy to be here for the ride. You're a pretty incredible woman, Thénard." She laughed. "I can't wait to see what you're going to do next."

"Well whatever it is," she said, squeezing his hand. "I hope you'll be by my side."

"Of course I will be!" Sweeney said. "You're fun at hell. I wouldn't want to miss out on one of your crazy adventures!"

"I'm afraid the next few might be more dangerous than fun," she admitted softly.

"Crazy and dangerous are two sides of the same coin!" Sweeney said brightly. "You know that, Genie."

She smiled.

"I guess I do, yeah," she said. "Just remind me of that the next time we're in mortal peril."

"What am I here for?" Effie said, swinging an arm around Leolin's shoulders and pulling her to him.

"I wish was Crofton was here," she said, giving a nervous laugh. "I would feel so much more at home."

Effie grinned.

"Not too late to call him, I suppose."

Leolin smile faded.

"I saw him last night, at the ball. He was—less than thrilled to see me."

Effie laughed.

"I'm afraid I can imagine."

"It was weird," Leolin admitted. "I never would have expected to be, but I was actually nervous tonight." she laughed softly. "He's finally put it all together, Eff. He's hot on my fucking tail. Thank Merlin a war is about to break out; he is bloody itching to send to Azkaban."

"As if he fucking could," Effie smirked.

"Oh he could," Leolin said. "In fact, when this is all over, he's going to try his damnedest to. If we both even make it there, that is."

"You will," Effie said. "Of course you will. You are a god; it's going to take more than some silly war to take you down. And trust me, Crofton Teller is a not going to let anything get in the way of his pursuit of La Genie, especially not death or Adrian fucking Pucey."

Leolin laughed again. It felt good to do so, particularly in the face of heartache and mortal peril.

"I hope you're right."

Effie winked.

"You know I am."

"You two ready?" Sweeney said, glancing back at them.

"I think so," Leolin replied, steeling her nerves.

"Hey," Effie said, squeezing her hand. "This is just another grab, Genie. Nothing we haven't done a thousand times before."

Leolin glanced at Felix now, and though looking at him still made her heart throb painfully, she nodded at him.

"She's right, Nay-Nay," Sweeney reassured her. This is nothing we can't handle, especially together."

"I love you both," Leolin said softly. "I just want you to know that in case—"

Felix looked pained that she'd excluded him, but Sweeney ignored him and shook his head.

"It's going to take a lot more than that to kill me," Sweeney said dryly, jerking a thumb towards the entrance. "C'mon Chaisson, you go first."

"Why me?" Felix demanded.

"Because no one really gives a shit if you live or die," Felix said. "Go on." He turned to Leolin, touching her cheek. "Ready?" he asked.

Leolin looked down at the diamond sparkling on her hand a final time.

"Yes. Let's end this here and now."

The reluctant Felix slipped in first, and the rest of the group filed behind.

It was substantially colder inside the passage, and Leolin had to fend off a shiver. It truly did seem as if they were wading through a sea of damp trees. It reminded Leolin of something, and it made her blood run cold.

"Midway upon the journey of our life," she said out loud. "I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost."

"What's that supposed does that mean?" Sweeney demanded, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"It's the first line of Dante's Inferno," Leolin explained. "He gets lost in a dark forest and eventually stumbled into the mouth of Hell."

"That's disturbingly apropos," Felix muttered.

Leolin couldn't see them, but she heard Effie slap him soundly upside the head.

"Stow it, both of you," Sweeney hissed. "What do you think, Nay? Do you really think this is supposed to be Dante's forest?"

"Well if it is, that means—" Leolin began.

"Look out!" Effie screamed, tugging her back as a snarling leopard appeared before them.

"Fuck!" Felix exclaimed.

"We need dawn to break!" Leolin cried, trying to remember what all happened in the first Canto. "That's what drives the leopard away!"

"_Lumos solem_!" Felix cried.

The forest was filled with light, and the leopard disappeared.

"Merlin's fucking beard," Sweeney said, panting a little.

"Don't get too comfortable," Leolin warned. "There's—"

They heard a great roar in the distance, though it was coming closer every second.

"Tell me that's not a lion," Felix pleaded.

"Okay," Sweeney said grimly. "We won't tell you."

"It's coming," Felix said fretfully.

"It won't be alone," Leolin said grimly.

Sure enough a haggard, half-starved lion appeared, roaring and licking its chops. An equally fierce she-wolf appeared from the other side, snarling.

"Now what?" Felix demanded as all four of them drew their wands.

"I don't know!" Leolin cried.

The two beasts were closing in.

"What happens in the poem?" Effie demanded frantically.

"I'm trying to remember!" Leolin said.

"Try harder!" Sweeney cried.

He fired a curse at the lion but nothing happened. If anything, he'd simple made it worse.

"Give me a break!" Leolin said, wracking her brain. "I haven't read Dante in a bloody age."

"Leolin!" Felix cried as the wolf leapt at him, her sharp claws raking across his left forearm as he raised it to shield is face.

"Poet, I thee entreat," she cried as Felix struggled with the snarling wolf and Sweeney dove to avoid the lion.

"So that I may escape this woe and worse, thou wouldst conduct me there!"

The snarling stopped; the animals disappeared. In their place was a lone arch leading down a long tunnel. The shadow of violent flames rose from the depths, and it literally felt hot as hell.

"Fuck me," Sweeney breathed.

Leolin tried to get her hammering heart under control. Just then a phantom appeared, a cold spectre wearing a laurel wreath and a Roman's toga. She screamed at his entrance, but he looked at them expectantly. His ghostly visage was enough to drain all the blood from Leolin's face. He reminded her of The Bloody Baron.

"Qui est-ce?" Felix said, voice quaking.

"That's the poet Virgil," Sweeney explained in a half-whisper.

Virgil's eerie spectre was still waiting, eyes completely black, devoid of both irises and pupils.

"Is he going to hurt us?" Effie breathed

It was a valid question; the phantom looked terribly sinister. He pointed a hand wordlessly towards the flames.

"I think we he wants us to follow him," Leolin said.

"Do we have to?" Felix said dubiously.

Leolin licked her dry lips. They couldn't lose courage now.

"Yes."

She stepped forward and started for the stairs.

"Nay, are you crazy?" Sweeney demanded. "You'll be burnt to a damn crisp."

"We have to go," Leolin said. "Do you want the coins or not?"

Sweeney said nothing, and Leolin raised her left arm to shield her eyes from the waves of heat. Seeing she was ready to follow, Virgil led the way. As he descended, the fire was extinguished. In fact, it grew uncomfortably cold. They all followed until they reached a plain wooden door.

"How far do you think we went?" Effie asked, looking around at the damp stone walls.

"We're miles below the museum," Leolin affirmed. "Or we might actually be in Hell. Honestly, I don't know."

Virgil stopped, pointing a pale hand to the door.

"Is he gonna—come with us, or what?" Felix asked dubiously.

"Doesn't seem like it," Sweeney said.

"I guess we ought to get this show on the road then." Effie said, approaching the door. She put her hand on the metal ring to pull it open, taking a breath to steady herself.

"_Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate_," Virgil warned in a raspy, bone-chilling voice.

With that, he was gone.

"Holy Merlin," Sweeney breathed.

"What did he say?" Felix demanded nervously. "What did he just say?"

Leolin took a deep breath and steeled her nerves.

"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."

Effie finally pulled on the ring, and they were admitted into an unimpressive stone room. The door behind immediately disappeared, and seven more appeared on the opposite wall. The first was a plain stone arch not unlike the one they'd just entered. The second was a modern door with an unassuming nob. The third was a set of bronze double doors that were at least fifteen feet high. The fourth was a mozarabic horseshoe arch. The fifth was a slab of dark stone. The sixth was a small round door no more than third feet in diametre, and the last was plain wood, identical to the second.

"Well shit," Sweeney said." Which way do we go?"

"Look," Felix said, pointing to a parchment that had been nailed to the wall. He approached and began to read aloud:

Danger Lies Before you, Safety Lies Behind

Three of us will help you, whichever you would find,

One among us seven will let you move ahead,

Another two will transport the traveler back instead.

Three hold crippling darkness, and one more blinding light

Choose you must and quickly, if you want to end your plight.

Unless you wish to stay forever more

Use correctly these clues four:

However slyly darkness tries to hide, you'll always find it at safety's left side.

Different are those who stand at each end, but if you want to move forward, neither is your friend

All but two are different sized, but neither dwarf nor giant holds death inside.

Same are second left and second right, despite their difference at first sight.

"Alright," Effie said, taking a deep breath. "This is doable."

"Easily," Felix agreed.

As soon as he'd said it, the parchment spontaneously caught fire.

"Bollocks," Sweeney said. "Well that complicates things."

"What was the thing about the end ones?" Leolin asked.

"They are both bad, I think," Felix said.

"Think?" Sweeney said snidely.

"end rhymes with friend," Felix snapped, evidently growing tired of being the whipping boy. "Neither is your friend, or something. They are either the both darkness, or darkness and blinding light."

"So now we five doors to worry about," Leolin said, studying the doors. "And then the second and sixth ones are the same?"

"Yeah," Sweeney said. "So they're either the ways back or both darkness."

"Okay, what else?" Leolin said.

"Something about darkness always being on the left?"

"On the left or on the right?"

"Fuck," Felix breathed. "I can't remember. Shit."

"I think it was left," Felix supplied.

"I honestly can't remember," Leolin added. "But if it is left then one is light, two is back, three is black, five is black, and seven is black."

"Well at least we know where all the death ones are," Effie pointed out.

"Yeah, but we don't know which door is which!" Felix snapped in agitation.

"Are we missing a clue?" Sweeney asked. "There were supposed to be four, right?"

"Shit," Effie said. "Yeah. Merlin, we're going to die without getting through a single task."

"What's the bloody fourth one?" Leolin asked "Shit!"

"Something about big and small being safe?" Felix said.

"Oh yeah," Leolin agreed. "That sounds right."

They looked up.

"Shit, that still leaves us with four and six."

"And I'm not convinced that it was darkness on the right," Sweeney said.

"Wait!" Leolin exclaimed. "We're just not putting all together right! Two and six are the same! That means four is forward! C'mon!"

"Whoa whoa whoa," Felix said. "Slow down before we end up back in the museum. Or worse, in that creepy forest-y thing."

"So four and six are safety," Leolin said hastily. " Because big and little are not death. And two and six are the same. Since there is only one way forward, two and six must be ways back and four is the way forward."

"Okay," Sweeney said. "Let's do it."

They all held their breath as Sweeney and Felix heaved the doors open. They gave a collective sigh when they reached the second chamber.

"Oh fuck me," Felix said, still trembling. "We made it."

"Don't get too comfortable. "We have six more to go," Sweeney said. "What's this about now?"

The room was bare save for a table with five identical bottles on it, each with a small tag.

The first one read "I'm poison; I'll kill you"

"Well shit, put that one down," Effie said.

"Hold on," Leolin, who was holding the bottle, said. "Look."

She turned to card back and forth and the message began to switch between "I am poison; I'll kill you" and "This is a lie"

"What the fuck does that mean?" Sweeney asked.

"What do the others say?" Leolin asked, ignoring him.

"The second one says 'I'll take you back; that is true," Effie supplied.

Leolin read the third tag. "'I am wine; drink me."

"Okay," Felix said, reaching for the bottle. Leolin swiped it off the table and it shattered.

"Are you fucking mad?" she demanded.

"I could use a glass of wine right about now," he said, and something in his voice told her that it wasn't just because of the tasks. She turned, unable to bare the pained look in his eyes. It reminded her of what he'd done, which only succeeded in twisting the knife.

"This one's card is blank," Sweeney said, he uncorked it. "And it's empty?"

"What does the last one say?" Leolin asked.

Felix picked it up.

"I'll take you forward; do you trust me?"

"Okay," Effie said, massaging her temples. "Read them all again."

"Well its obviously not the empty one," Sweeney supplied.

"And Lefevre smashed the bloody wine," Felix grumbled

"What does that leave us with?"

"The poison, the way back, and the gamble."

"Well are aren't going back," Leolin said. "So not this one."

"So we just have to trust that one, right?" Sweeney asked.

"Not necessarily," Felix said, brow furrowed. "If it's a lie it's not poison, and if it _is_ poison, it's not a lie; it's the truth."

"So it both is and isn't poison?" Effie asked dryly. "That fucking helpful."

"It's the Liar's Paradox," Leolin said, nodding in comprehension.

"Okay so is it safe or not?" Effie demanded.

"What if it's poison but also a lie?" Felix asked.

"Oh my days," Sweeney growled. "That's what we're stuck on!"

"I mean," Felix said, giving Sweeney an irritated look. "What is it _is_ poison but it's not lethal?"

"What," Leolin said. "You mean like alcohol?"

Felix shrugged.

"It would be rather poetic; we would literally be picking our poison. As a former bartender, you have to admit that's pretty clever."

Effie uncorked the bottle.

"It smells like anise," she said. "Could be Jagermeister or Sambuca."

"Are we willing to die finding out?" Effie said cautiously.

"Isn't that why we brought Chaisson?" Sweeney sneered.

Leolin, fretful from the backbiting, picked it up and took of draught. It tasted awful; just like black licorice. As soon as she did, a door appeared.

"Alright," she said, wiping her mouth and grimacing from the foul drink. "Let's go."

The boys, who were still somewhat in awe of what had just happened, each took a swig and followed her, and Effie finished the bottle and made a face.

The next room made Leolin wanted to throw up. A series of giant blades swung back and forth in a pendulum rhythm.

"How are we gonna get through that?" Sweeney demanded.

Felix was scrutinizing it.

"We just need music," he said.

"Sorry?" Effie said.

"It's in three fourths time," Felix explained. "Like a waltz. If we have music we can easily navigate it."

Leolin drew her wand and gave a flourish, and suddenly the stone walls echoed with a cold, dreary waltz.

Slowly, carefully, they picked their way through. It took them the better part of two hours, and by the time they reached the safety of the other side Leolin was sweating.

"Good thinking, Chaisson," Sweeney panted.

Felix gave a silent thumbs-up, hands on knees as he caught his breath.

"Right," Leolin said, pushing the next stone door open.

The room was utterly bare, and as soon as Effie, who was the last person, stepped through, the door snapped shut.

Light from a single occulus let in light, and Leolin could see a door on the other side of the room.

"Look," she said, pointing.

They headed over, tugging on the door in vain.

"Well shit," Sweeney said. "Now what are we going to do?"

Just then a cool, disembodied voice filled the room, echoing off the walls.

I am here and I am there,

Invisible, yet everywhere.

If you hope to recover that which you seek,

You need only know what words to speak.

The room fell deadly silent. Finally Felix spoke.

"Everything thinking it, so I'll just go ahead and say it; fuck riddles."

"I am here and I am there," Leolin muttered to herself. "Invisible, yet everywhere. If you hope to recover that which you seek, you need only know what words to speak."

"So we need some kind of charm," Effie said, thinking aloud.

"But what kind?" Felix asked.

"That's the billion galleon question," Sweeney said, sitting on a rock.

Leolin sat down on the damp floor as well, repeating the riddle over and over in her mind. A half hour went by, then an hour, then two.

"Merde," Felix breathed, mostly to himself. "Merde. Nous allons mourir ici."

"What did he say?" Effie demanded.

"He says we're going to die in here," Leolin said. She tried not to let that idea resonate, but she had to admit that she too was nervous.

"Shut up, not helpful," Sweeney snapped at Felix.

Leolin had gone back to brooding. What was invisible yet everywhere? Air? Nothing? And what might they be looking for? There was already a door.

"I can't just sit here anymore," Felix said. "I'm going to try and break it down."

"How?" Effie snapped, "It's magically locked."

As he said it, something dawned on her, and she leapt up.

"Felix!" she cried. "Does that thing have a keyhole?"

He looked.

"Yeah. But what good does that do us? We don't have a key."

"Not yet we don't."

Leolin was already drawing her wand. She thought about the first time she'd use the spell she was about to cast. It was when Draco was in the hospital wing, and she'd flown up to see him. The very idea of him made her heart ache, and she savagely pushed him out of her mind.

"_Prodio_" she said loudly. As she did, a large antique clock fell from the ceiling and thudly on the stone floor.

"What was that?"

"Conjuration," Leolin said, coming over and examining the clock. "Someone hid a vanished object in here. But I thought it would be a key to unlock that door."

"Made you wind the clock and it opens the door?" Sweeney offered.

They had no more time to consider this, because the voice was back.

Half my riddle you've now unraveled,

But my other you'll need if you seek to travel.

I'm much more than a mere clock

Give me new shape and the door with unlock.

"Shit," Leolin said. "So we have to transfigure the clock into a key. I have no fucking clue what the incantation for that is."

"I can a design an incantation right now," Felix said. He sat down again. "Give me a minute."

He began muttering to himself.

"Any time now," Sweeney said after another hour past.

Leolin had no idea how long they'd been down there. It had to have been four hours or more. She then wondered how much time had passed in the real world. Had it been hours or days, or were they going to emerge to find they'd only been gone ten minutes? She had no idea, but she realised she was starving. Her stomach grumbled, and she tried to ignore it.

"Alright," Felix said, standing and drawing his wand. "Done. _Clavis Recludam_."

The clock began to shudder as the hands spun wildly around. However, the shape began to morph, and after about ten minutes Felix held a solid gold key in his hand.

"Try it," Leolin said. She was growing uneasy. She didn't know what exactly it was, but something didn't feel right.

Felix tried the key and it slid into the hole like butter, making a satisfying click as it turned.

The next room was tall and skinny, and it was clear that unlike the previous four, it required only physical strength. They only opening they could see was at the top.

"Shit," Sweeney breathed. "Hope you lot are up for a climb."

"You alright, Nay?" Effie said gently, touching her back.

She nodded.

"I just—this looks hard as hell. I'm not sure I'm strong enough either," she admitted quietly.

"Of course you are," Sweeney said with encouragement. "And you weigh nothing."

She nodded.

"I'll go first," Felix offered. "Test the waters."

"Good idea," Sweeney agreed. "If anyone is going to die, I would sincerely prefer it be you."

Felix sneered at him before glancing at Leolin in the hopes of support. Instead she just bowed her head.

The first obstacle was a set of monkey bar that they were meant to swing across then climb through to a small platform.

Felix leapt up as gracefully as his namesake, easily grabbing a bar before beginning to swing. Sweeney went next. All seemed to be going well as Leolin prepared to leap up, but Felix gave a hiss of pain.

"Damnit," he said through gritted teeth, "the bars are heating up."

"You're telling me," Sweeney said, crying out as he grabbed a new bar. "You're practically through."

"Fuck" Sweeney grit out. "There's no way you two are going to be able to make it."

By now the bars were white hot. Sweeney and Felix were both standing on the platform, examining their ruined hands. Leolin looked down at her own.

"_Praemonio Manus," _she whispered quietly, suddenly her hands were coated in what looked and felt like aloe vera gel.

She leapt nimbly up to grab the first bar, and the protection on her hands sizzled against the searing heat. She could already feel it creeping into her palms, and she knew the charm wouldn't hold for long. Pulling herself up by her arms, she slipped through the bars and stood atop them instead. Now the heat was heat was creeping into her trainers, but at a much slower rate.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Felix screamed. "If you fall you're going to burn your face off!"

She winced as the heat began to prick the bottoms of her feet.

"Then I better not fall," she said.

Steeling herself, she began to simply run across, willing her feet not to slip between the bars and cause her to stumble. Somehow she managed it, and just as her trainer's were about to melt, she took a running leap and grabbed the edge of the platform.

"Eff," do what I did! It's the only way at this point.

Effie followed, and she was by far the quickest, though her trainers were practically melted by the time she leapt to safety.

"Merde," Felix breathed. "This is going to be a real bitch."

"Do you suppose they all heat up like that?" Sweeney asked, flexing his hands.

"Probably," Leolin admitted. "Let me see you two's hands."

They both extended out their palms, which had already begun to blister. She murmured some healing spells and the blisters disappeared.

"Thanks," Sweeney breathed.

"Now what?" Effie asked.

They all looked over to see a single wheel twenty feel across hanging about a third of the distance to the next platform.

"What do you reckon?" Sweeney asked. "You jump then use your momentum to swing the wheel?"

Leolin look again, heart pounding.

"That's a long fucking way."

"And you have to guess the wheel's going to get hot again," Effie pointed out.

Leolin considered.

"Take off your shoes," she said at last.

"What?" Sweeney said. "Why?"

"Swish, you're good at transfiguration. You can make them in to dragonhide gloves."

"Can you really do that?" Felix asked. "How?"

"Gamp's Law," Sweeney replied like Felix was stupid before considering the eight shoes in front of him.

"Who what?" Felix asked, seemingly growing agitated at being so out of the loop.

"Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration states that while an object cannot be produced from thin air, it can be transformed to be something of the same kind. Material matter, thus, can be transformed into other material matter."

"What about that conjuration, then?" Effie asked. "You and Malfoy do that all the time."

"The objects in my cache are tangible things I've vanished. I'm not producing them from thin air; I'm conjuring them from non-being," Leolin said. "It's different"

"That's pretty brilliant," she admitted. "Did Malfoy make that up?"

Leolin bit her lip, feeling terribly nervous again.

"No," she said in a meek voice. "His father did."

"Okay done," Sweeney said, passing the gloves back. "These will keep the keep the heat out, but that doesn't come without a price. The gloves are going to compromise your grip, so hang on like hell and jump as soon as you get the momentum."

"I'll go first," Effie said. "I weight the least and have the smallest hands. I can pass back advice."

"Fuck," Sweeney breathed. "Okay. But please please be careful."

Effie was already mid-leap, and she caught the wheel with some ease.

"Start swinging!" Sweeney called.

She did as she was told, and in a few deft swings, she'd gained enough momentum to leap.

Next it was Leolin's turn. She took as big of a jump as the platform would allow, and when her shoulders screamed a bit in protest. It reminded her of the time she'd leapt off her broom to stop a quaffle in a match at Hogwarts. The yearning to travel back there was so overwhelming it was hard to think for a second. Still, she could feel the ring heating up and her hands starting the sweat.

"It's already hot," she called back. "It's not hurting but I can feel it through the gloves."

She was swinging wildly now, the wheel transporting her ten feet in either direction.

"That's as far as you can go!" Sweeney called. "Jump, Lai!"

She squeezed her eyes shut and heaved forward, barely catching the edge. She pulled herself up labouriously behind standing and smiling.

"See?" she called breathlessly. "Easy."

"That's what I said," Effie said, smiling as well.

Sweeney went next, and after years of thieving and leaping from rooftop to rooftop, he reached the other side with relative ease.

Felix has opted to go last because he was by far the strongest, but by the time it was his turn, the wheel was once again white hot.

"Be careful," Effie warned sternly. "Don't let your feet get near those spokes."

"Got it," Felix said, pale-faced.

He took a running leap like the others and made it easily to the wheel. However, his hands hadn't found good purchase, and he was only able to keep a hold on with his left hand.

"Felix!" Leolin screamed, hands over her mouth.

Despite everything he'd done, the idea of losing him now was unspeakable.

"Merde," Felix grit out. "It feels like my arm's going to rip out of its socket!"

"Swing your arm up and readjust you grip," Sweeney called. "You are okay, take your time."

Felix took a calming breath and did as Sweeney instructed, drumming his fingers to get the bar more solidly situated before beginning to swing.

"Merde," he said again even as he gained momentum. "I still have a bad grip. I don't know how much longer I can hold on."

He was swinging fairly far now, though not as far as any of the other three of them.

"Just do one more big swing and jump!" Sweeney prompted. "We'll catch you if we have to."

He jumped, and Leolin could see right away it wasn't going to be enough.

She ripped off her gloves, fell to the ground and cried, "_Petrificus spathulas!"_

Immediately she felt her legs sealing into place as she extended her arms.

"Ren!" She cried, tearing of adrenaline in her eyes. "Grab my hands!"

Sweeney followed Leolin's lead, his legs glued as well.

"C'mon, Felix!"

Felix extended his arms as far as he could, and he managed to grab Sweeney's arm with his left hand and Leolin's with his right. Luckily, he hand managed to grab as high as their biceps, giving him better leverage.

"Hang on, Ren, _please_!" Leolin pleaded as Felix gave a defeated groan. "Swish, _pull_!"

They both heaved, and with a groan Felix managed to pull his torso onto the platform before dragging his legs up as well.

"Oh my gods!" Leolin burst, and she realized there were tears on her cheeks.

Without thinking she grabbed his cheeks and kissed him, and he seemed revived by her loving embrace. He pushed his forehead to hers.

"Thank you," he breathed, but as the moment faded and Leolin had time to accept he was safe, she gave him a cool look before retreating as far away from him as the small platform would allow.

They sat in silence for a few minutes catching their breath. The last task was a slender beam that ran the length of the space. At the very end was a rope and just the left of the top of the rope was the occulus.

"Can you make dragonhide boots?" Felix said. "I can't do any more hanging."

Leolin shook her head.

"We need to be light on our feet. Swish, can you make this back into trainers?"

Felix and Sweeney both gave her dubious looks.

"Just keep your eyes ahead and sprint like hell. The bar is wide enough to easily hold you feet. Momentum with keep you from wobbling."

"I don't—" Sweeney began, handing Leolin's trainers back.

"Nay is right," Effie said, eying the bar. "It's the only way. I will go first. Watch me closely and don't wait for me to get all the way across. When I'm in the middle, the next person goes. That way we can at least try to avoid the hottest temperature."

They nodded wordlessly to affirm they understood. There were rungs on the wall leading up to the beam and Effie eased herself onto the beam and took off. When she was a quarter of the way through her sprint Leolin followed. She fixed her eyes on the rope and everything else fell away. It only took her ten seconds to cross, and she could hear the next person behind her as she grabbed the rope. She shimmied up it quickly and heaved through the occulus into what looked liked a cave. Felix was right behind her, and Sweeney behind him.

"Merlin," Sweeney said. "I didn't realize how much of a cakewalk the first three were."

"They're getting harder," Felix agreed.

"That doesn't bode well," Effie admitted.

They lumbered to their feet.

"Ready?" Leoin asked, dusting herself off.

"As I'll ever be," Sweeney affirmed.

There were torches along the cave walls illuminating the path.

"Does anyone else wish Virgil had come with us?" Effie asked, trying to avoid her own growing unease.

It has never taken this long to find a guardian, and they were all on edge.

"At the very least," Sweeney said. "We would have had a proper laugh watching him navigate those monkey bars.

Leolin and Effie both laughed.

They came around a corner, and Felix, who was in front, stopped in his tracks, making the others bump into him.

"Merde," he whispered.

There, sitting calmly in front of the plain oak door on the far wall, was a Sphinx.

She was bigger than a regular lion, though not by much, and unlike the mangy creature they'd faced on the way in, her coat was sleek, glossy, and thick. Her large paws were equipped with nasty-looking claws, and they were crossed in front of her, seemingly guarding something. She had the bare breasts and shoulders of a human woman, but a powerful pair of wings protruded from her shoulder blades. They glistening in the low light with what look golden feathers, and they were folded neatly against her back. She had a beautiful human face, with jet black, shoulder-length hair crowned with a ruby-encrusted diadem. Her eyes were yellow with the diamond-shaped pupils of a cat. She had ruby red lips, and when she parted them run a tongue across her glittering teeth, they could see that the second ones from left and right were two small but sharp fangs.

"Enter," she purred.

Felix was frozen, but Effie shoved him roughly forward.

She drank them in and Leolin wanted to cry she was so anxious.

"It has been some time since somewhere has reached my lair," she said in an even tone. "Now you must answer three riddles."

"Oh bollocks," Sweeney muttered.

"Uh, do we have to?" Felix asked dubiously.

She didn't answer, but her yellow eyes flashed.

"Right, okay," Leolin said. "And if we get them right?"

"I let you pass," the Sphinx answered.

"And if we don't I assume…" Sweeney trailed off.

She licked her chops in response.

"How many riddles, did you say?" Leolin asked, mind already racing ahead.

They needed to relax or they were sunk.

"Three."

"And how much time do we have for each one?" Felix queried.

The Sphinx's eyes flashed again.

"Let's begin," she said in response. "The beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, the beginnings of every end, the end of every place."

They considered.

"Do we get guesses?" Sweeney asked.

"Two each," she replied, swishing her tail.

"God," Felix said.

"Incorrect."

"Merlin, Chaisson," Effie chided. "Waste a fucking guess, why don't you!"

"We don't have forever to answer!" he defended.

"So you're just going to blurt the first thing that comes to your mind?" she snapped back. "This is why we're feeding you to the Sphinx first."

"Fuck, okay," Leolin said, ignoring their snapping. "Harry told me that Sphinxes like the trip you up, mislead you. We have to think outside the box. Maybe it's not a thing? Harry had to assemble a word to make the answer, I think."

Sweeney considered, muttering the riddle to himself. Finally, he nodded grimly to the others and turned to the Sphinx.

"The letter E."

The Sphinx bowed her head.

"Correct."

They gave a collective sigh of relief. One down, two to go.

"What does man love more than life

But fear more than death or mortal strife

What the poor have, the rich require,

and what contented men desire,

What the miser spends and the spendthrift saves

And all men carry to their graves?"

"What does man love more than life?" Sweeney asked quietly.

"I don't know? Sex? Money?" Felix said.

Leolin looked up, but the Sphinx seemed calm. Apparently this sort of conference was allowed.

"Happiness?" Effie whispered. "I feel like rich people are never happy. Look at Malfoy; he's a bloody trainwreck."

"Geek, thanks, Eff," Leolin said hollowly.

"Fuck," Effie said. "Sorry, Nay."

"Who cares," Felix said. "Clock's ticking."

"Right," Felix said, nervously, looking over Leolin's shoulder.

The Sphinx must have been stirring slightly.

"Sod all that subjective stuff, what does every have when they die?" Leolin said

"The same thing contented men desire?" Sweeney offered.

"Not helpful!" Effie hissed.

"I mean, you don't bring anything with you when you die," Sweeney defended.

"Unless your Jean du Bones," Felix added.

"_Definitely _not helpful," Effie snapped.

"Okay what do contented men need? They ostensibly have everything," Sweeney pointed out.

Leolin's mind raced through the other clues, and without consulting the others, she cried, "Nothing! The answer is nothing."

"Correct again."

"Merlin's Pants," Sweeney breathed. "I feel like I'm gonna wet myself."

"I'm not entirely sure I haven't already," Felix said raggedly.

The Sphinx began a final time.

"Four men sat down to play,

They played all night 'till break of day.

They played for gold and not for fun

With separate scores for everyone.

When they came to square accounts,

They all had made quite fair amounts.

Can you the paradox explain,

If no one lost, how could all gain?"

"What sort of card game can everybody win at?" Sweeney asked at once.

"None," Effie said. "And that's too obvious."

"Alright," Felix began again. "What's a game were everyone wins? Or situation, even?"

"Love?" Sweeney posited.

Leolin''s face fell.

"Decidedly not," she said softly.

"Betting?" Effie ventured.

"I mean, that's gambling, essentially," Felix said. "And there's tons of losers in that, believe me."

"Cheating? I mean if you cheated you could all win?"

"Only if everyone collectively agreed to cheat on everyone else and be cheated in return," Sweeney pointed out.

"Shit," Leolin said fretfully. "I have no fucking clue."

"I think it must be some sort of business thing. Like an enterprise when men scheme and they all win because someone else loses."

"Maybe," Felix said after a minute. "But I don't really think that fits all the clues. And it's too vague."

There was a sound over their shoulder and they all turned.

The Sphinx was watching them intently, her sharpening her claws again the stone.

"Bollocks," Sweeney whined. "Chaisson, get ready to throw yourself at her. The three of us deserve to live."

"Okay," Leolin said, ignoring Sweeney and Felix's cold glare. "What's a game you play together collectively? Like not against each other"

"A quidditch team?"

"But you usually do that for fun, not for money," Effie said. "And you don't usually play at night."

"And they all had separate scores! What the fuck is that?" Leolin hissed frantically.

The Sphinx gave a deafening roar that bounced off the walls. They turned and she was off her feet now, wings spread wide. Her eyes were terrifying.

"Maleficent," Effie pleaded. "This is _not_ how I imagined I would die!"

Only Felix kept going.

"Play with separate scores!" he screamed manically to himself. "Play with separate scores!"

The Sphinx roared again and Leolin screamed.

"They play with separate scores!" Felix said. "Merde, _they're musicians!_"

The Sphinx stopped, stared at them, and sat back down.

"Correct. Now," she said, purring softly again. "I will give you this."

She lifted her paw to reveal what she had behind her paws.

It was a faded white shield with a red cross atop it.

No one moved, and it became clear that someone was meant to go and fetch it from her.

"Bollocks," Sweeney whispered. "This is Virgil all over again."

Leolin took a shuddering breath and stepped forward, bending to retrieve the shield. As she did, she could feel The Sphinx's breath ruffling her hair. Finally she had it, and she casually stepped back.

"I will give you one last riddle. You will need to solve if you truly wish to retrieve the treasure you seek."

"Are you going to—eat us if we can't solve it?" Felix asked dubiously.

"No," she said. "But you will never escape this vault if you don't."

"Alright," Effie said dubiously. "Go on, then."

"I drive men mad

For love of me,

Easily beaten,

Never free."

"And what's this for?" Leolin asked, holding the shield up.

The Sphinx's eyes flashes, but she said nothing.

"You may pass," she said in return, and she rose and took several grace strides in the opposite direction before settling down again

They passed through the oak door and down another damp, dim passage.

"So, what do you suppose that last riddle is about?" Sweeney asked.

"I think we have a bigger problem at the moment," Leolin said.

"What's that?" Felix asked.

The damp air had finally begun to warm up, and it felt good.

"In the Muggle bible," Leolin said slowly, hoping to hell she was wrong, "there is a saint named George who carried a shield just like this one."

By this time the passage was uncomfortably muggy, and they were all sweating.

"And what did George do?" Felix asked.

It was downright hot now.

Leolin and Effie exchanged a scared look.

"He slayed a dragon," Effie finished.

They came around the bend just in time to watch a massive Hybridean Black belch a lungful of flame.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Sweeney demanded. "No wonder why no one's ever got their hands on the coins!"

They all took cover as the Black breathed more fire.

"We need to figure out the riddle!" Sweeney screamed "So we know what we're looking for!"

Felix recited it.

"I drive men mad for love of me, easily beaten, never free."

"What drives men love so much it drives them crazy but is never free?" Effie cried over the din as they all dove for new hiding spots to confuse to smoking beast.

Leolin considered as she watched the dragon raise its head and roar. It drove men crazy, it was never free, and it likely had _something _to do with dragons. For once, the answer seemed simple.

"It's gold!" She cried to the others. "It drives people crazy for want of it, it's a malleable metal, and it has inherent value and thus is never free. Plus, dragons were bred to guard treasures!"

"Look," Felix said. "Underneath the dragon!"

There was a small pool, and it glittered like gold from the fire light.

"That's our way out."

"I have a way to distract the dragon!" Sweeney screamed. "When I tell you, run for it!"

He aimed his wand at the wall and fired a sonic hex. The sounded bounded off the walls of the cave, confusing the dragon.

"Go! Go!"

They all took off at a dead sprint and Felix fired another hex at the ceiling, making the dragon look up. When they were close each they slid, the gravel underfoot carrying them to safety beneath the beast's iron belly. It realized where they'd gone and dipped its head, but by that time they were beneath the surface of the water.

They swam, first downwards then through a tunnel, and just when Leolin felt her lungs would burst, they emerged in an underground cave.

"Where _are_ we?" Effie breathed, looking around them.

There was a poisonous smell in the air that strung the skin a little, and the water was being somehow lit from below, which made it easy to see.

"Charonium, I think," Leolin replied, rubbing her hands against her arms to keep the green poison from collecting on her clothes. "Or some approximation of it. It's named about Charon, the ferryman."

"And Charonium is…" Felix supplied.

"The entrance to Tartarus," Leolin said, heart thundering again.

"Which is…"

Effie looked green.

"The Greek Underworld," she supplied quietly.

"What's that?" Leolin asked, pointing to something glittering just off the water's edge.

Sweeney leapt out.

"It's a bag of coins!" he exclaimed. "Do you think Bones's coin's are in there?"

"I doubt it," Leolin said. "But take it with us. We have to get moving anyway."

The gas was hurting her throat now, and she dove down and kept swimming. When they emerged, they found themselves in an eerie green cave.

"Are we in the Underworld right now?" Effie whispered.

"I have no idea," Leolin said.

They came around a bend to finding themselves looking at a dark, cold river.

"Don't suppose we ought to swim in that one," Sweeney said.

"Decidedly not," Effie replied.

Leolin took a shuddering breath. They were so close, she could feel it.

"I think this the River Styx," she breathed as she approached the rushing water.

It was wide, almost fifty yards across, and Leolin could hardly see the other bank.

"Oh my gods," Sweeney said quietly. "Are we _actually_ going to have to take the coins from Charon?"

"I—" Leolin pleaded. "I don't know."

"We need to get across the river," Felix said. "How do we do that?"

"Well usually you pay Charon to take you," Leolin explained. "But I don't see him or his boat."

"So there's a boat?" Felix said. "And what do you have to give Charon to take you across?"

"Really, Chaisson?" Sweeney snapped. "Really? All this talk about Bones and his payment and you don't know the answer to that question?"

"So coins," Felix said, frowning a little at Sweeney's snide remark. "What kind?"

"Obols," Leolin replied.

Felix grabbed the bag and dumped out the coins on the rocky ground.

"Which ones?" he asked. "Which ones are obols?"

Leolin picked the two out. Felix took them both in hand and threw them into the river.

"What the _fuck_ did you do that for?" Sweeney explained. "What if those were Bones's payment?"

"Look," Felix snapped impatiently. "We clearly need a way to get across the river, and if they _were_ the coins we were looking for, at least they're lost."

"Yeah, but what if Pucey somehow—"

Leolin wasn't listening.

"Look," she said softly, pointing to the obsidian bank. A small barge had appeared.

They all scrambled up and leapt on. Felix and Sweeney maneuvered the oars as Leolin and Effie tried to make out anything on the far bank. Finally they arrived, and the minute they stepped onto the damp rock, the boat disappeared.

"Sure hope there is another way out of here," Felix commented.

Leolin wasn't istening. Before the opposite bank had been too dark to see anything. However, once they stepped off the raft, it was dimly lit, and they could make out a hulking statue. Leolin approached. There, lying in the loving arms of Sleep and Death, was the Trojan hero Sarpedon from Sebasten's painting, two gleaming obols over his eyes.

"They're here," she croaked in disbelief. "I have them."

Leolin picked one up gently, holding it up so she could see it. It was made of dull silver and it was obviously ancient, but it still gleamed dully in the torchlight. She immediately vanished hers into her cache. She flicked the other to Sweeney.

"There's a passage this way!" Felix said. "Let's go!"

He tore off, and they were hot on his heels. The journey back up was shorter, and Leolin wondered again how much time had gone by. She'd sworn they'd been down there for almost eight hours, but she couldn't be sure. The staircase spilled out right back into the eerie forest through which they come, and they sprinted through, not caring as the branches whipped at their clothes and nicked their skin. Finally they emerged, panting. The moon was still shining overhead. No more than two hours could have passed.

"We have to split up," Leolin said immediately. "Just in case."

However, no one moved immediately.

"I can't bloody believe it," Sweeney croaked, looking numbly at the coin pressed into his palm. "We fucking did it."

"La Genie strikes again," Effie gave a laugh that was so tightly wound that she sounded like she was going to burst into tears.

"And no Adrian," Leolin breathed in relief.

"Don't jinx it," Felix warned.

"If he knew where we were," Leolin reasoned. "He would be right here waiting for us. He wouldn't risk us sneaking out a back way. He knows how well we know the layout of this place."

"So we've beaten him at his own game," Sweeney said quietly. "Can't pretend that doesn't feel damn good."

"What now?" Felix asked.

Now that the danger had passed, he was eying Leolin longingly, clearly desperate to tug her into his arms and never let go.

"We need to separate the coins," Leolin said. "I'll take one and Swish and Effie with take the other."

"What about me? Maybe I should take it instead of you. I don't want a bigger target on your back."

She shook her head and frowned at him.

"You have no experience in this. Go home. Get out of here. Find somewhere safe to lie low until we know it's safe to reconvene."

He looked pained, and she shook her head again.

"I mean it, Felix. Get out of here. We can't dawdle."

He nodded tightly, eyes begging to hug her goodbye. However, she crossed her arms and he let his hang stiffly at his sides.

"Be careful, bichette," he said softly. "Adrian is still looking for you."

"Just go," she said with less malice, turning her head so she didn't have to look at him.

He nodded and disappeared in a pop.

"What about you two?" Leolin said, turning to the twins and taking both of their hands.

"We have a place in the highlands," Sweeney said. "Completely off the grid. We will hang there until the heat cools, then I'll start looking for a way to destroy these bastards."

He held up his obol. Leolin nodded.

"What about you?" Effie said, stroking Leolin's hair affectionately.

Leolin shrugged.

"I honestly hadn't thought about it. To Rome, I suppose. Back with Sev and Xavy until it's safe to go back to London."

Sweeney nodded and he and Effie shared a meaningful look.

"What?" Leolin demanded, watching them. "What was that look?"

"I know it's probably not my place," Sweeney said. "But for the record, I don't think you should go to Rome."

"What—" Leolin began, but Sweeney shook his head.

"Go to Greece, Nay," Effie urged. "Go to Draco and tell him how you feel. I know you think it's too late, and maybe it is, but you'll never know if you don't try. Besides, tonight is the night of impossible miracles, and you and Draco being together doesn't even need a miracle. It just needs a nudge."

Leolin looked at Sweeney, feeling vulnerable.

"Go, Leolin," he said, taking her hand. It was odd to hear him call her that, but she knew why he was. "As much as I love Naomi, you have to set her aside and be the person you were always meant to be. Go to your Draco, Leolin. Go to him and reclaim the prize you've spent five years fighting for. You've more than earned it."

Leolin wiped at a tear, though she was smiling now.

"Things are only going to get harder going forward," Effie admitted. "Don't force yourself to go through all this alone."

Finally, Leolin nodded.

"You're right. This is gone on too long. I have to go and finally set things right."

"That's my girl!" Sweeney said, ruffling her hair. "Go get 'em, tiger!"

Leolin laughed.

"I will floo from Greece. I love you both; see you soon."

"See you sooner," Effie smiled. "Good luck."

Leolin smiled and disappeared, squeezing her eyes tightly shut and picturing the villa in her mind. She met the resistance of an apparition ward as she tried to enter, but after a moment of pushing it seemed to recognise her and dissolved, allowing her to finally materialise on the sprawling patio. It was pleasantly warm, and a soft breeze ruffled her hair.

"Draco!" she cried. "Draco, where are you?"

She tore from the deck to the meeting room they'd first convened in almost ten months before. She burst into the lounge, and the first person she laid on was Draco.

"Drake!" she cried, starting towards him and beaming despite everything. "We have them. The coins. We got them."

Relief flooded his tense expression, but only for a second. After that, it reverted back to suppressed anguish. It was here she realised they were not alone. The whole Athenos family was assembled before her, and they all looked pained as well. Narcissa said in a winged back chair, and Sebasten was behind her, hands pressed soothingly to her shoulders. He looked angry, angrier than she ever imagined him being. His stance was also fiercely protective of Narcissa. It was clear she'd been crying, and when she looked at Leolin, the tears started fresh.

Aleco stood pacing, Marina and Petra were holding each other on the couch, and, to Leolin's dismay, Gen stood only a few feet from Draco, expression unreadable.

"What is it?" Leolin said, drinking in their despair. She was gorged on it by the time she looked at Draco again. "Has someone died?"

Marina shook her head and bit her lip.

"I don't understand," Leolin said numbly, all the hope the twins had inspired long since extinguished. "Then wh—"

"I'm pregnant," Gen interrupted tightly, studying Leolin with a cool hate but looking none too happy herself.

Leolin stood rooted in shock. Finally she looked at Draco, and his face was the very portrait of pain. Leolin could see in that moment that the dance had meant to same thing to him that it had to her, and he was still desperately and irretrievably in love with her.

"Is it true?" she croaked finally, willing him to expose Gen's lie and come into her arms instead. However, the sadness in her eyes told her he wouldn't. He couldn't.

He nodded.

"Yes," he whispered hoarsely.

Leolin looked wildly around, wishing someone else would call Gen's obvious bluff. She wasn't pregnant; she couldn't be. It just wasn't possible. Draco would never have let that happen. However, everyone's faces were somber. She realised with dismay that they'd likely spent all day testing her. The fact that they were gathered in the manner that they were suggested that the decision of what should be done was already made.

"What there something else you needed?" Gen bit out, clearly fighting against the constriction in her throat. She was obviously on the verge of tears, but Leolin suspected Gen didn't want to give her the satisfaction of crying while she was still there.

Leolin ignored her outright. Instead she turned to Draco again, taking a step towards him.

"Drake," she breathed. "Please, don't do this to me. Not now. _Please_, I'm begging you; don't leave me. I need you, now more than ever."

Her lower lip was trembling now, too.

"It's too late," Gen said in a hollow voice, clearly deriving no pleasure from her victory. "Draco's already made his choice."

"What choice?" Leolin demanded. "Drake, don't let her do this. Please!"

She looked around at everyone else, and they all clearly yearned to help her. Still, they were as powerless as she was. She glanced back at Gen, who'd advanced to take Draco's hand, though his body was rigid. Leolin could see into Gen's mind as easily if she was reading her thoughts. She'd already threatened to take off if Draco left her, already forced him back into their broken arrangement by holding the baby as collateral against him.

"You foul bitch," she spit at Gen. "I'm not going to let you get away with this."

"It's done," Gen intoned coldly. "There's nothing you can do to change that."

Leolin, seeing now how close she was to defeat, looked desperately back at Draco.

"Drake," she begged. "Please. Don't let her do this. After everything we've been through the last ten years, don't let her do this."

"I love you," he ground out candidly, studying her beautiful as if he was seeing it for the first and last time. There were tears in his eyes, too. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you that sooner."

With this the dam burst, and Leolin began to sob with abandon. Draco squeezed his eyes shut, a tear slipping down his cheek as well. Everyone immediately moved to help, to comfort her, but she couldn't bear any more pity, and she disappeared with a sickening crack.


	30. Chapter 29: Reformation of the Order

**2000 new words added! PLEASE REVIEW, NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP SOON**

**Chapter 27: Winds in the West/The Reformation of Order **

_Adrian stood in the shadowy doorway that looked out into the brick courtyard at the centre of old Wizarding New Orleans. The sun was shining overhead, and it glinted off the red brick as heat rose from them in waves. He leaned on the doorway, arms crossed as he waited. He'd spent the last eight months trying to follow the trail of the leak, and had largely been an exercise in frustration. Whoever was running the Stateside operations knew their business, and they ran a tight ship. However, he'd recently followed the trail to the American South, most notably New Orleans, and he was gaining momentum at long last._

_His first clue had been the resignation of a high-ranking Belfast native named Gage Martin who held a prominent position in the department of Mysteries. He'd cited family trouble and given his notice at once. What was odd was the fact that Martin hadn't even asked for leave, simply insisting he needed to move home. Before Adrian could reach him, he'd disappeared back to Northern Ireland. The head of the department, Lydus Lynton, had told Adrian that Martin had begun poking around in the prophecies room, a place outside his jurisdiction, and had been reprimanded several times on this score. This had confirmed that he was part of the American ring._

_He'd traveled to Belfast to the address Lynton had given him, though he'd run into some trouble on this score. Martin was long gone, and no one seemed willing to talk. He could tell that even though everyone knew Martin, no one wanted to betray him. However, he spared none of his charm, and though he had been embarrassed and emasculated in London after the divorce to Isobel, in Belfast he was the handsome stranger. _

_However, about three weeks in he'd discovered a chink in the tight chain. One of Martin's closest neighbours, a tough old Scottish bird named Fiona Huff, had a rebellious young daughter named Valary who was yearning to break free. Adrian wasn't initially sure how to get her alone and away from her mother, but before he could even begin to let this problem worry him, he'd run into her having a pint alone at the local pub. Her eyes were glittering as she watched him approach, and he knew as soon as he sat down next to her and bought her a drink he was going to have no trouble getting her into bed with him._

_His friend Tate often warned him that he was a fool to carry on with virgins, particularly ones as dangerous as Torrii. However, after Torrii Adrian had actually developed a voracious appetite for them. They were tight and eager to please, and Valary was no exception. She'd been painfully easy to seduce_—_he hadn't even really had to try_—_and she gave up her virginity with no hesitation. He could tell she'd fallen completely under his spell, and it stroked his ego and made him feel more powerful. After months of frustration, it felt good to have something go so right__. _

_Though it had delayed Adrian's search for Martin, he'd be secretly pleased when Valary had been reluctant to give up his secret. It allowed him to indulge in all her delectable charms whenever it suited him; she seemed positively incapable of refusing his requests._

_However, he knew after a month of fucking her just for the sake of doing it that he had to tighten the noose and get her to spill, and he was positive he knew just how. Despite the fact that she pleasured him with her mouth almost every time they'd had sex, he'd never bothered to return the favour. He'd loved it when we was in school, particularly considering that depraved little potion all the girls took, and he knew was wicked good at it. However, after Isobel he'd lost his appetite for it, having become much more interested in dominating woman than pleasing them. _

_Still, the minute he'd started in on Valary with his tongue, she was a quivering mess, and it only took him five minutes to tug her undone. Perhaps he **ought **__to do this more often; Valary had tasted like strawberry pie, whipped cream and all. However, when he thought of giving that kind of power over to Torrii, the idea lost its appeal. After he'd finished Valary off, he'd forced her to kiss him. She seemed reluctant at first given what he'd just done, but he didn't care, and he explored her mouth with his tongue until she gave in and reciprocated. Satisfied at having overpowered her and made her submit to him, he rolled on his back, Valary curled beside him._

_Her small breasts were still heaving and covered in a glistening sheen of sweat. _

_"Oh my gods," she breathed. "That was incredible."_

_"Was it?" he said smugly. _

_"I didn't know it could feel_—" she blushed_. "You have a very talented tongue."_

"_So I've been told," he crowed arrogantly. "Just know I expect you to return the favour."_

_"Now?" she queried eagerly, already reaching to stroke him._

_He gave a smooth laugh._

_"Later," he said, pushing her hand away. "First I need your help."_

_"With what?" she asked,__ running a hand through his thick, tawny hair._

_His gold eyes danced across her face before he bent to kiss her gently. He hated being gentle, but desperate times called for boring measures._

"_With what?"_

"_I want you to do something for me."_

_"What?" she said, he could tell he was growing nervous._

_He dipped, white teeth grazing her pulse point and eliciting a breathy cry._

"_Tell me where Gage Martin went," he purred, working her neck more deliberatelynow._

_She sat up a little, biting her lip as she pushed him a way._

"_Why are you so keen to find him?"_

_Adrian sighed dramatically, flopping onto his back and looking away._

"_Adrian?"_

_He and my little sister met in London and were inseparable, and when he ran off, he took her with him. Look, I realise it's the twenty-first century and she can do what she wants; she's an adult. It's just that she's my only sibling and I'm terribly worried about her. I'm not trying to drag her back or anything, I just need to know Martin's taking care of her."_

_She bit her lip._

"_How old is she?"_

"_Twenty, just like you."_

_She bit her lip again._

"_My mum will be so furious if I tell you."_

"_She's never going to know," Adrian goaded, softly kissing her again as his elegant fingers danced across the most sensitive spot between her thighs._

"_Alright," Valary sighed. "I'll tell you."_

_Adrian broke into a smooth grin, his hand working the pearl of her clit._

"_That's my good little girl," he said, unable to keep the greediness out of his voice._

"_His name isn't Gage and he isn't Irish. His real name is Pádraic Mahone."_

"_He's from the Republic, then?"_

_She gave a moan, bucked her hips into his touch, and shook her head._

"_He's an American."_

_Adrian__** knew**__ he was part of the leak._

"_Where in America?" he demanded, inserting a finger, then two._

_She moaned in pleasure. She was so pathetically easy to get off. He hadn't fingered a girl like this since he was fourteen and still a virgin._

"_Boston, I think," she whined, getting dangerously close. "His dad both grew up here, that's how my mum knows him so well, and they moved to America when Paddy was eleven."_

"_Where in Boston, do you know?" He pressed, pumping. "It one of the biggest Wizarding cities in New England."_

"_Harvard Square," she said. "But I don't think he's there anymore. My mum had a letter off him last week, and he said he'd moved down to New Orleans."_

"_New Orleans," Adrian repeated._

_"Yes!" she cried, tight walls clenching around his fingers._

_He retracted them, smiling seductively at her as he licked them clean. He'd always loved strawberries._

_After he'd insured neither Valary or her mother could get a letter off to warn his prey, Adrian had followed Martin_—_or Mahone_—_he supposed, determined to skin the truth out of him. It had been easy to track him down; New Orleans was a small city. Adrian now watched as Mahone apparated into the square, looking around for his companion._

_A second later another man appeared, striding forward and shaking Mahone's hand. Mahone was rather slender and blonde, and compared to his strapping companion, he looked downright skinny. The other man was tall and well-muscled, and he wore an annoyingly bright mustard-coloured sweater with a blazer atop it. He tugged off his ray bans and gave a cocky smile._

"_How are you, General? I do believe it has been an age," the man said, his drawl betraying his Carolinian roots._

"_Good to see you, Beau," Mahone replied._

_His accent was American._

"_So," Beau said casually, looking around to assure they were alone. "What news from jolly old England?"_

"_You want the good or the bad first?"_

"_I'm from the South, General" Beau said. "We always want the good news last. It leaves a pleasant after taste, you understand."_

"_Fine," Mahone said. "I have to get out of England; my cover blew."_

"_I know. A little birdie told me," Beau said lazily. "That's a downright shame. Now give me the good news before I grow melancholy."_

"_I had a chance to comb the prophecies inventory. It's just like we expected; this situation is entirely devoid of fate. We aren't bound by anything but the limits of our talent."_

"_That is good news," Beau agreed. "Especially considering that my talents have no limit."_

"_I bet," Mahone said dryly. "I haven't been able to get this up the proper channels yet, and I was wondering if you could do it for me. My contact in Belfast tells me that snake Pucey's been snooping around for me, and I have to get out of his sightline."_

"_It would be my genuine pleasure," Beau replied._

"_Excellent. I'll be in touch when I lose my tail."_

"_Until next time, then. Now I hate to run out on you, General, but I'm afraid I have lunch plans with my darling Genevieve, and I hate to keep that belle waiting."_

"_Isn't she still shacking up with Malfoy?"_

"_Unfortunately yes," Beau said dryly. "But it's still 'look but don't touch'. Besides, she isn't completely divorced from all this. I promised I would keep her in the loop in exchange for these charming little lunch dates."_

"_Have fun, then," Mahone said, and Beau was gone in a crack._

_Mahone didn't immediately leave, sitting on a bench and producing quill and ink to compose a letter. There was a swirling pop behind Adrian as he watched Mahone._

_He turned._

"_And where the fuck have you been?__" he said mildly, appraising Torrii. __She was dressed in an all black leather jumpsuit that clung to her girlish frame._

"_I'm not at your beck and call__" she said, blue eyes glittering. "And I was...busy."_

_He laughed._

_"With McNair?" he mocked. "If that's suppose to make me jealous, it's not working. What you do on your free time doesn't interest me. I have more than enough tail to distract me when you're not around."  
_

_She sneered, clearly a little embarrassed. Even though what they had was purely physical, it clear still flustered her to hear she didn't have his undivided attention._

_"What do you need?" she said, eager to change the subject._

"_I want you to follow that bloke Mahone and make him sing. Floo me when it's done and tell me what you find out."_

_She put her hands on slender hips._

"_You haven't mentioned what's in it for me. I'm freelance, Adrian, not an employee."_

_He snarled, pushing her roughly against the adjacent wall and squeezing her throat uncomfortably tight._

"_Don't talk back to me you little brat, or I'll slap that smug look right off her face.__"_

_She was admittedly little cowed by the fierceness in his glittering eyes._

_"I'm sorry," she choked. "Let go."_

_He didn't, and she gave a hoarse cough._

_"You might not work for the Aurors' Office, but I fucking own you Torrii, in more ways than one. Don't test my patience."_

_She nodded and he gave her a grim smile and released his grip._

_"Besides, do as I ask and there might be a reward in it for you."_

_"What kind of reward?" she said, unsure if he was being honest about rewarding her or euphemistically implying he was going to hurt her more._

_In response, he __pushed her roughly against the stones again, unzipping the jumsuit. He was pleased to find that she wore neither bra nor knickers underneath._

_He rubbed left thumb roughly across her right nipple as his right thumb found her clit and caressed. He bit her neck as he worked, and she bucked her hips as she grew wet for him. The muscles in her strong core tensed to signal she was close. He leaned in so his lips brushed the shell of her ear._

"_cessat voluptas," he breathed, retracting his hand._

_Immediately she replaced it with her own, rubbing furiously as she licked her lips._

_He loved watching her get off. _

_However, after a minute she growled in frustration._

"_What did you do?" she demanded, still trying to get a release_

"_Until you do as I say, you won't be able to climax," he sneered. "So hop to it or I'll make you shag me for hours without a pray of orgasm."_

_She clenched her jaw, zipping her jumpsuit again._

"_Call me when it's done then meet me at the hotel," he instructed._

_She only huffed in response, and he sneered again, grabbing her arm this time._

_"And stop whinging, or I'll give you something to **really **__cry about."_

_The fear in her eyes was more pronounced now. She nodded wordlessly._

"_And keep an eye on Beauchene. She's in on this too somehow. I want to know who else she sees and if this involves Malfoy or not."_

"_Fine," she said. "Anything else?"  
_

_"Don't drag in out," he instructed. "I want to get back to London by the end of the week."_

_She nodded again._

_"I wouldn't want to keep you from Robbie's bed," he mocked with a cool smile._

_She frowned and he laughed._

_"Now get out of here," he demanded. _

_She nodded and disappeared with a pop._

* * *

Leolin lay on her back, staring up at the lofted ceiling of her bedroom and watching the blades of the distant fan as they chased one another_. _She should have been up by now, they were leaving within the half hour, but mornings were the hardest part of her day. Once she was up and busy it was easier to cope, but when she first woke up it was impossible not to feel the sadness crushing her chest so hard it felt as if it might concave. She'd only returned to London in the past week, having passed the three after the coin grab in Rome with the Severina and Xavier.

It had been catharic to spend so much time with Angelina and Isadora, and she and Sweeney had thrown themselves into finding out how to destroy the coins. Considering the fact they were practically chasing a myth, it felt like they were making good progress. The search kept the pain of losing Draco for what felt could be the final time, but it wasn't an infallible shield. The anguish bled through often, but she was working hard to lock it away before it consumed her.

There was more she could do, perhaps, she still had one last card to play, but she hadn't had the stomach to touch the gag since Paris, particularly without Felix. As much as she loved Severina and Xavier, they couldn't help her in her current state. They were too much in love, in love with either other and with their children, to truly understand her pain. Felix, she was sure, was the only person she felt might be able to commiserate. He'd never known love, which in some ways was crueler than having loved as lost, and he had, even in the short time she'd known him, been the ultimate balm for her loneliness. She missed him so bitterly that part of her longed to reach out, but whenever she reached for her floo, she thought of what he'd allowed through cowardly non-action, the desire burned away. The prudent part of her heart warned that she had to swallow her pride or lose Draco, but her heart was too badly scarred to listen. Her anger over what had happened was the only thing she had left, the only thing she still felt she could control, and she was terrified to let it go and find out what was lurking beneath it.

Her chance to live happily ever after with Draco was slipping by with every day she did nothing, but somehow she was still paralysed with the fear that it wouldn't be enough. Draco had dreamed of being a father since adolescence, and she knew that part of that desire was a yearning to see himself in those faces and know that something good had been born out of a line so cruel. Draco wanted his children to wash away sins of the Malfoy house, to clean the blood that had been bad for so long. Still, it came at a steep price: if he agreed to this child, there would be no reneging later; if he agreed to this child, he would be committing to Gen , Draco had never been one to go back on a promise or shirk an obligation. It was perhaps the one thing he'd learned from his father, and as a Malfoy it defined him. SHe didn't want to believe it, but she feared that even if there were no binding contract, Draco still wouldn't be able to turn his back on Gen, for the baby's sake if no one else's. This realisation was the most painful of all, and every time she thought of it, however briefly, it twisted the knife.

"Lai? Are you in the bedroom?"

At Ginny's voice echoing from the living room, Leolin sprang off the bed, throwing a dressing gown over her undergarments. She hadn't talked to Ginny about the pregnancy even after Draco confessed the truth to Blaise, and she didn't want to backslide by revealing to Ginny she struggling.

"You aren't dressed yet?" Ginny laughed, coming into the room with a steaming cup of coffee in her hand.

"Tell me that's mine," Leolin said Ginny, and Ginny extended her hand.

"You know I'm not drinking caffeine these days," she said.

Leolin gave a tight smile. Ginny was about three months now, and she and Blaise had officially announced it three days ago.

"Let me see," Leolin said in response, and Ginny loyally hesistated for a moment before lifting her lher loose shirt to reveal her small bump.

"Adorable," Leolin said, touching it softly after forcing down the pain. "How do you feel?"

"I dunno," Ginny admitted. "Morning can be tough when I'm jeffing every two seconds, and I have developed a really sensitive smell. Also I've been eating sweet potatoes like crazy."

"I thought you hated them."

"Welcome to pregnancy," Ginny replied.

Leolin looked away, ignoring the rhetorical invitation. That was club she'd never join.

"Sorry," Ginny mumbled.

"Don't be," Leolin said, trying to fend off a sad frown. "I love sweet potatoes."

"So," Ginny said, sheepishly changing topics. "You're not dressed because—?"

"I was working on the coins," Leolin lied. "Swish and I are making great progress."

"The plot thickens!"

"Indeed."

"Right, have you had breakfast? I'll whip something up while you get ready?"

"Eggs benedict?" Leolin asked.

"I was thinking more beans on toast."

Leolin put a thumb down, frowned, and blew a raspberry.

"Boo!" she said.

"Right," Ginny laughed. "Benedict then."

"And bacon?"

"I'm pregnant; of course bacon."

"Mimosa?"

"Do you have champagne?"

Leolin gave a quizzical cock of her head.

"Do you…know me?"

"Right, coming right up, your majesty. Get in the shower!"

Leolin did as she was told, trying to keep calm as she stepped under the stream. She couldn't say why, but she always felt a bit panicky in the shower. She supposed that since finding out about the pregnancy, she almost constantly felt she was drowning, and the water augmented that sensation. Either way, she was barely able to wash her hair and shave her legs before bursting into nervous tears and practically leaping out.

She grew calm when she was dry, and she sank down at her vanity and fixed her hair and makeup. The only hollow consolation in her time of anguish was that it had yet to bleed into her physical form, and she felt as beautiful as she'd been. Lucius had told her that she was a girl made lovely by sadness and perhaps he was right, but she drew a bitter, vain comfort in it.

She dressed in an elegant but austere black dress. It was melodramatic, perhaps, but she'd been able to wear little else since Paris. It felt a betrayal of herself and her sorrow to wear any colour other than black, and knowing she would be facing Draco and Genevieve for the first time that afternoon, she wouldn't have been able to stomach wearing anything else.

"Gods, it smells heavenly," she said, coming down the stairs.

"Not to brag, but doesn't it?" Ginny said, eying Leolin gently. "You look lovely, by the way."

Leolin smoothed the skirt, feeling more and more like she was attending a funeral. The funeral of her happiness, she supposed it could be.

"Thank you," she said simply, sitting down and pouring a mimosa and putting it down. The meal really did smell lovely, but now that she was dressed she found all she really wanted was to drink.

"Lai," Ginny began in a warm, protective tone. "About today—"

"Please," Leolin croaked quietly, pouring another drink. "Don't."

"I'm sorry," Ginny said, inadvertently rubbing her growing belly. "I just want you to know that Blaise and I are still fighting for you. This isn't over; not unless you really want it to be."

Leolin nodded but said nothing.

"Thank you," she said finally.

Ginny nodded.

"Eat up," she chirped. "We ought to go soon."

Leolin's stomach was in knots, but she did as she was bid and sat, though she'd yet to take a bite. However, before it could grow uncomfortable, there was a soft pop in the direction of the flat's private lift, and Sweeney appeared.

"Oh good," he said brightly. "You're still here. Do you have a minute? There's something I want to show you beore you go."

"Of course," Leolin said, grateful for a reason to rise. "Come in."

Ginny smiled, accepting a kiss on the cheek from Sweeney before checking her watch.

"I don't want to rush you two," she said. "So I'm going to go home and fill Blaise in. Lai, should we wait for you, or do you want to just meet us there?"

"I'll just meet you," Leolin affirmed. "I don't want to be annoying and hold you up."

Ginny smiled, smoothing her hair.

"You could never be annoying," she reassured Leolin. "I'll see you this afternoon."

She drew the portkey, which was a chipped teacup, from her purse and set it down. With that she was gone.

"How are you?" Sweeney said when Ginny was gone. "You look more beautiful every time I see you."

She smiled, standing and getting a third glass of champagne, which she didn't even bother to mix with orange juice.

"Thank you."

"Are you going to eat that?" he said, eying the beautiful Benedict.

"No," she said. "Go ahead."

"Cheers," he grinned, sitting down and tucking in.

"So what did you find out?" Leolin asked as he shoveled eggs and hashbrowns into his mouth.

"Greece," he said thickly through a mouth full of bacon. "I think that's where we're headed. I don't know quite where yet, but it makes sense. Charon is a Greek creature, at his core, and he's clearly the key to destroying these things since they were originally his. I know that's not much, but it felt significant."

"It is," she agreed. "Thank you. This will give me something to focus on after the meeting today."

There was a barren pause.

"How are you feeling about that?" Sweeney probed gently.

She gave a candid sigh.

"I'm worried I'm going to completely fall apart. I haven't seen Draco since—and I am dreading Genevieve. Still, I don't want to show weakness. If I don't face her head on, I will lose myself to all her bullshite."

"Stay strong, darling," he affirmed. "We're still fighting for you."

"Thank you," she said, watching him clean the plate. "I appreciate that more than you know."

He nodded.

"Always."

She glanced at her watch. The champagne churning like a tempest in her stomach.

"I should go," she said reluctantly. "I will let you know what happens today. Keep me updated about Greece."

"I will," he agreed. "And good luck."

She nodded, shrugged into her coat, grabbed the teacup and disappeared.

* * *

Draco lay on his back, staring up at the lofted ceiling of his bedroom and watching the blades of the distant fan as they chased one another. He'd barely slept, but these days that was not uncommon. It felt like every time he closed his eyes he was falling back into a Leolin-shaped nightmare, and it was so painful that he happily endured the effects of insomnia to avoid the pain. He couldn't get her face the last time he'd seen her out of his mind. He groaned, fighting the now-familiar urge to cry. It wasn't too late to go back, he told himself. He'd signed the contract shackling himself to Gen, but it wasn't unbreakable. He could leave anytime he wanted. He could go to Leolin. It would just come at a maddeningly steep price. He glanced at Gen, who lay beside him, and clenched his jaw in physical anguish.

He knew he should be furious with her and he was, but mostly he felt defeated. He wanted to fight her, to punish her for her cunning at trapping him, but he couldn't stomach it. Losing Leolin had bled the fight from him, and now he felt like a re-animated corpse. He was a husk, an empty shell, and he no longer had the fire to keep Gen at bay.

He glanced at her again, trying to feel something, _anything_. However, he didn't. He tucked some silky hard behind her ear, studying how the dark roots of her natural hair faded to cornsilk blonde. Her natural colour wasn't so dissimilar from Leolin's. Once they got married he would insist she change it. Merlin, he shouldn't have thought about Leolin. It caused such an ache in his stomach. It had been an impossible choice, the girl of his dreams and the things he'd always wanted, but in the end he knew he couldn't walk away, even if some part of him wanted to.

He stood, padding to the bathroom and shedding his clothes. He turned on the shower, standing under the scalding water and sighing. Gods, he missed her. He hadn't gotten over how how cruel he'd felt abandoning her. He yearned to reach out to her and apologise, but he knew that was unfair. The die was cast, and all she could do now was try to move on. He hoped for her sake she would be able to love again, even knowing he himself never would. He had never been worthy of her, and he didn't deserve a chance to be happy in her absence.

He slid a hand down the ridges of his taut stomach, wrapping a hand around the base of his manhood. He needed a sexual release, but he didn't want to have to touch Gen. His hand glided with smooth strokes, and he dropped his head against the tiles as he drew closer to release. He though about Leolin as his hand moved, but for once it wasn't sexual. He imagined her smile and her eyes, the way she'd looked at him on the dance floor in Germany. He recalled the image she'd given him of her resplendent wedding gown, and the way she'd made him feel as she twirled in his arms.

The warmth of the memories expedited his release, and he groaned as the feeling ebbed and flowed around him. Even the memory of Leolin and his hand were more satisfying than Gen had been lately. Perhaps when she began to show he would be more aroused by her, but right now it was hard to muster the energy to pretend anymore.

She was still sleeping when he got out, and he disappeared into the closet and closed the door. Today was the reformation of the order, meaning that today he would have to face all his toughest foes. The Borgias, Chaisson, Blair Lefevre, and Merlin even knew who else. Even Ginny had been distant from him since Greece, making it clear where she stood on the matter.

In the end he wore all black, a common occurence these days. The fitted onyx sweater adhered to his swelling muscles and jeans so dark they hardly looked like jeans at all. Like the sweater they were slim-fitting, showcasing his truly flawless form. He heeled into his shoes, adjusting the collar of his white dress shirt before opening the door again, carefully laying his coat on the bed. Gen was finally up, a tray in front of her with a coffee cup and a piece of toast on it.

He gently sat down beside her.

"I hope that's decaf," he said, trying not to tense as she brushed a kiss on his unresponsive lips.

"Of course," she said meekly.

He vanished the tray.

She'd just recently begun to show, and her breasts were already growing. Noting his hooded gaze, she slipped onto her back, pushing the sheet down so she was completely naked.

He traced her tiny bump and palmed a breast slowly and she gave an audible exhale.

"Are they tender?" he asked.

It was only in moments like this he felt able to stomach touching her. He knew it was his love for the baby spurring him on, but it felt like an instinct he needed to give in to. He was facing an eternity with her now, and selfish as it was, some part of him didn't want to spend that eternity completely alone. At the very least, he didn't want his child to grow up feeling unwanted or unloved.

She nodded.

"Extremely."

"They're already bigger," he noted softly, his touch gentler now.

"Do you not like it?"

He brought a second hand to her other breast.

"No," he said, focusing on the reason they were growing. They were going to feed his baby. The thought made it easier to keep going. "I do," he assured her, his grip firmer now, more deliberate.

She squirmed for a second before falling into a rhythm.

She grabbed a hand, pushing it down over the swell in her lower abdomen and between her legs.

Instinctually the pad of his thumb found her clit and began swirling counter clockwise. She mewed in pleasure, grabbing his arm at the elbow and urging him to keep going He slid his forefinger and middle finger inside in response, beginning to pump. She was already very wet for him and she groaned, arching her back and gyrating her hips. They hadn't had sex since the night of the World Cup massacre, and she was desperate for his touch.

"Draco," she purred.

He curled his fingers slightly as his thumb pushed up the hood of her clit and touched the pearl directly.

I'm so close," she breathed. "Cant you use your tongue?"

"I don't have time for that," he said flatly, breathing a little heavy.

"Please," she whined, riding his fingers the way she used to ride him.

"I said no," he repeated in a cold voice.

"It's hard with just your fingers," she insisted, unwilling to give up.

She wasn't usually so bold, but over the last few weeks she's begun flexing the power the contract had afforded her. He was bound to her forever, and now that she had him in a position of compromise, she wanted to get back what she'd lost, no matter the cost.

He lifted his thumb, no longing caressing her.

"Then I'll leave you here unsatisfied," he said curtly.

"I'm sorry!" she said quickly, pushing his thumb back against her. "It feels amazing."

He flicked his fingers up and down as his thumb moved, and her muscles grew tense. He was growing agitated; he felt somehow ashamed to be touching her.

"Genevieve," he demanded. "Stop holding back and come for me."

She did as he instructed, clenching around his fingers and crying out. He retracted his hand at once, casting a scourgify and looking away. She sat up immediately, touching his hair.

"Thank you," she breathed, kissing his shoulder.

"You're my fiancée, " he replied stiffly, taking no pleasure in this fact.

"I know we're in a rush this morning," she began eagerly. "But maybe tonight? It's been weeks since you've let me touch you."

He didn't look at her. It was clear he couldn't.

"Maybe," he echoed in a hollow voice. "Now hurry up and get dressed. I want to leave in the next hour."

She nodded, standing and meekly slinking to the bathroom and shutting the door. When she had disappeared he went back into the closet, mind consumed by Leolin again. He felt disgusted with himself for letting Gen manipulate him into touching her like that, and he needed something of Leolin to hold onto. The problem was he didn't have anything left. Unless...

He went to the case of cufflinks and began to open every door, checking box after velvet box, each filled with winking gems. He crouched the reach the bottom drawer, which was full of pairs he never wore and watches he felt had fallen out of style. He pushed his hand to the back, his fingers closing around a box that somehow felt familiar. Carefully he popped open the lid, and instantly his heart felt buoyant.

He ran his thumb over the small falcon stamped on the face of the pendant. It had been years since he'd seen or worn it, but somehow he knew he still had it. He hesitated. Putting it on would only torture him. It would be an albatross around his neck. However, perhaps that's what he was craving after all. Something to keep the pain of Leolin's loss fresh. The pain was all he had left, and it was infinitely better than nothing. He slipped the pendant from the box and put it around his neck, admiring the way it glinted in the soft light. He heard Gen approaching the door and he quickly stuffed it in his shirt while nudging the drawer closed.

"What are you doing in here?" she queried, dropping her towel and sauntering to her lingerie chest.

He looked away, not wanting to have to look at her naked form again.

"I was looking for this pair of cuff links."

"Why?" she pressed. "You don't even have cuffs today."

"I don't know, I just suddenly wondered if I still had them."

She turned, wearing a nude bra and lavender knickers.

"And do you?"

"No," he said at once, watching as she put on a crisp white oxford and tucked it into a peached-coloured skirt. He was a bit annoyed. These were tense times; peach didn't really seem appropriate.

She slipped into nude heels with a bow on the toe box and he fought not to scream. Finally she affixed an ostentatious necklace dripping with diamonds around her neck. He'd given to her on her twenty-fourth birthday.

"How do I look?" she asked, spinning so the skirt fanned out.

He nodded tightly, feeling drained again. He didn't have the energy to fend off her insidious little machinations.

"Beautiful, like always."

She smirked.

"You're too much, darling," she said, seemingly pleased things were going her way.

"I'm just enough," he replied stiffly. "Let's go. I don't want to be late."

She took his proffered hand, allowing him to sweep her down the stairs and to the waiting floo.

* * *

Genevieve stood in the shower, fretting as she so often did these days. Despite what Draco had just done to her, she felt a million miles away from him.

Merlin, what was she going to do? She felt tears welling up and she didn't fight them. Everything she'd built, everything she'd _won_, was based on a lie. She being losing a little bit of Draco every day since Leolin had arrived back in London nearly a year before. It had literally began the night of their engagement party when Leolin swept in in that resplendent red gown and stolen her dance with Draco. Yes, he'd hated her then, but suddenly she'd gone from a memory to a reality, and Gen could feel the ground beneath her feet quaking. There was a period of time after that where Gen knew she was still in control, and the beginning of South Carolina had been blissful. Draco worshipped her even as he tortured Leolin, and Gen held all the cards. However, that bliss seemed destined not to last.

She firmly told herself when Draco took Leolin to London that he loved her and would never dream of betraying her. However, he did just that. She could tell by the way he was acting when they arrived back at the beach house that something had happened, and as adoring as Draco had been to Gen the next day, she knew part of him remained in London with whatever had transpired between him and Leolin.

By the time they arrived in New Orleans she could feel him slipping through her fingers. He and Leolin seemed to find ways to spend more and more time alone together, and it killed Gen. Then, of course, there was the incident with the sectumsempra. Draco had been in a right state, and Gen was fairly sure she could have left the manor that day and he wouldn't have noticed. He stayed and wept at Leolin's bedside when he thought no one was looking, repeating "_l love you_" over and over again.

The saving grace had been Blaise, who had sternly reminded Draco that Leolin had left once and she could easily leave again. This thrust Draco back into Gen's waiting arms, but somehow it still wasn't quite the same.

That was when she decided, in desperation, to take matters into her own hands. The minute they returned from New Orleans, Gen began trying to get pregnant, though it was an uphill battle from the start. Draco touched her less and less frequently, and even though she'd gone off the potion, they weren't having nearly enough sex, and seemingly never having it at the right time. She kept vigilant track of her ovulation, trying desperately to seduce him when she knew she was most likely to get pregnant, but it never seemed to work. The harder she drove towards him, the more he pulled away. She'd found a way to slip him charms to temper the effects of the potion he was taking, which was admittedly much less potent that the female potion, but she knew after several weeks it wasn't enough, and that was when she moved on to plan B.

It was perhaps ironic that in an effort to win Draco back, she began desperately trying to get pregnant with Ashley instead. Or perhaps it wasn't. She needed Draco too badly to give up, and by that time she would have done anything to keep him from Leolin, even if that meant breaking his heart a little in the process. In the end she knew she could repair it again, and they would be both be happier for her manipulations. Ashley, for his part, was an eager participant, and he reveled in the opportunity to touch her again. It was hard to bare on her end, feeling always sick the minute he began taking off her clothes, but she reminded herself it would be a small price to pay if it worked. He always remained inside her for minutes after, tilting her hips up and softly thrusting for maximum chance of conception. She often cried during these sessions, her eyes squeezed shut as Ashley grunted his pleasure. For her part, she forced herself not to feel aroused, which made the whole ordeal that much more disgusting.

And despite all the heartache, in the end it still hadn't been enough. She cried every time her period came, forcing her to face reality. The clock was running down, and when it struck zero she would lose Draco to Leolin once and for all. The problem was that she didn't know quite when that would be, and she had to be on her guard while simultaneously trying to turn the situation around. As weeks passed, she realised she had to go to plan C.

She'd invented an excuse to come back from Greece early, and she'd immediately stolen away to Knockturn one afternoon to the darkest apothecary in London. An ancient shriveled crone stood behind the worn oak counter.

"What do you need?" she rasped.

Gen bit her lip.

"I need—a pregnancy test."

"Didn't have to come here for that," the crone pointed out. "What is it you _really_ need?"

"I need to fake one," Gen admitted. "I need to pass one and for it to show up positive."

The crone gave a rotting toothy grin.

"That's more like it," she wheezed. "Come with me."

She brewed a dark and bitter potion, handing it to Gen.

"Take this every day. It will fool up to twenty tests. Surely he won't need more proof than that, but if he does, come back."

She hoped she wouldn't have to use it, but she would eventually be grateful she'd thought to go when she did, because in Germany the clock struck zero at last.

When she laid eyes on Leolin at the ball , her dress the same shade of vermillion she'd worn to the engagement party, she knew her race was run. She tried her best to keep Draco away from Leolin, but Max needed her as well, and as much as it pained her, she knew her duty to the cause outweighed her duty to her own happiness. When Draco arrived back at their suite around midnight, she could tell something major had happened. He met her eyes, and his overwhelming love for Leolin shone brightly in them. He said nothing, clearly still warring with himself, but Gen knew what the next morning would bring.

Still, she'd received a second chance. When hell broke loose, Draco wasn't given time to find Leolin, and he and Gen fled alone. When they arrived back at the villa in Greece he'd made furious love to her on the floor, and even though he was picturing Leolin instead of her, she reveled in the experience all the same. After he got out of bed that night she downed the first of the false pregnancy potions.

The potion had done its duty, fooling even the healer Marina, and it forced the vulnerable Draco into the position she most needed him to be in. He had struggled against her at first, but as the sun had gone down that evening, he'd already agreed to the contact that would bind him to her for good. It was perhaps a hollow victory, not nearly as sweet as she'd imagined, but she knew in her heart that she'd won.

That was, if she could rectify the situation in time. It was all well and good to pass the test, but at some point her belly needed to swell in truth. Without any contraception in their way, Gen tried to copulate with Draco as many times as she could. There was still time to achieve the best possible solution. There was still time to bear Draco's son after all. However, as she looked down, the water tinted rose as it ran between her thighs, she began to sob. She still wasn't pregnant, and if his morning was any indication, Draco was pulling away despite the baby. He never ever_ wanted _to have sex anymore, as if the very idea of her repulsed him. This was where the panic set in.

Merlin, what the fuck was she going to do? Frankly, she didn't have a clue. Still, she needed something, and fast. Today was the first time Draco would come face to face with Leolin, and she fretted what might happen. She only prayed Leolin would be vitriolic, because Draco certainly wouldn't be.

She slipped out of the shower and fixed her hair and makeup before going to the closet. Draco seemed in the middle of something suspicious when she entered, and she noted the chain around his neck; he never wore jewelry.

She dropped her towel and try to entice him, but he barely looked at her. She did her best to remain cheerful as she dressed, but it was difficult. She knew his mind was miles away, and it wasn't difficult to guess where. Finally she was ready, and having no more reason to delay, she took his arm and allowed them to apparate away.

* * *

By the time Draco and Gen arrived at the safe house, he felt sick to his stomach. He looked immediately around for Leolin as they entered, and he couldn't decide if he was devastated or relieved to find she'd yet to arrive. The Borgias, who he sure would be murderous upon seeing him, were luckily not there either, and he made his way to Ginny and Blaise instead. Blaise shook his hand reassuringly as they approached, but Ginny gave him a cool look that grew downright chilly as Gen came to stand at his side. Her brother Ron and the pregnant Hermione were there as well, but Draco pretended they weren't. He had no interest in dealing with Ron Weasley at the moment.

"How are you?" Blaise asked, taking Ginny's hand to stop her glaring but otherwise ignoring Gen.

"I'm fine," Draco said more curtly than he'd intended to. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You tell us," Ginny said, eying Gen with distain.

"I'm fine," he repeated, trying not to be too agitated by Ginny's behaviour, particularly because he was itching to side with her.

"Have you heard anything from Kelly Troy?" Hermione queried, a hand on her stomach. Out of all the former Gryffindors, she seemed the most determined to put her past with Draco behind her, despite the fact that he didn't seem capable of doing the same.

"No," he said in a flat voice. "That's Brankovitch's arena, not mine."

"What about any of the others," Ginny pressed. "Adrian or Torrii or any of them."

"Nothing," he repeated. "Adrian's still sulking about—"

He paused, clearing his throat and adjusting his glasses. The painful constriction in his throat had caught him off guard.

"Leolin," Gen supplied solidly. "It's so beastly."

"Is she safe?" Hermione said, sounding worried.

"She was hiding out with the Borgias in Rome," Ginny answered, giving Gen a cold look. "She's back here and safe now. He doesn't have a prayer of reaching her."

"That's good news," Hermione said.

"Isn't it?" Gen said, feeling particularly bold and giving Draco an almost triumphant look he latently longed to slap from her face. "We have been so worried about her."

"Stop," Ginny snapped, body tensing for a fight. "I mean it."

"Gin—" Blaise began, but Ginny didn't relent.

"What's going on?" Ron asked thickly.

"What do you mean?" Gen said softly, very convincingly feigning ignorance.

"Haven't you done enough already?" Ginny spit at Gen, ignoring Ron's question. "And you look ridiculous in that bright colour. This is neither the time or the place for that bollocks."

"I'm pregnant," Gen reminded her in a cool but vaguely smug voice. "I can do as I please."

"So am I," Ginny bit back. "That won't stop me from kicking the living shit out of you."

"Ginevra," Blaise said gently. "That's enough."

Ginny rounded on Draco.

"Are you honestly telling me you think this is appropriate, Drake? Merlin's beard, it's like you're going to a funeral and she's going to a bleeding garden party!"

"Gen's right," Draco said stiffly, voice tinged in pain. "She can do what she likes. I'm not going to stop her."

"Of course you aren't," Ginny bit out at him.

"Why are you being like this?" Gen pressed, leaning into Draco for support even as he stiffened.

"What did you expect me to say, after what you pulled on Leolin?" Ginny demanded.

"A congratulations wouldn't go amiss," Gen supplied, eyes glittering hatefully.

"That's bang out of order and you know it," Ron growled. He didn't seem to know what was going on with Ginny and Gen, but the Weasleys were nothing if not unfailingly loyal, and he was eager to join Ginny's team.

"I congratulated you, didn't I?" Draco said lazily, seeming almost relieved for something as familiar as fighting with Ron.

"I don't believe you did, no," Ron bit out.

"Well congratulations," Draco said sarcastically. "If there's one thing this world needs, it's more Weasleys."

"Why are you still here?" Ginny demanded. "Go away. The pair of you."

Draco sneered, wounded by her vitriol.

"I'm afraid I also do as I please."

"Go away," Ginny repeated to Draco, though it was clear that she was actually talking to Gen.

"Why are you being like this?" Gen asked in pain, touching her stomach delicately. "What did I ever do to you?"

"How dare you say that to me," Giny warned. "You know _exactly _what you've done."

"Ginevra," Blaise said sternly. "Not now."

"Don't tell me what to do," Ginny demanded hotly at Blaise, pushing his hand off of her. "And I am _done_ putting up with Gen's emotional terrorism and blackmail!"

Gen frowned outright.

"No one is blackmailing anyone," she snapped.

"Are you serious?" Ginny sneered. "Tell that to the contract you forced Drake into signing, you little viper."

"Ginny," Draco intervened, face a mixture of irritated and anguished. "That's enough. Please."

Gen looked at least dully pleased to have Draco defend her, though she'd clearly been hoping for a more passionate defense.

"I'm done anyways," Ginny said curtly to Gen. "I have nothing to say to you or your crony."

She was talking about Max, who'd just entered looking ill-at-ease. He glanced around for a friendly face, but without Felix, who'd yet to arrive, the only ally he had was Gen. Ginny's frown deepened as Gen smiled at him and he cautiously approached. He seemed particularly wary of Draco, though neither he nor Ginny seemed quite sure why.

"Genny," he said, smiling warmly. "How do you feel? You look great; you're glowing."

Ginny and Draco both clenched their jaws at this.

"I feel wonderful," she answered blithely, making Ron roll his eyes. "How are you?" Gen continued.

Max nodded, eyes sweeping the room again. Something seemed to weighing on his mind, or his conscience, perhaps, making him uneasy.

"I can't complain."

"Are you sure, darling? You look nervous."

He shook his head.

"I'm fine. I just—" he began wearily, but he was interrupted by the door of the room swinging violently open.

Severina Borgia swept in like a tempest, and she looked like a terrifying demi-goddess from some dark lore. Her obsidean eyes were flashing, red lips skinned back and white teeth bared.

"You," she snarled at Max, drawing her wand immediately.

Max and he must have known what was coming because he drew his wand as well. However, he was too late. She was already hurling her first curse.

"_Serpentsortia_," she hissed, and a black mamba appeared between Max's feet. Before he could react it struck twice, crippling him as the venom moved quickly upward.

"Are you crazy, Borgia?" Gen demanded. "Stop it!"

However, Max wasn't to be counted out. He used his wand to draw the dark poison before hurling it at Severina. She deflected it with a flick of her wrist before hurling another.

"_Crucio," _she purred.

It glanced off Max's _protego_, but still he winced. He hurled two in a row, and the first bounced off her shield and the second hit its mark.

"_Anteoculatia_"

She cried out and bent double, and when she straightened ugly horns protruded from her perfect hair.

"Severina!" Xavier cried, flinging a curse at Max that he also deflected. He had been well-taught.

Xavier raised his wand to strike again, but Felix had appeared now and he stepped in and blocked the hex.

"Get out of my way, little man," Xavier sneered, but Felix didn't relent.

"What's going on?" Felix demanded, blocking a second of Xavier's hexes but otherwise making no move to counterattack.

"Stay out of this," Xavier snarled, looking as terrifying as Severina.

By this time Severina had recovered, and she hurled another curse at Max.

"C_aro ardeat" _ she said, still wincing from the horns.

Max cried out and clamped a hand to his neck, the flesh there already sizzling and black. The smell of burning flesh filled the room, and he fell to the floor, Gen collapsing to the floor at his side.

"Stop!" Gen screamed, trying to prying his hand from the wound to help him.

Severina didn't listen, raising her wand to deliver another devastating blow.

"Enough," Draco said, stepping in front of Gen protectively and casting a protective shield. "You're going to kill him, Borgia."

Gen had finally managed to pull Max's hand away so she could help him, but even after Gen had stopped the burn from worsening, he laid heaving and trembling on the floor. The wound continued to smoke and hiss.

"Good," Severina spit in response to Draco's utterance. "He deserves it."

"What are you on about?" Draco demanded, watching Severina's wand steadily as he continued to shield the pregnant Gen from Severina's direct wrath.

"He's as bad as Pucey," Severina accused. "He says he's our ally, but he stabbed us in the back. He stabbed _Leolin_ in the back."

"What do you mean?" Ginny said, sounding fiercely concerned herself.

Severina gave her ally an almost sad glance. She knew what she was about to say was going to hurt Ginny as much as it had hurt Severina.

"After he lied to us and turned Troy over, he and Leolin got drunk and he seduced her into his bed to assuage his selfish guilt."

Draco Leonardian wand as well, training it on Max.

"Is that true?" he snarled quietly, approaching now as well.

"Draco!" Gen fretted, trying to protect Max now without stepping directly into the path of Draco's wand.

"Kill him, Malfoy," Xavier said coolly. He'd lowered his wand for the time being, but his glittering eye were still keen to see more blood spilled.

"Malfoy, stop," Felix agreed, trying to protect Max, who was still lying on the ground. "What good is any of this doing?"

"Draco please!" Gen chimed in, rising to her feet and officially blocking his path.

"Get out of my way," he demanded as Max rolled onto hands and knees, still trembling.

Felix stood dutifully at his friend's side, wand flicking between Draco and the Borgias, none of whom had yet to relent. If any of the three of them got a clear shot, Max would be dead in a final heartbeat.

"It wasn't like that," Max pleaded hoarsely. "Please!"

"Draco!" Gen cried again.

"Genevieve," he spit. "Step aside."

"No," she whimpered, clearly pained that he wouldn't acquiesce to her.

"I never meant to hurt her," Max said. "We were drunk and I—"

"_Cruci_—"

"Stop it, all of you!"

Leolin herself had finally emerged through the double doors. Draco's wand hand fell and his eyebrows synched together as he drank her in. She looked more beautiful that ever, and his throat tightened painfully again.

"Please," Leolin said quietly to him, eyes teeming with hurt. "No more."

"No, ho intenzione di ucciderlo," Severina snarled.

"Fermalo," Leolin repeated firmly, easing Severina's wrist down. "Per favore."

Severina nodded, but she and Xavier remained fierce. Leolin ignored them, going hesistantly to Max instead. She studied him a moment before extending a hand to him. He eyed it warily, looking guiltier than ever, but eventually he took it, wincing as he rose.

"Hermione," Leolin said, studying Max's sweating face and smouldering wound with a mixture of concern and distain. "Help him. Please."

Hermione nodded, and Severina's lip curled again.

"Dovrebbe tenerlo," she spit.

"No," Leolin said, glancing at Draco now and wanting nothing more than to run into his arms. "Please, I can't take any more fighting."

"Thank you, " Max croaked as Hermione gently prodded at him. "I know I didn't deserve that."

"No," Leolin agreed sadly, watching Gen with contempt as she gravitated back to Draco, who reacted stiffly to her warmth at his side. "Maybe not. But I'm done hating you. I just don't have the strength anymore."

"I do," Xavier snarled quietly. "Yo serîa feliz a tomar tu manto."

Leolin shook her head.

"No," she repeated. "Please, if you any of you love me, you'll let it go."

This seemed to draw the fight from all three of them, and when Severina's expression softened, Leolin folded back into her and Xavier's protective embrace.

"Me despiace, cariña," she said penitently.

"I know," Leolin said in response, unable to keep herself from glancing at Draco again. "I appreciate your loyalty, but Brankovitch isn't our enemy."

"I'm not so sure I agree anymore," Ginny sneered at Max.

Max bowed his head, and Leolin could see the guilt, feel it rising off of him like waves of heat. As angry and bitter as she still felt, she felt pity as well. He'd used her, she knew that, but she also knew he hadn't intended to, and the truth was he'd known a loss more bitter than any of the rest of them had, and it was clear it was still plaguing him.

As they all stood heaving, emotions running so high the temperature in the room seemed to have risen ten degrees, the door opened again and Regan Sharpe appeared.

"Sorry I'm late," she said in a bored tone. "What did I—Merlin!" She widened her mismatched eyes at Max. "What the hell happened to you, Yankee Doodle?"

"Stay out of this," Blaise warned.

"That's not really in my nature," Reagan bit out flippantly. "And I think given the number of time I've had to suck Quinn's nob for you lot, I deserve some answers."

"Please," Felix implored, torn between helping Max and following his natural instinct of protecting Leolin. "You're not helping."

Reagan eyed him distainfully. She seemed to be sensing his guilt, and she curled her lip.

"I don't take orders from you. What's going on?"

"None of your business," Gen said tightly.

Reagan narrowed her eyes at Gen, reading the tension between her and Draco before letting her mismatched gaze slide to Leolin.

"The hell it isn't," she spit finally. "Lefevre, what the fuck is going on?"

"Fallout from Kelly Troy's abduction," Leolin replied in a true but evasive statement.

"And who did that to your neck?" she asked Max, who was still wincing as Hermione muttered healing spells.

"I—"

"What the hell happened here?" Tieran demanded.

He, Pansy, Harry, Grace and the rest of the group had entered now. Cara was with them too, looking frail and worn, though her gaze hardened as she drank in Max's injuries. She was tucked under Grace's arm, looked ready to fall completely apart.

"No one wants to say," Reagan replied to Tieran. "But if I had to guess, either Malfoy or one of the Borgias tried to take a piece out of Brankovitch."

"Knock it off," Tieran said, first addressing Reagan's snark and then the group more generally. "All of you. We don't have time for this."

His eyes settled on Leolin somewhat coincidentally and Xavier snarled at him, a lion protecting his cub.

"Who do you think you are, coming in here and handing down orders?" He demanded imperiously. "Stay out of this. It _doesn't_ concern you."

"Everything that happens here concerns us," Pansy pointed out without malice. "Please, now is not the time for fighting."

Severina gave Pansy a cool look, but Leolin nodded. She could still feel Draco's eyes on her, along with Felix's, and she felt positively sick to her stomach.

"Pans is right, Xavy. We need to stop all this. It's the only way."

"I agree with Leolin," Gen said, leaning into Draco. He tensed but didn't otherwise react.

Leolin turned, giving Gen the coldest look she'd been able to muster since arriving.

"Don't," she whispered fiercely, heart throbbing like it was ready to give out. "I'm warning you."

"How dare you threaten me," Gen sniffed. "And _you_ were the one who just said now wasn't the time for fighting," Gen bit back.

"Fuck you," Ginny snarled.

Gen made to retort, but Draco intervened.

"Genevieve," he said imperiously. "Enough."

"I just—" she began.

"Well don't," Harry interrupted. "You have your prize, Beauchene. For once let that be enough for you."

Gen seemed cowed by this comment, and it made Leolin's stomach hurt. She looked at Draco again, silently imploring him to fight back against his chains. However, he only gave her a pained expression in exchange, and she shook her head and looked away.

The tension seemed to disperse somewhat, and Dean Thomas , a relative newcomer, gave an audible exhale.

"Thank Merlin that's over," he said softly.

"If you really believe that then you're deluding yourself, " Ieuan replied. "It gets worse every time."

"Enough," Tieran demanded, disgusted. "It makes me sick the way all of you gang up on each other. No one gives a damn about house rivalries or personal grudges. We're all on the same side now, and every second we spend bickering is a second fucking wasted. Honestly, you think Pucey and his crew carry on like this?"

"No," Reagan said dryly. "That lot are all Slytherins."

"Oh fuck off," Pansy sneered.

"I agree," Gen said sympathetically. "It's so stressful!"

'No," Tieran said seriously. "You're just the worse of the lot. _Stop_ trying to torture Lefevre. It's petty and cruel and I can't bare to listen to it anymore. And you," he snapped, pointing an accusatory finger at Max. "Betrayed our trust. So if you don't want us to hand you over to Pucey as well, you ought to start atoning."

"Anyone else you're like to dress down?" Blaise said mildly.

Tieran clenched his jaw.

"Not as the moment."

Another tense silence reigned.

"Well!" Reagan said at last, kicking her feet on the table and leaning smugly back in her chair. "That was quite sobering!"

"Stop it," Draco warned, clearly run ragged by everything that had just happened. He was also still itching for to get his hands on Max, and it had made of an unstable cocktail. "Either wipe that stupid smirk off your face and help us or get the hell out."

"Who are you to give me orders?" Reagan asked coldly.

"Get out," Ginny demanded, pointing a finger to the door. "Seriously, just get out."

Reagan dropped her feet to the floor and stood as well.

"Fine," she snapped. "But don't expect me to walk back through that fucking door."

"Ray," Ieuan said, gripping her wrist. "You know better than anyone how serious this all is. Please, stop hiding behind this veneer and help us. _Please_."

Reagan eased back into her chair, letting her eye flash milky white for a moment so Ginny and Draco could take in her jagged sank back down, transformed.

"Right," Harry said after everyone had calmed down a little. "Where were we?"

"We have this," Leolin said flicking a wrist and producing her obol, which hung mid-air and swung in slow rotation for all of them to see. "And with it the distinct advantage."

"Adrian doesn't know?" Grace asked.

Leolin shook her head.

"He knows we have the painting, obviously, but after Tommy died, he was too torn up to keep on the hunt. When we went to fetch them, he was nowhere to be found; if he'd known he would have been all over us."

"So what do we do with them?" Dean Thomas asked.

"Destroy them," Felix replied.

"Easier said than done," Leolin said, eying him warily.

"What about fiendfyre?" Ron offered. "That destroyed the horcruxes. Or basilisk venom."

Leolin shook her head.

"These coins aren't from our world. I mean, they were forged for a on Earth is going to have the power to destroy them."

"So where does that leave us?" Hermione said.

"I'm working on it," Leolin said. "We think the answer is in Greece. One of my thieves is going there now."

"What about Adrian?" Harry asked. "Do you have any idea how far behind you he is in all this?"

"He still thinks the coins are up for grabs," Max supplied hoarsely, speaking for the first time.

"How do you know that?" Draco demanded in a searing tone.

"Annalysse told us he's still looking," Felix said in a quiet voice, trying and failing to catch Leolin's eye.

"Unless he broke Troy and knows everything," Blaise spit.

Cara bowed her head, face anguished.

"He didn't," Max defended, looking pained by Cara's distress. "And besides, Lefevre stole the coins after he was taken. Even if—"

"Don't you even dare finish that sentence," Cara snarled quietly through the stricture in her throatf. "Or I'll kill you myself."

"Kelly knew what he was doing," Oliver Wood pointed out. "He would never given something about the coins away."

"Yeah," Blaise said. "Unless he—"

"Stop it," Cara said hoarsely. "_Please._ Haven't you said enough?"

Everyone looked cowed.

"I'm sorry, Troy," Max choked out finally. "I know—"

"You don't know _anything_," Cara snarled, in tears now. "And keep your apologies; I'm never going to forgive you for what you've done."

"Kelly knew the risks," Max replied foolisgly. "He did this for us. For you."

"Don't you dare say his name in front of me!" Cara demanded. "My husband might die because of you. I may not be allowed to kill you, but I'm not going to suffer your pathetic excuses for what you did to him."

Max bowed his head, and Grace took Cara's hand as the anger faded and she began to shake, desperately fighting the urge to cry.

Everyone watched her with pained expressions, non one more so than Leolin.

"While Lefevre looks for the coins and we wait for Troy to come back—"

"Which he will," Grace assured Cara.

"What should we doing in the meantime?" Seamus asked.

"Shoring up support, " Tieran said. "Has anyone heard from that cockney bloke?"

"Jackie?" Blaise said. "He said Adrian's been doing some quiet recruiting. Luring guys like Jackie in with galleons and girls in exchange for information."

"So what does that mean for us?" Oliver asked.

"That we need to be careful with any information we get," Draco said. "People like that will take any table scraps. We can't let them have any."

"What about Quinn?" Tieran said, looking at Reagan.

For once her face was sober.

"He's Adrian's new errand boy. He's shuffling information from Adrian to the minister. I haven't gotten much out of him, but the bits I do have are really troubling."

"What is it?" Draco said.

"Pucey's been trying to stop up a leak in the Malfoy administration for years, and he's finally got traction. He knows it's a Yank operation, and he's closing in on the top dog he's been hunting for years. He and Thivierge have been picking off weak links, and they haven't gotten much, but they've been piecing it together bit by bit.

The Americans have a huge network, bigger than we know, and they woven the web just right. Each manager is the secret keeper of all his underlings, which keeps them from spilling or ratting. The leader is the secret keeper for his top lieutenants, and he keeps them close. Additionally, he has a man outside the organization that protects his identity. If what Jaime's saying is true, Pucey has zeroed in on the outside man, and he's going to squeeze him until he buckles. Once he does, the whole house of cards goes down. They get the leader, they get _every_ undercover agent in the organisation. They'll be dominos."

Gen tensed, but no one seemed to notice.

"You keep saying 'he'," Ginny pointed out. "How are you so sure that either of them is a man?"

Reagan shrugged.

"I don't know. Just statistically speaking, I guess."

"I think that's unnecessarily presumptuous," Ginny said in a haughty voice.

"C'mon Gin," Blaise said. "This isn't the time to stand on feminist principle."

Ginny frowned, but everyone else ignored her.

"How many people are we talking here?" Tieran said, looking across the table at Reagan.

Reagan's green eye flashed.

"A hundred," Adrian thinks. "Maybe more."

"Did you know about this?" Leolin asked Max in a hard voice.

"Yes," he admitted hoarsely, looking ashamed again.

"You snake," Cara bit out. "Is there anything you've been honest with us about?"

"I'm sorry," Max repeated for what seemed like the millionth time. "But this is very sensitive operation. If Pucey pokes even one hole, the whole organisation is going to topple."

"You lied to us, and now you're accusing us for being enemy spies?" Blaise snarled. "You have some fucking cheek."

"I'm not accusing you of anything," Max amended. "I just—this is bigger than all of us."

"Where are you in the chain of command?" Draco demanded.

Max's gaze slid over Gen, but it didn't rest there.

"I—can't say. It would require disabling a whole network of secret keepers."

"Do you know the leader?" Ieuan asked.

"Blimey," Dean chimed. "_Are _you the leader?"

Max shook his head resolutely.

"But do you know him?" Ieuan pressed.

Here he and Gen traded another glance, but it won't again went unnoticed.

"No one but the secret keeper knows him."

"And you know the secret keeper?"

He considered before speaking. Finally he answered, "his identity is the biggest secret in the wizarding world. Only the leader knows him, and only the secret keeper could reveal the identity of the leader. It's a neat little package. All it's missing is a bow."

"That's clever," Dean admitted.

"That's American ingenuity," Max corrected.

"Still," Harry breathed. "This is a nightmare in the making. If the outside man buckling, ever single agent is in danger. The leader will be a sitting duck, and everyone along with him."

"There's a gala in six weeks," Felix said. "At the American embassy. It is the _only _safe haven in the city right now. We have to go and tie up the official support from the American government. It's time."

They all nodded their agreement.

"Will—" Leolin took a breath meant to steady herself. In reality it only made her feel more shaky. "Should we assume Pucey's crew is going to be there?"

Max set his jaw, looking guilty again as he drank in her obvious trepidation.

"They shouldn't be. He has nothing to gain and everything to lose by tangling with the American Embassy before he's ready."

Leolin could feel Draco's eyes on her, gaze protective and pained in equal measure, but she didn't have the heart to look at him.

"That doesn't mean he won't try it anyways," Tieran said. "We have to tread carefully in the meantime."

"We'll know more when Troy comes back," Felix pointed out.

There was a pregnant silent. _If _he came back, Leolin knew they were all thinking. She glanced at Cara, who's expression was grim but impassive, almost as if she no longer had the energy to be sad or scared.

"What's our plan, besides the coins?" Harry asked, seemingly unwilling to prolong Cara's agony by dwelling on poor Kelly. "We need to be thinking ahead."

"We also need to think about what it might look like to dismantle Adrian's crew," Blaise reasoned. "If we can peel back some of his support, we might be able to find the weak underbelly."

"I think the top priority ought to be Thivierge and her reign of bloody terror," Draco said. "She's clever and power-hungry, and once Pucey finds out we have the coins, it's going to be her he sends to stop us. Our best chance at success is making sure Thivierge is out of the way."

"Easier said than done," Ginny pointed out. "She's nasty and she's been well-taught. She would have killed Leolin at the manor if Blake hadn't stepped in."

"She might be the only person equipped to handle Thivierge," Ieuan reasoned. "She's the one who knows her best."

Max shook his head firmly.

"No. No way. We can't afford to lose her position on the inside."

"Isn't that why you sent Troy in?" Blaise snapped.

"Blaise," Ginny warned, shooting a quick glance at Cara.

"No, he's right," Oliver agreed in a cold voice. "What's the point of having her on the inside if she's not going to do any damage for us."

"She's done _plenty_ of damage," Max demanded. "She killed Tommy Pucey."

"Bloody lot of good that did us," Draco snapped.

"Saved your bacon," Max said back, eying Draco with a cold contempt.

"Fuck you," Draco snarled, drawing his wand. "Don't talk back to me. I still have half a mind to kill you."

"Drake!" Gen said in a fretful tone, touching his arm pleadingly. "Let it go."

"Enough," Grace said, looking at both Draco and Max before stealing a glance at Leolin. "This isn't helping. If it can't be Blake that takes Thivierge down, then we just need to find someone else to."

"Leave her to me," Reagan said arrogantly. "I'll put her in her place."

"I don't think you have any idea what you're dealing with," Harry warned. "She's a rare beast, that one."

"So am I," Reagan said grimly. "And I'm much tougher than I look. When the times right, I'll be ready for her."

Felix glanced at her appreciatively.

"Always full of surprises, Sharpe," he said in admiration.

"Don't look at me like that," she commanded. "And only a bitch can topple a bitch," she said. "Lucky for you lot, I'm the biggest bitch that ever lived."

"We'll see about that," Draco said somewhat flippantly.

Reagan wrinkled her noise in disgust.

"Maybe you'll like to see just how much of a bitch I can be, Malfoy," Reagan said with venom.

"Oh bloody hell," Harry grumbled. "Let's not start this up again."

"And you're really going to sit here and tell us that you aren't _always_ the problem?" Ron demanded of Draco.

"Stop," Pansy interjected before the fight could gain any more momentum. "For the love of Merlin. We can't have any more fighting. We're on thin ice as it is. If we fight each other, Adrian wins."

"What about the rest of his crew?" Dean Thomas asked. "Who besides Thivierge?"

"Rawle. He's Adrian's closest ally. Taking him off the board would be a major victory."

"I think we can help," Severina said, glancing at Xavier.

"Borgia," Draco said in a bored voice, their alliance from earlier long forgotten. "You can't solve every problem by batting your fucking eyelashes."

"I'm more than that and you know it," she sniped. "Xavier and I are a big prize, and Rawle knows the only time he'll be able to catch us in here in London. He wouldn't dare step foot in Rome."

"So what's the play?" Dean asked, eying the Borgias warily.

"We let him get dangerously close here and chase us back to Italy. Once we're home we spring the trap. He'll be lost to Adrian. Lucius would never be so bold to come into our territory. That's a war all its own."

"Do you honestly think that would work?" Blaise asked.

Severina raised a perfect eyebrow.

"Have you ever known me to fail, Zabini?"

"It's a gamble," Pansy agreed. "But I think it's a good one. Tate's always been over-eager. If you give him a chance at a score this big, he's not likely to refuse."

"That will have to wait until after the Embassy" Max said. "We need you here for the time being."

"Don't you dare tell me what to do," Severina snarled at him. "I don't take orders from you, strisciamento."

Max flushed, unsure how to defend against whatever she'd accused him of being.

"It wasn't an order," Max amended. "But we need you two to stay on help secure defenses her in the UK."

"I have children," Severina said. "No one keeps me from them, least of all you."

"I wasn't trying to—"

"Just give up, Brankovitch," Pansy snapped. "This is not a fight you're going to win, particularly with Borgia. Just can it."

Max clenched his jaw, ready to bite back. However, when he looked at Leolin, the fight seemed to bleed out of him, and he did as he was bid.

"Alright," Harry said, trying to suppress another fight. "Is there any allies we've overlooked? Anyone we haven't thought of who might be able to help?"

"I have one," Ieuan said. "But I'm pretty sure you aren't going to like it."

"Who is it?" Blaise asked. "We'll decide if we like him or not ourselves."

Ieuan bit his lip.

"Gareth Rhydderich."

"No," Draco burst, eyes flitting to Leolin. "_Absolutely_ fucking not."

"Look, I know we all find him distasteful, but he served four years in Azkaban for what he did to Leolin," Ieuan said diplomatically

"He could serve four thousand years and it wouldn't be enough," Draco snarled.

"I saw him about two months ago, and honestly wouldn't recognise him. Prison has changed him," Ieuan continued.

"He's playing you, Birdie!" Draco insisted. "He wants back in so he can settle old scores."

"You didn't see him!" Ieuan protested. "I did. I'm not saying we have to welcome him back with open arms, but he's _not_ without his merits. Besides, you heard what Tommy did to Merys; he's not going to flip on us after that."

"Lai?" Ginny said softly. "What do you think?"

She suffered so many ills since Gareth, she felt no stir of trepidation or fear at the mention of his name.

"I think I have to agree with Malfoy," Oliver said, voice cold. "Gareth's a liar. We could never trust him."

"I agree," Felix thirded, looking at Leolin with longing. "Particularly after what he's done."

It tugged at her, but she avoided looking at him.

"Stay out of this," she warned him in a soft voice.

"Leolin—"

"I mean it," she said, still considering. "And I don't think we should reject this outright," she said at last.

"What?" Draco demanded, sounding almost angry. "Leolin, you can't be serious!"

"Four years is along time," she pointed out, glad her voice wasn't quaking. "He's not going to be the same arrogant snot he was all those years ago, particularly after for years with only deatheaters and dementors for company. Besides, he's been on the inside for years. He undoubtedly has information about Lucius's plan to liberate his incarcerated servants. That means your mum, Sharpe."

Fear flashed in Reagan's eyes, but she masked it with a sneer.

"Leolin," Blaise said pleadingly. "You don't have to do this."

"I know," she said. "And what he did was awful, but we need his help; I think you lot know that."

"No," Draco said curtly. "I don't. My good opinion, once lost, is lost forever."

Reagan considered.

"If Lefevre wants to face him then I don't think we should stand in her way. She's tougher than you think, Malfoy."

"I know that," Draco said in a softer tone, eyes pleading as he drank Leolin in again. "But that doesn't change how I feel."

Leolin bowed her head, and Gen, desperate to interrupt th moment, threaded a snake-like arm through Draco's, nails ghosting along his bicep in a psuedo-soothing gesture. He tensed.

"We'll table it for now," Tieran agreed, watching Gen work in mild contempt. "As much as it sickens me to say it, I don't think we should just reject him outright, either."

"Who else?" Harry pressed. "Preferably someone who's _not _a rapist."

"I have one," Max said hesitantly. "But I don't anticipate you're going to be any more psyched about on my pick."

"Probably not," Blaise drawled. "By why don't you let us be the judges of that. Who did you have in mind?"

The doors burst open.

"My," Beau said, striding boastfully in. "But I do believe my _ears_ are burning."

"Not just no," Ginny sneered. "_Hell_ no. Get this piece of trash out of here, Brankovitch."

"Now Ginevra my angel," Beau drawled. "Is that _any_ way to treat your new ally?"

"Say one more thing, Taylor," Blaise warned. "I'd love an excuse to shred you to fucking bits."

"Relax General," Beau said, raising his hands innocently as his hooded eyes found Blaise. "I come in peace."

"Oh bloody hell," Ieaun growled. "Here we go again."

"Beau!" Gen admonished. "Why can you never behave? Honestly, _don't_ be such a backwards brute."

"And who the hell are you?" Tieran demanded.

"Beau Augustine Taylor," Beau said with a flourishing bow. "Genny and I go way back. Isn't that right, sugar?"

"And what's your crime, then?" Reagan asked. "Doesn't seem like anyone is too keen to see you."

"He thinks the colour of his skin makes him superior in some way," Blaise sneered. "Despite the fact that my bank account's twenty times his."

"Oh gross," Reagan sneered, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, Yank, that is pathetically 19th century."

"I'm no Yankee," Beau said self-importantly. "I've lived in the Old Confederacy all my life. And my daddy lived there before me and my granddaddy before that."

"Correction," Reagan snarled. "You lot are _all_ Yanks to us. Septic tanks, if you fancy Cockney rhyme slang."

"Aren't you charming, then," Beau said, giving Reagan a disdainful look. "Is that eye a new fashion I don't know about? How delightfully…avante-garde."

"Oh piss _off_," Blaise snarled.

"Why don't you relax, General," Beau said to Blaise. "I didn't come her to insult you or your nasty little friend here. I came to help."

"We don't want or need your help," Ieuan assured him.

"No?" Beau said in irritation. "Fine, then I guess I _won't_ give y'all the gift I brought."

"What is it?" Draco asked.

"Make Zabini promise to play nice and I'll give it to you."

"I'd rather burn in hell," Blaise spit.

"Your loss, then," Beau said. "So long."

He swung on his heels and strutted towards the door.

"C'mon Zabini, just pull it together," Harry said.

"Fine," Blaise said coolly. "Stay, if that what it takes."

Beau gave a dazzling smile.

"I knew you'd see it my way."

The doors swung in a final time, and two figures passed through, the first supporting the second.

"Oh my gods!" Cara cried, rising from her chair. "Oh my gods!"

Annalysse Blake was helping a battered Kelly along, who was limping slightly. His face was black and blue as well, and he looked in pain.

"Kelly," Cara breathed, gently kissing him as Annalysse eased him into a chair. Hermione was already standing and preparing to tend to his wound.. "Oh Merlin, I was so worried; you don't know how much I've missed you."

"You too," he breathed, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

Beau turned to Blaise and smirked.

"I told you it was a good surprise."

"Shut up," Blaise demanded.

"When did you get out?" Max asked.

"Adrian let me go this morning," Kelly replied, accepting a glass of water from Cara and taking a grateful sip. "I have to go back in two weeks with new information."

"And what are you doing here?" Severina snapped at Annalysse.

"I convinced Adrian I should be Troy's handler," Annalysse replied calmly, undaunted by Severina's venom.

"Are you—alright?" Leolin asked Kelly,watching him wince in pain and feeling the selfish need to cry.

Kelly gave pained expression.

"I don't really want to talk about it," he said quietly. "But I got a lot out of Adrian when he thought I was under the imperious."

"What did you give him in return?"

"Audige," he said.

"What?" Harry demanded. "How? He has those slaver's chains now!"

Kelly looked at Severina, who bowed her head.

"The chains possess a great deal of magic, and whoever wields the chains, wields the power. However, the chains are beholden to the key."

"There's a key?" Draco demanded. "Does Audige know that?"

Severina shook her head.

"It was thought to have been lost. The chains have come and gone throughout history, but the key has never been found."

"But somehow you found them," Pansy repeated, clearly suspicious.

"We never lost them," Xavier replied. "They've been in our family for generations."

"Borgias," Blaise muttered irratibly to himself.

"And you knew all this?" Cara asked Kelly. It was clear she was stung he hadn't confided this information in her. Leolin felt a little of the same.

"Borgia told me when I agreed to go."

"You really think that was a good idea?" Draco snapped at Severina. "Now Pucey has a direct line to Bones through Audige!"

"It had to be done," Severina said. "Even with the chains Pucey might have found a way to take Audige down, and at least now it's on our own timetable."

Draco opened his mouth to argue more, but Ginny shook her head. "It's done now, Drake, and Borgia is right; at least now this is all on our terms.

"What else, Troy?" Reagan pressed.

Kelly looked at Leolin.

"I'm sorry, Lai," he croaked, squeezing Cara's hand and wincing as Hermione prodded at his side.

"For what?" Draco demanded, agitated by Kelly's tone.

"You're all he wanted to talk about," Kelly continued quietly to Leolin in a guilty tone. "I tried to resist him as best as I could, but—"

Leolin shook her head to keep what he was saying from really sinking in. She could only imagine what Adrian had wanted to know. Flashes of her night with Kelly blinked by, and she worried was sickening stomach if Adrian had been privy to those memories now as well.

"Don't be," she said. "I'm just glad you're safe."

"I promise I won't let me hurt you," Kelly said, looking at Leolin relaxing a little as Cara leaned soothingly into him.

"It's alright, Kelly," Leolin said, bitterly wishing it were true. "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is," he said. "And I'm sorry."

There was a long, sad silence, and Leolin could feel herself growing teary. She couldn't resist, and she looked up at Draco. He looked pained to be seperated from her, but Gen still had a tight hold on his arm, a fitting metaphor her current power over.

"What now, then?" Ieuan said.

"We just have to soldier on," Seamus Finnegan said doggedly. "Through better or worse."

"Most likely worse," Ron said, grabbing Hermione's hand.

"Look to left and right," Harry instructed. "This is the new Order of the Phoenix."

"To the Order," Tieran said.

His voice rang through the dining room.

"Here, here," several voices echoed.

"We can't turn back now," Felix said grimly. "We've gone to far."

"Sad but true," Kelly said. "Let's make this count."

Benton appeared now with servants in toe, as if sensing that Leolin didn't trust Javier to be in the dining room now that Kelly had appeared. The less people that know about him, the better.

Champagne was passed around, and when everyone had a flute, Harry stood, eyes solemn.

"To the _new _Order," he said solemnly.

"To the new Order," Reagan repeated raising her glass at well.

One by one they stood, repeating the toast.

Kelly was the last to stand, and it seemed difficult for him to labour to his feet.

"To the new order."

The glasses sang as they touch as everyone took a solemn drink.

Now Pansy raised her glass again.

"I would normally raise a glass and say 'confusion to our enemies'. However, given the circumstances, it doesn't seem quite sufficient." Her lip curled. "_Death_ to our enemies," she said.

"Morte ai nostri nemici," Severina repeated, dark eyes flashing.

"Muerte a nuestros enemigos ," Xavy agreed

Felix stood now, eyes on Leolin before flicking to Draco.

"Mort à nos ennemis."

Draco's eyes flashed.

"Oui," he said at last, raising a glass to Felix. "Mort à nos ennemis"

* * *

After dinner, Gen watched through the window of their suite as Draco prowled the grounds. Despite his promise to her, he still hadn't come to bed, and she knew he wouldn't until she was asleep. At least he was alone. At least Leolin wasn't with him. She'd take a hollow pleasure the day's events. Draco seemed firm in his choice of Gen and the baby, and it felt good to see how much his decision had crippled Leolin. Or rather, it should have. Deep down it really didn't, though. Gen hated Leolin, that much was true, but it was ugly to watch anyone fall to such depths. With Draco out of her reach and Adrian on her heels, Leolin was trapped, and she seemed to be wilting away before Gen's eyes.

She had intended to win this fight fair and square, to prove to Leolin that her return meant nothing and she was a thing of Draco's past, not his future. That victory would have tasted sweet. However, this one was bitter. Gen stood in the middle of two soulmates, she knew that well enough, but still she couldn't seem to let go. She hadn't forgotten how it felt to fall in love with Draco, and though she hadn't been his first love, he had been hers. Her _only_. She was afraid now that even if she let go she would never be able to love like this again.

She shook her head. She had a throbbing headache, and all she wanted was to lie down. The best she could hope for with Draco now was for him to hold her when he finally returned.

Still even that seem too much to ask for now. She tucked into bed and snuggled up to her pillow, tears, staining the white sheets.

* * *

Draco had been wandering for what seemed like hours, but he was too restless to stop. He was going crazy, each direction pulling him so hard he felt he might burst. After everything that had happened, he yearned to go to Leolin and fall at her feet. On the other hand, he ought to go tend to the mother of his child; she needed him. Finally he made up his mind, slipping back inside the manor and making his was purposefully to Leolin's room. He knocked and after a moment she answered. She was wearing a silk nightgown with a cotton robe on top.

She frowned when she saw him.

"Draco, please," she said, holding out a hand to signal he couldn't come in. "Go away."

"Leolin—"

"No," she said softly, biting her lip. "Please, I can't do this with you again. You made your choice; now go honour it."

"I don't want to leave things like this," he said. "Please, let me come in."

"What does any of this matter?" she asked dolefully. "You gave me up, Draco. There is nothing more to be said."

"Please Leolin, I—I love you," he said earnestly. "I need you to know that no matter what."

She bit her lip, anguished.

"I do know that," she said, throat jammed with tears. "But I also know it isn't enough."

He reached to touch her cheek and she shied away from him.

"_Please_," she implored him, pushing his hand away. "This is hard enough. You're only making it worse."

"Leolin," he said, pained. "You have no idea how badly I wish things could be different."

"But they're not," she said, wiping a tear from her cheek. "And this was an impasse we never could have avoided. I can never give you what you want, Drake. I can never give you what she can."

Draco's eyebrows pinched together.

"That's not what this is about," he said. "This isn't about my _wanting_ children."

"Please," she pleaded. "You don't have to lie to me. I know what this means to you."

"You're wrong," he said. "Its true that I've always wanted to be a father, but after New Orleans I realised the most important part of having a child was sharing it with you," he breathed, touching her cheek.

Her eyes fluttered closed, sending a tear that had been tangled in her lashes skidding down her cheek. She could hear in his voice that he was telling the truth. That only made things more painful.

"What does any of that matter now?" she demanded softly.

"It matters to me," he said in a firm voice. "It matters because I can't bear the thought you of thinking you are somehow damaged goods. You aren't; you're perfect."

"If that's really true— " she began.

"It is," he said, pained. "You _know_ it is."

"Then don't marry her, " she pleaded. "Please."

"I have to. I wish I didn't, but I do."

"Why?" she pleaded. "It's the twenty-first century. You don't have to marry someone just because they're pregnant."

"You know what she'll do if I don't agree to this," Draco said. "She'll take off and I'll never see her again."

"Would that be so awful?" Leolin said softly.

He gave her a pained look.

"I'm sorry," she said, bowing her head.

"I wished this hadn't happened this way," he affirmed, licking his lip. "But now that it has, I have to honour my commitment to this baby. I'm not going to turn my back on my child the way my father turned his back on me."

"Then go to her," she choked. "What other choice do you have? Go to Gen and forget everything else."

"I can't. Not without a proper goodbye."

She nodded tightly, more tears falling. She thought about all the work she'd done to break the gag, and she knew it had been in vain.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, touching her cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't come back to you when I had the chance. I don't think you'll ever even know how much."

"I love you," she told him tearfully.

He stepped towards her, forcing her out of the doorway and back into the room. He nudged the door shut with a gleaming shoe while continuing his advance.

"I love you, too. I'll love you all the days of my life. Please try to understand why I'm doing this to you."

The hope plummeted to her stomach, suddenly full of lead.

"I do," she choked. "I just wish it could have been me."

His eyes flicked to her lips.

"In my heart it always will be."

He dipped to kiss her. This was her last chance, she knew it was, and she wasn't going to give it up. His hand slid to tangle in her hair as she gripped the lapels of his midnight blue blazer. She nimbly unbuttoned it and cast it to the floor. He pushed the robe off her shoulders, hands sliding down silky arms.

He pushed her hair aside so he could kiss her neck as she untucked the hem of his fitted pullover and tugged it over his head. When he was free of it he grabbed her cheeks gently to kiss her again. His fingers danced down her shoulders, tangling in the straps of her black slip.

He bent to kiss her bare shoulder, his lips dragging upward to her neck again. He was wearing only a soft white t-shirt now, and her eyes remained closed as she pushed a hand under the fabric and up his taut stomach. His muscles tensed at her initial touch, probably reacting to her cold hands, but soon he had her by the wrist, urging her hand towards his beating heart.

His skin was smooth beneath her fingers, and she melted into him as the kiss intensified. However, after a moment she brushed something inorganic and her eyes snapped open. Immediately she retracted her hand, breathless. They locked eyes. His were mournful, and instinctually she took several steps back. Finally, she approached again, tentatively grabbing the chain around his neck and drawing the pendant from where it had been hiding against his skin. It was amazing how quickly the tears bubbled up, and she covered her mouth as a sob burst forward.

"Draco," she sobbed, and he pulled her against his chest, resting his head softly atop hers. "You kept it?" she said sorrowfully, watching him.

He pulled back so he could look her in the eye.

"I can never stop loving you, Cal," he said solemnly, touching her cheek. Even when I try."

"Don't go," she begged quietly, pressing her face against his chest and feeling the pendant against her ear. "_Please_ don't go. Not now. Not after everything we've been through. _I love you_, Drake. Always have, always will."

He kissed her again, his face the portrait of anguish.

"I love you, too" he choked, pressing her forehead to his and closing his eyes as two more tears skidded down his cheeks. "I'll love you until the sun rises in the West and sets in the East."

_**crack.**_

Somehow he'd gone.

Numbly she bent to retrieve his forgotten jumper. It was soft under her fingers and it smelled like him. Slowly she traipsed to the bed, a hideous hysteria crawling up her throat as collapsed sideways, the jumper still clutched in her arms.


	31. Chapter 30: Let Us Strike A Bargain

**1,700 WORDS ADDED! DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! NEXT CHAPTER COMING SOON!**

**Chapter 31: Let Us Strike a Bargain**

"We only lose that which we cling to."

-Buddha

_Genevieve sat next to the pool, knees tucked to her chest and eyes cast out towards the beach beyond. It had been a long time since she'd stayed at her house in South Carolina, and it didn't quite feel like home anymore. Or Perhaps it had never been home. Not really, anyways. She hadn't realised it growing up and during her adolescence, but it once she met Draco and he asked her to move in with him, she knew she was finally home._

"_Genny? Are you out there?"_

_She wiped her eyes, trying to mask the fact that she'd been crying._

"_On the deck," she called back._

_Max appeared a second later, smiling at her._

"_I don't think I've ever seen you dressed this casually," he laughed, taking in her leggings and loose shirt. "Even when we were sleeping together. You always went from naked to made up in like five seconds flat."_

_She laughed, too._

"_I thought you'd be at Ashley's," he continued._

_She shook her head, giving another feeble smile._

"_I just wanted to be alone for a bit," she affirmed. "I needed to clear my head."_

_He nodded, sitting down and touching her knee._

"_Beau told me__ your mom's in town," he said sympathetically. "How'd it go?"_

_Gen's lip began to tremble._

"_It didn't," she said in a doleful voice. "She owled and said she was just too busy and maybe she'd catch me next time she was in New Orleans."_

"_Oh Gen," Max said as she began to cry. "Genny."_

"_It's fine," she said tightly through her tears. "This is nothing new for her. I haven't seen her in over three years. I think I was being silly thinking I'd get to see her this weekend. I know she's monstrously busy; she's always reminding me. If she was here she'd prompt me to remember that a proper belle is never needy."_

"_What a bitch," Max said coldly. He seemed to think better of it, because he amended. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."_

_She shrugged._

"_If the shoe fits," she said softly._

"_This isn't a reflection on you, you know," Max supplied, touching her cheek. "You're a wicked great girl. It's her loss if she doesn't want to get to know you."_

_Gen bowed her head._

"_I just wish I could stop feeling like I'm not good enough for her," Gen admitted. "She left when I was eleven and she just never looked back, not for one tiny instant. It makes it difficult to feel like I'm worthy of anyone."_

"_No, __**she's**__ not good enough for __**you**__," Max said warmly. "Seriously. You're surrounded by people who love you Genny, myself included. And what about Malfoy? He's friggin' crazy about you!"_

_Gen shrugged._

"_I suppose."_

"_Okay, c'mon," Max said softly. "You know he is. Honestly the way he's always looking at you is a little annoying. It's so—lovey-dovey". _

"_I've never felt this way about someone before," she admitted. "I didn't know it was possible to love anyone this much."_

"_Have you told him about today? Surely he of all people understands what you're going through. I mean, his dad is pretty much evil incarnate, and from what I hear his mom's no picnic, either."_

_She gave a defeated laugh._

"_That's true," she admitted. "She is awful."_

"_Where is he, by the way?"_

"_He's back in London," she admitted sadly. "Apparently Leolin's mother is in some sort of crisis, and he simply couldn't resist swooping in to rescue her."_

"_Who the hell is Leolin?" he asked._

"_Oh you haven't heard of her?" Gen said bitterly. "She's Draco's ex-fiancée."_

"_What?" Max burst, angry and protective. "Malfoy was engaged before?"_

"_Honestly, I can't believe I haven't told you yet. Apparently he had some girl in boarding school that he was just __**madly **__in love with."_

"_Shit," Max said. "I'm sorry. What happened to her?"_

"_She ran off the day of the wedding," Gen said. "No one's seen her since."_

"_How long have you known about this?" Max asked. "And why is Malfoy still friends with her parents? That's so fucked up; it makes me want to kick his ass."_

"_I never wanted all the nasty little details, of course," Gen drawled. "But I gather that Draco went off the rails when this Leolin left, and it was her mother that coaxed him off the edge. They're his surrogate family now. I guess I should be thanking her, though; Draco's always insisting that she's the reason he found me, and that makes all the pain worth it."_

"_He's right," Max said. "One time he was drunk and he told me you were the best thing that ever happened to him."_

"_Oh you dirty liar," Gen chuckled, slapping his leg playfully. "You just said that to make me feel better."_

_He shook his head._

"_He loves you, Genny," Max said seriously. "You should never doubt that."_

"_Suppose I don't," she supplied. "He still loved her first. I guess I'm just always destined to play second fiddle. Draco and my mother have that in common."_

"_He's not your mom," Max said. "Please don't even think you've not worthy of being loved; you are."_

_She bit her lip._

"_Draco's my first love," Gen admitted. "I never knew what it was before I met him. My father only ever loved my mother and my mother only loved herself. I just wish I'd been his first as well. I don't think he'll ever get over her. What am I supposed to do if she ever comes back? I can't bear the thought of losing Draco."_

"_First loves aren't everything, sweetheart. Don't second-guess yourself just because he's a fucking idiot and tried to marry his high school girlfriend. That kind of love never lasts. Everyone I know who married someone they met at boarding school is divorced already. Besides, it's seriously impossible for that dude to love anyone as much as he loves you. For real."_

_She ignored his impassioned speech._

"_Are you over Amelia?" Gen asked pointedly. "I know she was your first love."_

_Max gave a small frown._

"_That was different," Max said. "She didn't leave me; she was stolen from me."_

_Gen bowed her head._

"_I'm sorry," Gen said. "That's awful what happened to her."_

_Max nodded._

"_That's why I need your help."_

_She nodded._

"_You know I'd do anything for you, sugar," she affirmed._

"_Remember the night you met Draco?" he said._

_She laughed._

"_At this point, how could I forget?"_

"_Did he ever tell you why he and Zabini were in New Orleans?"_

_She shook her head._

"_I suppose I never really thought about it. Draco loves to drink and party. I guess I just assumed he was here for that."_

"_Agreed," Max said. "But it was a little more than that. Gen," he said seriously, taking her hand. "Can I trust you?"_

"_Of course," she said, smiling. _

"_This is serious," Max said. "What I'm about to tell you could change both our lives."_

_She nodded._

"_You know I would never betray your confidence. Whatever you say today dies with me."_

_He nodded now._

"_I know that," he affirmed. "But once we start down this road there is no going back for either of us."_

_She squeezed his hand solemnly._

"_You can trust me, I swear. Whatever it is that you need, sugar, it's as good as done."_

_He licked his lips and clenched his jaw._

"_There's something big coming in the UK," he admitted. "A second war."_

_She nodded._

"_I know. You can feel it brewing when you're there."_

"_Look, we sat out last round, but I don't think we can afford to do that again. This has been in the works for some time, but things are escalating and we need to start preparing for something bigger."_

"_Who's 'we?"_

"_The Americans," he applied._

"_What's your role in all this?" Gen asked._

_Max considered._

"_I can't say more until you agree, but let's just say it's pivotal."_

"_Does Draco know about this?" she asked._

"_He knows some, but we haven't told him just how deep this all goes. Honestly, the less people who know at this point, the better."_

"_Then why are you telling me? You should tell him."_

"_No," Max said emphatically. "Look, it's not that I don't trust Draco, but he's not you. Genny, I trust you more than anyone, and things are getting to the point where I need extra protection against against Lucius Malfoy and his thugs. His dog Adrian Pucey's been sniffing around for months, and I need to get this done before he stumbles on something significant."_

_She nodded, her eyes serious. She took his hand and squeezed._

"_What exactly are you asking me to do?" she asked._

_He looked sidelong at her._

"_What do you know about secret keepers?"_

* * *

"Well I'll be the first one to say it," Ginny said sternly. "I hate this."

Leolin took a sip of tea and sighed.

"You're hardly the first one," Leolin pointed out. "Blair's said it a million times to my face, and Draco and Felix are apparently shouting it most vehemently behind my back."

"Have you forgotten what Gareth did to you?" Ginny demanded.

Leolin's eyes grew hard.

"That's unfair and you know it."

"I'm sorry," Ginny said guiltily. "I have no right to say that to you."

"Look," Leolin said in a calm voice. "I've thought this through and it's honestly what's best. Ignoring this could be a huge mistake, and we don't have room to make mistakes right now. I _know_ you know that."

It had been a month since the topic had been broached, and in that time Leolin had decided she wanted a meeting with Gareth. Of course almost everyone had protested, even—to their eternal surprise—Beau. However, Leolin remained obstinate. She couldn't undo the hurt Gareth had inflicted on her, but that was admittedly a lifetime ago, and she could shake the feeling that he still had some role to play.

"After everything you've been through," Ginny said, sinking down and taking her hand. "Do you really want to heap this on top?"

"I'm fine," Leolin said in the same calm voice. "Honestly, what's done is done. I can't look back anymore; I need to start finally looking forward."

"You don't have to lie to me. Draco told me what happened between you. He's heartsick. Without you Blaise and I are worried he might do something desperate and dangerous."

"That's his prerogative," Leolin said. "That doesn't mean I have to follow his lead."

Ginny narrowed her eyes. Finally something dawned on her.

"You can't keep this locked up," Ginny said. "That's seriously dangerous, Lai."

"The hell I can't," Leolin said in a calm voice.

"Leolin, you don't know the kind of trauma that kind of suppression can cause the mind; whatever box you've decided to stuff all this pain into isn't sustainable. At some point it's going to burst, and you will be crushed by your own grief."

"I know what I'm doing," Leolin said. "I've been doing legimency for years, and I know how to compartmentalise."

"No one can run from this kind of devastation forever," Ginny pointed out. "When it catches up with you—_and it will—_you won't have a prayer of fighting it off. It's going to fucking kill you!"

"What choice do I have, when there's still work to be done? Draco chose Gen! He looked me in the eye, told me he loved me, and _left me_. He left me for the woman who stole my life. The horrid bitch who gave my sun and stars the one thing I never could! If I give into that pain, even for a second, I_ will_ die."

"I know this is excruciating—"

"You know?" Leolin replied bitterly before sighing and letting some of the fight bleed out. "Gin, I can't have children, and now the love of my life is having a baby with a woman I hate. And if that wasn't enough, the only person I've every truly cared for us being beaten and tortured by a man who would own me like a slave. When you find yourself in this position, I'll be happy for your advice. Until that time, please let me be."

"I'm sorry," Ginny said, bowing her head. "I know that was presumptuous of me. I just—Lai, I love you so much, and I can't bear the idea of something bad happening to you."

"Something bad has _already_ happened to me," Leolin pointed out. "In fact, a lot of bad things have happened to me. Please, try to respect that I'm dealing with this the only way I know how. Draco has to deal with this the way he sees fit, and I have to do the same. I know you don't agree with what I'm doing, but at least try to respect it."

"Okay," Ginny said. "I'm sorry."

Leolin nodded, her expression softening. She reached for Ginny's hand and Ginny squeezed it gratefully.

"What time is Gareth coming?" Ginny asked tightly.

"About half an hour from now," Leolin said unhurriedly. "I should probably get dressed."

Ginny nodded.

Leolin traipsed out of the cozy den past the elegant dining space, moving counter-clockwise through the open-place flat whose room flowed seamlessly together. Finally she reached the spiral staircase that led to her living quarters. The bedroom proper was open, the balcony of which overlooked the rest of the loft. However, farther in was her closet and bathroom, and she padded past the bed and closet the interior door behind her. When she was truly alone, she looked at herself in the large mirror. Would Gareth even recognise her? She wasn't the same girl he'd threatened at Draco's party. Hell, she wasn't even the resolute one who'd attended his sentencing a year later.

She was a fiercely strong woman, tempered in the fires of tribulations. Compared to Lucius and Cristian and Adrian, Gareth was practically tame. Then again, she wasn't quite sure what she'd feel when she finally saw him again. She had to admit she probably wouldn't be as calm as she was now. She also hoped that Draco wouldn't show up. She'd told Ginny expressly that he was not to come under any circumstances, but as Leolin knew all too well, he did as he pleased. She was worried he'd upset the admittedly delicate prison she created for her sorrow and what he'd done to her, and she worried seeing him would spring the lock and she'd never be able to close it again. That wasn't the state of mind she wanted to be in when she faced Gareth.

Finally she turned away from her reflection, heading to her closet instead. She dressed in a grey cotton jumpsuit that was both comfortable and chic. She donned a floor-length duster on top. At the last minute she stepped into black stilettos. This part didn't make sense, perhaps, given she was inside her own flat, but somehow they empowered her. She put two shimmering diamond studs in her ears before emerging.

"Leolin," Ginny called, and Leolin leaned over the glass partition of the balcony.

Leolin took a deep breath before starting down the stairs, her floor-length jumper fanning behind her.

Blair and Felix had stepped out of the floo into the soft, inviting den.

"What are you two doing here?" Leolin queried, feeling anxious and fretful.

The last thing they needed today was trouble.

"We're here in case Rhydderich does something untoward and we have to rip his arms off," Felix said, his voice protective.

"And where is he?" Leolin said as Ginny brought a tea tray. "You didn't bring him with you?"

Felix sneered his disgust. Even in the face of her anger towards him, he remained one of her fiercest defenders.

"He and Ieuan are on their way," Blair said, folding one arm over the other.

Leolin sat down, crossing her legs.

"I don't need bodyguards, you know," Leolin said, though she was surprised to find that her hands were trembling as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Never said you did," Blair said. "We're just here for moral support."

"I bet," Leolin said dryly.

Blair looked ready to say more, but just then the flames flared green. Leolin's heart leapt to her throat. She hadn't been expecting to be this frightened.

Ieuan emerged first, giving everyone a solemn nod before stepping aside and allowing Gareth to follow him. Ieuan had been right; he looked a pale shade of his former self. The Gareth Leolin remembered had been arrogant and full of life, his blue eyes sparkling and his full lips forever pulled back to show his dazzling white teeth. The man before her was gaunt and browbeaten, dark shadows under his dull eyes and skin pulled a little tighter across the bones of his face. His dark hair was greasy, and his five o'clock shadow made him look even older and more hollow. His lips were white, washing him out completely, and he seemed pale and nervous.

However, she had less than a moment to survey him before Blair was advancing, his fist landing with such malice on Gareth's cheek that he crumpled at once.

"Fuck you," Blair sneered as Ieuan came between them, shoving Blair roughly back.

"Enough, Lefevre," Ieuan demanded. "We don't have time for this."

Leolin watched as Blair continued to snarl.

"He's right, Blair," Leolin said softly, still unable to look at Gareth for more than a few seconds at a time. He inspired such an odd mixture of pity, fear, and loathing that she felt queasy. "That's enough."

Blair pulled Ieuan's hands off his jacket before scowling.

"Alright," Leolin said. "Everyone out. I want to talk in private."

Felix said protectively.

"Absolutely not," he said.

Leolin gave him a cool look.

"I don't remember inviting you here and I _certainly_ don't remember asking for your opinion," she said, making him frown in hurt. "Now, everyone please leave."

"Bug—" Blair began, but she held up a hand.

"I can handle myself. "Please give us some privacy."

Blair acquiesced, pulling a grumbling Felix with him as he grudgingly stepped back. Leolin cast a silencing charm and a privacy spell. Immediately a wall of shimmering light appeared around them, and it looked as if they were inside a waterfall.

When they were alone, Gareth finally looked up, and they met eyes for the first time in seven years. She met his gaze evenly even as her heart thudded painfully in her chest.

"Hello, Gareth."

* * *

Draco had tossed and turned all night, and when he woke he felt no better. Leolin was due to met Gareth in just a few hours, and the idea made him sick to his stomach. He'd insisted he be there, of course, but he'd been denied at once.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes before hanging his head. He was exhausted. His emotional distress had begun to bleed into his physical form, and everything seemed to ache. His first thought was of Leolin, and he ran his hands through his hair, try to bite down the bitter anguish. He couldn't stop picturing the look on her face as he'd apparated away from her. He'd come straight home and torn his room to pieces before drinking himself sick and collapsing onto the ravished bed.

Gen had returned home the next morning to find him lying among feathers and empty bottles, and she'd wordlessly cleaned up the mess. He'd woken to find her sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for him. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she knew what had happened, though for once she didn't look gleeful. She silently offered him a hangover tonic, which he downed in one swallow then set on the nightstand. Afterwards they sat in silence for a bit. Gen seemed too scared to speak, and Draco wasn't sure what to say. He was looking at a lifetime with Gen; he needed to find a way to make it bearable. However, if the face of what he'd lost it seemed impossible. Finally after what seemed like an eternity of silence, he reached over, cupping her cheek and gently kissing her. She didn't force the gesture but she accepted it gladly, melting into his form when he seemed determined not to stop.

He shed her clothes dispassionately, though he kissed her often as they work towards their mutual end. For the first time in a long time he wouldn't let her become Leolin in his mind. This was his penance for leaving the woman he loved most; he wouldn't let himself indulge in the fantasy when he had so callously rejected the reality. Of course, this made things difficult, and Draco had to dig deep to find the feelings he'd once bore Gen. He could tell by the way she was moving that she was deriving little pleasure from the act save being close to him, and in some way that made him feel guilty. Still though, he couldn't seem to find a way to give her more. After an eternity he finished, rolling away from her.

"Draco," she whispered at last.

She curled up against him. He stiffly tried to hold her, but it quickly grew unbearable, and he pulled away.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, standing up.

She nodded, biting back tears as he padded towards the door softly.

They'd coexisted in tense semi-silence in the month that followed, and Draco tried to warm to the idea of spending the rest of his life with her. That was absurd in some way, considering a year ago all he wanted in the world was to marry her. Had Leolin never shown back up, he could have been happy with Gen as his wife. Still, she _had_ returned, and now he was faced with the truth he'd always known; he could never truly love someone else so long as she walked the earth.

Still, some days it was easier to accept his predicament, and he was able to conduct himself with some semblance of normalcy. On those days he and Gen experienced a pale shade of what they'd once shared, and that made things more bearable. He'd even occasionally found a way to be intimate, though those moments were admittedly very rare.

Other days he was so tortured that he couldn't even bear to sleep beside her, and he would wordlessly retreat to the spare bedroom and stay there instead. It hadn't been used since he and Leolin had come to London together, and it stilly smelled faintly of her perfume. Lying with his head buried in her pillow brought him as close to happiness as he was certain he would ever be going forward.

The only thing that kept him from going completely mad was the idea of the baby. Things would be different when the baby was born, he assured himself, and the joy he knew he'd feel would fill the aching void left by Leolin's absence. At least, it would help lessen the acute pain. He would love Leolin fiercely until the day he died, but children would at least be a welcome distraction.

He'd repeated this to himself so many times that it some ways it actually felt true. However, in the last two weeks the lie had begun to wear thin, and he felt the thread unraveling. He couldn't do this, he admitted to himself one morning. He tried to banish the though at once, but once it had taken hold in his mind it grew like a cancer. He simply couldn't live like this. Despite the baby and the coming war and everything, he needed Leolin too much to give up on her. Their loved had endured ten years and thousands of miles and every agonising hardship known to man, but in the end things were still the same; they were still soul-mates, despite the way in which the world sought to tear them apart.

Draco had spent nearly five years convincing himself he didn't love her, but the truth was that there wasn't a thing in the world she could do to make him stop. She was his first love and last love and every love in between, and at this point he would literally rather die than be without her.

He stood, stretching and touching a hand to his chest. This had become a something of a tick, and he found himself reaching for the medallion half a hundred times a day to ensure himself it was still there. Gen had noticed it at once.

"What's the falcon to you?" she'd asked gently one morning, touching it reverently as well.

It pained him. It felt wrong that she should lay hands on it.

"First the tattoo and now this," she said. "What do they mean?"

"The falcon is my patronus," he'd said simply.

"Where did you get the medallion?"

He looked at her dolefully and she retracted her hand at once.

"Oh," she breathed softly. "I see."

She'd never asked again, but he watched her eyes often flicked to it, as if longing for some way that she could wish it off his neck.

Draco cracked his back before stepping into fitted briefs. He'd slept the last three nights in the guest bedroom; he just couldn't handle sleeping in next to Gen anymore. He made the tousled bed with a flick of his hand before padding into the bathroom to brush his teeth and push pomade into his hair. He put on his glasses, which hid his tired eyes. When he emerged Gen was standing in the doorway dressed in a silk nighty and a soft cotton robe.

"I brought you a cup of coffee," she said in a quiet voice, extending it to him.

"Thank you," he said softly, coming over and accepting it.

She reached a tentative hand to stroke his cheek as he took a sip. His eyebrows furrowed at the gesture.

"How did you sleep?" she asked.

He shrugged out of her touch softly, and she dropped her hand at once.

"I'm not sleeping much these days," he admitted.

"I don't think any of us are," she replied. "Is that why you didn't come to bed last night?"

He clenched his jaw but didn't confirm. Finally he simply said, "I was restless and I didn't want to wake you with my tossing and turning."

She nodded even though they both knew it was a lie.

"It's alright," she affirmed. "You can come in with me tonight," she affirmed.

He nodded tightly, but otherwise said nothing. They were silent for a moment before she leaned up to kiss him. He froze, feeling a swelling guilt bubble up, but she didn't relent. Immediately she threaded her hands into his hair, trying to pull closer. He used his free hand to gently pull her away by the wrist.

"I'm going to get in the shower," he said softly, setting down his coffee cup. "We have a lot of things to do before the party at the embassy tonight."

She nodded her agreement.

"Do you want company?" she asked hopefully.

He avoided the question by pecking her again. He could already tell that today would be a bitter struggle, especially considering that he'd be seeing Leolin for the first time.

"Maybe Next time," he lied, and she nodded, bowing her head.

"Of course," she said tightly.

He turned towards the door and retreated away from her.

"Draco," she called in a soft, meek voice. "I love you."

His eyebrows synched together in pain.

"I—" he stammered, trying to stomach the pain in her eyes. "I know," he finished.

She looked anguished so he turned away, heading to the shower instead. Once inside he tipped his head back against the tiles, groaning in pain.

He couldn't do this. He simply couldn't do this for even one more day. He felt a latent sense of guilt for his inability to honor his commitment to Gen and the child, but he couldn't live like this anymore. Even despite the impossible position Gen had put him in with the pregnancy and the baby, he couldn't force himself to accept his current situation. He knew there was a good chance she'd bolt when he violated their contact and left her for good, but even that wasn't enough to force him to stay anymore. She couldn't hide from him forever, and in the end he'd get his child back. He would even let her remain to help him raise it, but he wouldn't allow her to do it without him.

A hideous thought occurred to him. What if she aborted the baby as recompense for his leaving? What would he do then? Draco took a deep, shuttering breath. He knew it wouldn't come to that. Despite what everyone thought of Gen, he knew her best. She'd been badly wounded by her own mother, and like Draco she also yearned for a child of her own to right her mother's wrongs. Draco was her Leolin, he knew that, but if truly faced with losing his love, she wouldn't give up what she so desperately desired out of spite. Gen was spiteful—bitterly so, in fact—but she wasn't inherently cruel.

Still, the thought gave him pause. Perhaps he ought to stay the course. It was, in terms of the baby, the safest route. He would be able to hold them the minute they were born, look into their eyes for the first time and assure them he loved them. That was so immensely powerful, he felt momentarily overwhelmed. Was he truly ready to sacrifice that moment? He was confident that he would find Gen eventually were she to flee, but it admittedly could be years. The child could be old enough to have formed their familial attachments, and he could forever be on the outside. If Gen had a five-year head start on him, she would always have the greatest influence. The prospect was admittedly difficult. He could be a stranger to his own child.

The war raged as the water pummeled him. The woman he loved or the child he'd yet to meet. One moment he was struck with a blinding clarity and Leolin was the only choice. The next he was imagining the soft weight of a child in his arms, and the ache was so acute he felt unsteady on his feet.

By the time he stepped out he was still unsolved. Some part of him registered that night was monumental for their campaign to stop his father, and he tried to focus on that. However, it was hard. Finally he managed to get his feelings somewhat under control, and he got dressed and sat down at his desk, owling Blaise and the others and devising their plan for the evening. Even the embassy's wards were wearing thin, and they had to be sure they didn't burst while they were inside. If they did, they'd all be sitting ducks. For a moment Draco imagined Adrian's slimy hands all over Leolin, and he clenched his teeth.

Perhaps he should keep Gen from going; he didn't want her in unnecessary danger. He only wished he could convince Leolin to do the same, even knowing that was impossible. She always wanted to be where the fighting was hottest, and even though it made him fretful to see her in danger, he admitted that she was needed on the front line. That was, perhaps, one of the things he loved most about her; she was clever and resourceful and utterly without fear. Or rather, she was full of it, but she never allowed it to consume her.

He stood.

He needed to clear his head. Heading for the closet, he dressed in tracksuit bottoms and a zip-up, stepping into all-black trainers before emerging.

"Gen?" he called, jogging down the stairs. "I'm going for a run. I'll be back later."

Gen was standing in the kitchen as he entered, still dressed in her pajamas.

"Is that really safe?" she asked softly. "Adrian and the others are still out there looking for us."

"I know," he agreed. "But I'll be careful."

Her slender arms softly encircled his waist as she tipped her head back. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back. It was clear what she wanted, and he warred over whether he could really give it to her. He looked down at her candidly. She really was exquisite. Her eyes were deep pools of brown so dark they were practically obsidian, and they were framed by long, sooty lashes. He imagined a son or daughter with eyes as dark. Some part of him longed to love her simply to make things less painful. However, if he couldn't love her in this perfect state, he never could.

That didn't keep him from brushing a tentative hand down her cheek. She pushed forward to press her lips to his, though his response was feeble at best.

"I love you," she repeated. "Come back to me in one piece."

He nodded stiffly.

"I will."

He headed out, not knowing quite where he was going. However, he feet seemed to carry him to where he needed to be. Forty-five minutes later he found himself standing outside Ariadne's door and knocking.

"Draco," she said in surprise at seeing him. "What are you doing here?"

"Can I talk to you?" he said. "It's urgent."

"Of course," she said, extending a hand and ushering him in. "Come in."

* * *

When Draco had left for his run, Gen slumped onto the couch and began to sob. In eight weeks since he'd severed ties with Leolin, she had watched him valiantly struggle to love her again instead. However, in the end he couldn't seem to manage it. These days he slept in the guest room more than he slept in their own bed, and it was agony to watch him wilt away. It was only the baby that bound him to her, and even if it had been real, it had started to feel it wouldn't be enough to win him back.

Of course, that was only one half of her troubles. The other half was of course that there _was_ no baby. Merlin, what was she going to do? She'd put herself in such a desperate position, and some small part of her simply wanted to give up. Clearly she was never really going to be enough for him. Still, she just couldn't let go. Even though Leolin was clearly the Draco's love of his life, he still remained the true love of Gen's.

Draco had seen who she really was at once, and he cared for her and loved her in a way no one else had before. She'd been adored by many men before him, including Ashley and Max and Beau, but Draco had been the only one to reach in and touch her soul. Perhaps she should have known from the moment Leolin's descended those stairs in that red dress that her and Draco's love was destined to end, but she still yearned to know what might have been had Leolin never returned. She and Draco could have been truly happy together. She knew that, and so did he. Still, she couldn't fight fate, which was hell-bent on uniting the two of them.

Gen knew she was making Draco monstrously unhappy by shackling him to her, but she simply could bear the thought of him abandoning her after everything they'd been through together. Gen had been a balm for the aching wound Leolin had caused, and Draco had offered her the love she should have received from her mother and father.

To lose this love would be to never love again. To lose this love was to accept that she would never obtain the sort of love that Draco bestowed on Leolin; the sort father had borne for her mother; the sort mother afforded her stepfather.

But what could she do? If there was a remedy to any of this, she couldn't see it. Where could she turn? To Max, certainly, or to Ashley, but this was admittedly beyond either of their control. Max would urge her to walk away and start again, and Ashley would make another greedy play for her hand in marriage. She didn't want advice, though; she wanted a solution. As impossible as she knew it was, she wanted someone to offer her a way to win Draco back. The problem was that no one had that power.

Unless…

No, she thought at once. As desperate as she was, she knew she couldn't go there. It would be a monstrous betrayal's of Draco's trust, even worse than the false pregnancy, and it seemed almost more terrible than losing Draco. Besides, one could never get something for nothing; there would be a terrible price for what she wanted.

Of course, she hadn't agreed to anything yet. She ought to just go. If the price was too steep, she'd simply walk away. Besides, she'd been watching Leolin closely for months. Gen had a dark suspicion Leolin was on some sort of leash, and that she was more tangled up in this that she'd even admit to Draco. That meant she was likely in a position of compromise, and for the right price, her fate could be leveraged in Gen's favour.

Gen rose, her resolve growing. What else could she do? This was her _only_ hope at salvaging what little was left of her and Draco's relationship. She ascended the stairs numbly, bathing quickly and dressing. She rarely wore black, but eventually she found a dark sheath dress and put it on. She hoped she looked serious; she wanted to prove she meant business. Grabbing her purse, she scrawled a quick note to Draco saying she'd gone out and would be back in time for the party. She doubted he would wonder where she'd gone anyhow, but it was nice to pretend.

She considered her destination. It had been a while, years really, since she'd been there, but she thought she might still know the way, and she was right. She chewed her lip, staring at the glossy varnish of the front door of a handsome flat. She raised her fist to knock before lowering it, at violent war with herself. If she did this, she could never undo it. Still, when she remembered the sparkle in Draco's eyes as he fell to one knee and asked her to marry him, her mind was firmly made up, and wrapped on the door so smartly her knuckles stung. There was no immediate answer, and every second of silence knawed at her resolve._ Merlin_, what was she doing? She was many things, but she was not this. She could't sink this low, even for Draco. Besides, she still had the pregnancy trick up her sleeve, and she needed to trust it was enough. Hurriedly she backed down the stairs. However, before she could apparate away, the lock clicked and the door swung in.

"Genevieve," Adrian purred coolly, his mesmerising gold eyes studying her disapassionately. "What a surprise. It's been an age."

"I—" she stammered stupidly.

He crossed one lithe arm over the other.

"What can I do for you?"

She bit her lip.

"I—may I come in?"

He didn't replied, scrutinising her instead. However, after several seconds he swung the door in to admit her. She meekly scuttled across the threshold, and he glanced around the quiet street before swinging the door shut.

The minute they were alone, her roughly grabbed her wrist.

"First things first," he sneered. "Does anyone know you're here?"

"No," she squeaked. "And no one can."

He gave a crooked smile.

"Good answer."

He drew his wand and flourished it, and a painful shock zipped up her arm.

"Ouch!" she cried, cradling her arm to her chest. "Why did you do that?"

"Whatever it is you want from me," he replied coolly. "Stays between us."

"It will," she said. "You have my word."

"Sod that," he said. "You just gave me something better."

"Whatever charm he'd used pulsed blue in her vein. She nodded fearfully and he laughed.

"Right," he said, turning his back to her. "As eager as I am to watch you betray your friends for something undoubtedly petty, I need a shower. Stay down here, don't make any noise, and don't touch anything. I'll be back in a bit."

She nodded, and he rolled his eyes at her schoolgirl-esque compliance. He turned, tugging his t-shirt over his head and revealing the elegant mosaic of lean muscles in his back. When he was halfway up the stairs, she made a decision.

"Adrian?" she called. He turned, visibly annoyed.

"What?" he snapped coolly.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "About your brother. I really am."

He considered this, and his expressive was eerily calm. She couldn't say quite why, but his impassivity was chilling.

"Keep your pathetic apology," he said imperiously. "I have no interest in your sympathy, and I can assure you that I've only begun to make your friends suffer for what they've done."

She said nothing, and he raised his eyebrows, gold irises glinting. Seared by his gaze, she turned away, and he continued up the stairs and out of sight.

At first she tried to do as she was told and stay put, but she was harbouring too much nervous energy, and finally she stood, cautiously ambulating through the luxuriously appointed den. It's décor was as predictably boastful and haughty as its designer, though even she had to admit he had good taste. She eyed the warm leather couches, the expensive art of the walls, and the three elegant bookcases, the spines of their various books perfectly neat. It did surprise her, however, when she approached the mantle of the sleek fireplace to find three picture frames. She threw a cautious glance towards the staircase and approached.

The first, she surmised, was the Slytherin quidditch team, though she noted at once Draco wasn't in the picture. It must have been taken after he'd been banned. She'd never gotten a full run-down of the whole incident—Draco had never been eager to talk about it and neither had Ginny or Blaise—but he'd always insisted it had been well worth the punishment.

In the photo Leolin stood annoyingly at centre, holding a gleaming trophy aloft and beaming. She was tucked under Blaise's arm, and they grinned at each other often. To Leolin's left was, surprisingly, Adrian. What was even more surprising was the lack of animosity between then. Leolin always insisted they'd never gotten on, even in school, but in the picture they seemed rather friendly. Occasionally Leolin would look away from Blaise to tussle with Adrian, though they were smiling at each other. The warmth between them, however tepid, was admittedly unsettling.

Next to the team photo was a picture of Adrian's family. His parents looked surprisingly normal, and Gen could see at once that Adrian had inherited his striking good looks from his mother. She was regal and blithe, smiling at the camera with her hands resting on ten-year-old Adrian's shoulder. Her husband stood next to her, looking pleasant as well. Four-year-old Tommy was perched happily on his hip. Gen watched Adrian's mother smooth his tawny hair back affectionately, her wedding ring sparkling as she did so. His parents seemed so normal. Had Adrian really inherited his cruelty from them, or was he just the rotten fruit on an otherwise healthy tree?

It was the last frame that truly surprised Gen, and against her better judgment, she picked it up for a better look. The photo had been taken of Adrian and Isobel's wedding day, and they both looked incredible. Gen remembered being extremely jealous of Isobel's dress. It was covered in thousands of crystals, and it sparkled magnifiscently in the sun. Isobel was beaming up at Adrian, and his pearly teeth glinted as he returned the gesture. He was wearing a smart gray tux and tails. Gen noticed Tate Rawle and Graham Montague standing behind the happy couple in similar entire, smirking at their friend's good fortune at having married such a beautiful woman. Adrian wrapped a hand around the back of Isobel's neck and bent for an outrageously sexy kiss. Everyone around them reacted with cheers and wolf whistles Gen could still hear. It was strange to think how badly things had ended between them; in the photo, their love looked eternal.

As she went to set the frame back down, she realised there was something on the back, she flipped it over to look. The back of the photo was still visible, and there was a note written in what was clearly Isobel's calligraphic script.

_To My Darling Husband,_

_So you can remember how sinfully beautiful I was_

_when I'm gray and wrinkled._

_All My Love,_

_Your Isobel_

The note had been partially obscured by a sinister crimson stain that seemed to have originated from a small item affixed above the note. It was the ring Isobel had been wearing the last time Gen had seen her. Around it was wrapped a silvery sinew that Gen recognised as a unicorn hair wand core. There could be little doubt whose wand it had belonged to.

She set the frame down at once, feeling sick to her stomach. The picture wasn't a memento, she realised; it was a trophy.

She heard Adrian on the stairs now, and she hurriedly sank back onto the couch, fiddling with her own engagement ring. Adrian finally appeared, shirtless and in dark jeans as he dried his thick hair with a towel. He eyed her with contemptuous amusement as she approached.

"Have you just been sitting here this whole time?" he asked mirthfully.

"You said not to touch anything," she replied in a meek voice, trying to forget what she'd seen.

"Merlin," he said. "It no wonder why Malfoy wants to get rid of you; you've painfully boring."

The barb stung, and she fought not to bow her head. She yearned to dish back the sort of sharp retort Leolin would have likely given, but that type of vitriol wasn't her style, and she remained silent. He gave another small chuckle before grabbing a crisp white oxford and shrugging gracefully into it and beginning on the buttons.

She watched his long fingers deftly work. He was and always had been, she suspected, somewhat slender, but she realized at seeing his naked chest that he was bigger and stronger that she'd ever cared to realise. His chest and stomach were toned and well muscled, and she could see his biceps flexing as he worked. He had a swirling tattoo that covered his right shoulder and swept onto his chest. Finally he looked up to find her watching him.

"Didn't your mother teach you it's impolite to stare?" he asked smugly, clearly reveling in the attention.

"I wasn't—" she stammered. "I don't even think you're—"

"What?" he finished. "Handsome? Don't be coy, Beauchene. We both know I am."

She flushed and wrapped her arms protectively around herself, and he gave her a cruel smile.

"No need for that," he said, sounding latently and ironically annoyed at her vanity, particularly considering his own. "You're not my type. I don't like blondes, and I prefer a woman with curves. I suppose you could say Draco and I have that in common."

He flashed her a dazzling smile and she clenched her jaw, making him laugh.

"Would you like a drink before we start? Something tells me you're going to need one."

"Gin martini," she said as he padded to the bar on the far wall. "Thank you."

He nodded and began fixing it for her. He then poured himself an expensive Kentucky bourbon, eased the martini into her grip, and settled onto the couch, kicking his Spanish leather boots onto the glass coffee table in front of him.

"Now," he said, taking a sip and watching her do the same. "What can I do for you?"

She considered her answer carefully.

"I need your help."

"I see," he said, taking another casual sip. "I don't suppose I have to ask with what."

"No," she admitted. "I suppose you don't."

"I'm surprised it's taken you this long, to be perfectly honest. "When Leolin showed up to the gala in that red dress, I expected you to be in my hotel room waiting for me."

"I figured you were busy," she said flippantly, taking a heady sip to loosen the knot in her throat.

"So I was. But now you have my rapt attention. What exactly is it you want?"

"I need to get rid of Leolin."

He smirked and took a sip.

"And what do you expect me to do about that?"

She blinked back her surprise.

"You—" she stammered. "She—"

"Eventually yes," he agreed. "But unfortunately for you, that's not on my immediate agenda."

"Why not?

He shrugged.

"Maybe I'm too busy at the moment. Maybe I have plans for her in the meantime. Maybe I want to wait for her to win Draco back before I make her my creature." He shrugged again as if the matter meant very little to him. "Either way, I can't see how it's any of your business."

"It is my business," she said resolutely. "You know it is."

"Perhaps," he agreed. "But I have to wonder if you're really ready to accept my help."

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't bother you?" he goaded. "If I do this for you, you'll be selling her soul to me. Sure you can do that to her? To Draco?"

"Y'all's history doesn't involve me," she said, trying not to absorb his cruel chatter. "Whatever's between you is your business."

He gave a smooth laugh, eyes and teeth flashing menacingly.

"That's cold, Genevieve," he mocked. "Even by my standards."

She looked down at her trembling hands, and he kicked his feet off the table, leaning towards her until she forearms were resting on his knees. He was close enough that she could smell his cologne, and it was cool and sharp.

"I want to make something inescapably clear," he announced. "After I win Draco back for you, I'm going to rip Leolin's life in two, and you're going to help me do it. I won't do all your dirty work for you. If you really want this, you're going to have to come claim it yourself."

She was silent.

"Understood?"

She nodded mutely. She was shaking like a dead leaf.

"Still think you want my help?"

She couldn't speak. Did she?"

"Going once," he warned.

The sick gleam in his eyes gave her serious pause. She wasn't sure if she could really do this, even for Draco.

"Going twice."

However, when she considered an eternity without him, she felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Going three times. Last chance, Genevieve. Do you want Draco back or not?"

"Yes," she croaked at last.

"I'm sorry," he crowed arrogantly, leaning farther in and putting a hand to his ear. "I didn't quite catch that."

"Yes," she bit out louder. "Please help me."

He laughed, eyes sparkling like sleek bars of gold.

"I love women," he said in condescension. "They'd give up anything to be loved."

He stood and affixed his Captain's badge to his belt and slide his wand into the holster at his right hip.

"Where are you going?" she asked fretfully.

"I can't give you what you want. I'm taking you to the one person who can."

"Lucius?" she croaked. "No, I—I can't."

He shrugged.

"Fine," he said calmly. "But in that case, you ought to start shopping around for a date to Leolin's wedding. I would take you myself, but I admit I find you horrendously boring."

Tears were welling in her eyes now. If she went to Draco's father, she would be betraying the very core of who he was. Besides, there was no telling what he would want in exchange. Leolin was Adrian's prize, and Lucius price was likely to be much more dear."

Adrian watched her battle with annoyance.

"Is that all then?" he snapped, growing impatience. "Get out."

She didn't move, lip trembling now.

"Are you fucking deaf?" he snarled. "Get out of my sight before I slap that sorry look off your face. Ask Leolin how hard I hit."

"Fine," she cried, rising to her feet. "I'll go."

"Hurry up, then," he sneered, shrugging into a handsomely-tailored camel coat. "The minister doesn't like to be kept waiting."

She nodded, and he grabbed her by the arm, throwing a handful of powder in the floo with his free hand before all but pushing her into the green flames.

"See you at the ministry," he sneered.

He arrived a second after she did, grabbing her firmly by the elbow again and tugging her at such a clip and she had to jog a little to catch up.

"Slow down," she demanded. "I can barely keep up."

"Sounds like that's a you problem," he said with derision.

She never realized how frightening Adrian was, probably because she hardly even had an occasion to interact with him. He was scaring her. He punched the button on the lift and she stepped in, eying the wand at his hip.

Finally they reached the top floor and Gen followed Adrian. He arrived in front of a pair of French doors.

"Wait here," he snapped, and she nodded, heart hammering.

He disappeared before reappearing a moment later.

"He's ready for you."

She didn't move. Despite the fact that Gen was marrying his son, she'd only met Lucius a handful of times.

"Go on, Genevieve," Adrian sneered, giving her a hateful look to convey how tedious he found her. "It's too late to back out now."

She finally did as she was told and stepped through. Lucius Malfoy was sitting behind his desk. He looked more worn that she'd even seen him. It was no wonder they hadn't seen him in months. He looked almost ill. Still, even drawn and pale he was handsome, and she never failed to be struck by how much he resembled Draco.

"Geneviève," he said in the French pronunciation. "Please, sit."

* * *

"Coffee?" Leolin said, gesturing to the china on the tray.

"No, thank you," Gareth said.

Leolin ignored him, picking up the pot and pouring him a cup before handing it to him. She hoped he couldn't see her hands as they continued to quake.

"You look like you could use it."

This time he accepted.

"Thank you," he repeated, taking a sip.

Finally he looked up at her.

"Leolin, I want you to know that I didn't come here to ask your forgiveness," he said candidly.

It seemed as if Azkaban had sapped some of the Welsh lilt from his tone, and his voice was colourless and hollow.

"Good," Leolin said breathlessly, eyes dancing across his worn-out face. "Because you can't have it."

"You should know that I am sorry, though," he said. "I can begin to tell you how much."

"Because you spent four years rotting in prison for what you did? I think anyone would be sorry under those circumstances."

"No," he said in a strained voice. "Because in prison all I had was time to think, and I thought about you a lot. I was young and arrogant; I really had convinced myself I wasn't guilty of any real crime. It was only after about a year and a half in that I began to see myself the way you must see me. I guarantee you couldn't possibly hate me half as much as I hate myself."

Her brow creased and she looked away. His plea had resonated somewhere deep inside of her. She remembered what he father had once told her about forgiveness.

"_Leolin, forgiveness is the greatest human capacity insofar as it attempts the impossible: to undo what has been done and succeed in making a new beginning when everything seemed to have come to an end."_

She nodded stiffly, finally meeting his eye. Tears were shining in hers.

"Then make it up to me by proving me I can trust you."

He nodded, too.

"I mean to," he agreed.

There was a long silence where she considered him.

"Isobel Lorde told us what happened with Merys and Tommy Pucey," she admitted. "I'm sorry."

He bowed his head, voice choked with tears.

"The healers were only able to reverse some of the damage, and she's been struggling ever since. She's started talking to herself, and she'll burst into these fits about what happened. Gods, it's so agonising. I think—maybe this is my punishment for what I did to you. If my dad wasn't dead and Merys didn't need me so much, I would have killed myself forever ago."

Leolin thought of all the cruel things she'd seen Adrian and the others do and she bowed her head.

"He's dead, you know," she said at last. "Tommy Pucey. We got jammed up during a mission a few months ago, and one of our spies ended up slitting his throat. I know that doesn't change what happened to her, but at least you know his karma caught up to him."

"I'm glad," he bit out. "I hope he's burning in bloody hell."

"He is," she assured him. "I know he is."

Gareth nodded.

"Thank you," he agreed, and when she looked into his bright green eyes again, a jolt of fear touched her, and she scooted away.

Even as a wraith he was a powerful man, and she knew what happened when you got to closer to a viper; they would strike.

"I feel terrible for Merys," Leolin said. "But doesn't mean I can use your skills or that I trust you."

He nodded.

"I've been working on protective charms since I got out," he said. "Since Merys got hurt. I suspect you have a number of curse breakers, but you need defense as well as offense. There are fewer and fewer places to hide these days; at some point you're going to run out of them and Pucey will be on you. There's chatter all over; I started hearing it in Azkaban and it seems like I hear more talk of it every day. He's desperate to bring you and Malfoy down. Especially you."

She bit her lip.

"That's old news, I'm afraid."

"Doesn't make it any less true," Gareth affirmed. "Please, you _need_ my help."

Leolin considered.

"It's been a long time Gareth, but I haven't forgotten how it felt."

He hung his head.

"I wish I could take that back," he said, and she knew he was telling the truth. "But I can't. Please, you'll never have to see me; I'll stay out of your way. I know whatever I do can never be enough, but I want to atone in any way I can. Please, for Merys."

"Make an unbreakable vow," Leolin said resolutely, standing.

"What?" Gareth said, as the wall of water faded down around them.

Blair, Ginny, and Felix stood protectively at the edge, and Harry and Blaise had joined them.

Leolin extended her arm.

"Make an unbreakable vow to never betray me and I'll accept your penance."

Gareth stood, grabbing her arm at the wrist. It was a bit hard to stomach his touch, but she admitted the ache was dull at best.

"Ren?" Leolin said expectantly.

Felix should and drew his wand with a quick, menacing swish. After a moment a bright light shot out, making a figure eight around their locked wrists.

"Will you, Gareth Rhydderich, swear not to speak of a word of anything you hear from Leolin or any other order member?"

"I will."

"And do you swear to do as you've promised and strengthen our protective defenses, particularly where Leolin is considered?"

"I swear," Gareth intoned.

"And should Leolin fall into peril, do you swear you will protect her to the best of your ability?"

"Yes," Gareth said, eyes dancing across the bridge of her nose. "I swear."

"Then the vow is made," Felix said with finality. "Join us or perish, Rhydderich."

Gareth gave Leolin a final pained look.

"I'm with you until the bitter end," he promised. "I solemnly swear."

* * *

"Should I put the kettle on?" Ariadne asked, ushering Draco in.

He gave a feeble laugh.

"You know I'm not much for tea," he said, and she smiled.

"There's ice in the bucket on the bar, then," she offered. "Help yourself."

Draco nodded, dropping two cubes into his glass before dousing them with vodka. He took a hearty sip before refilling and sinking onto the couch. He rested his elbows on his knees as he drove his hands into his hair, and Ariadne sank down beside him, touching his back soothingly.

"I'm sorry," he bit out at once. "I know it isn't really fair for me to be here. It's just—my mum is still in Greece and I didn't know where else to go."

Ariadne considered.

"I suppose that I don't need to ask what this is about," she said gently.

"Certainly not," Draco said in a soft voice.

"Talk to me," Ariadne said.

"I've been such a prideful idiot," Draco choked, his throat tight. "If I'd just been honest with myself we wouldn't be in this position."

Ariadne took a deep breath that stood in lieu of a verbal confirmation.

"What was I thinking?" Draco demanded. "I've always known what Leolin means to me."

"That's in the past, Draco," Ariadne reminded him. "You can't change what's already been done."

"What am I going to do?" he asked in misery. "I can't live this way. I'm—I'm not myself without her. I just—"

Draco's shoulders rounded forward and he buried a groan in his hands.

"But you're worried about the baby," Ariadne surmised.

Draco sat up a bit.

"Gen and I signed a contract," he admitted. "If I break it, she'll run off and I'll never see her again. I'm not sure I could live with myself for losing the baby, even if I had Leolin by my side."

He looked up at her.

"Tell me what I should do."

She bowed her head.

"You've been put in an extraordinarily difficult spot, I know," Ariadne said sorrowfully at last. "But in the end no one can tell you what to do. You have to make that decision for yourself, and after you've made it you have to live with it. I know that's not really advice, but it's the best I have." She touched his cheek. "I'm sorry."

He held her hand there a moment.

"I'm sorry, Ariadne," he said in anguish. "It's my fault we're in this mess."

Ariadne shook her head.

"I don't blame you," she affirmed, pained. "I know how hard this has been for you."

"I don't want you to hate me," he said. "You and Adrian are family to me."

Ariadne's eyebrows synched together in agony.

"We always will be," she said.

"You have to know how much I love her," Draco said. "Please."

"I do," she agreed. "I know she feels the same."

Draco bowed his head again.

"If you had been forced to choose between keeping Leolin as a baby and the love of your life, what would you have done?" he said softly.

"I'm afraid Leolin is the love of my life," Ariadne admitted. "So honestly I can't say what I would do were I in your position."

"I want to choose her," Draco begged. "I love her so much sometimes I wonder if the baby even matters. It's just—"

Ariadne nodded.

"I know. You want to do what's right."

Draco hung his head.

"I know everyone's thinking I should just marry Leolin and raise the baby with Gen, but it's not that simple. The minute Gen gets even a whiff of this she'll be gone, and if there wasn't a war coming that wouldn't worry me; there's would be nowhere that she could hide that I wouldn't eventually find her. But when the Deatheaters tear Europe open, there will be a million cracks for her to slip into and I'll never be able to find her again. Even if I were to go home and lock her up right now, I'd have no way to keep an eye on her when the conflict starts. Besides, what right do I have to lock her up like a prisoner?"

"I don't know," Ariadne said.

"Ari please," Draco begged, closing his eyes as she soothingly touched his cheek with a cool palm. "What should I do?"

"What can I say?" Ariadne admitted at last. "Leolin is my daughter, Draco; all I want in this world is her happiness. I would be lying to you if I didn't admit I want to see you choose her, consequences be damned. But I can also understand your dilemma. Ironically so, in fact. The love a parent bestows on a child is transcendent. If someone had tried to take Leolin from me even for a tiny second, I would have given up everything I had to keep her. In the end, I can't tell you what to do. It will pain me to see you walk away from Leolin, but I won't stop you if that's what you decide to do."

Draco nodded, standing.

"I should—I need to go. I have to—"

"I know," Ariadne said softly. "I understand."

"Will we see you tonight?"

Ariadne shook her head.

"An envoy from the French Minister managed to get into London tonight. We're going to see him to find out what, if anything, the French are prepared to do."

Draco nodded.

"I will see you soon, then."

"Yes," Ariadne agreed. "Soon."

Draco bent to brush a kiss on her cheek as she smoothed his tracksuit jacket.

"Watch your back tonight," Ariadne said. "Promise me."

He nodded tightly before looking her in the eye.

"I'll do you one better," he said softly. "I promise to watch Leolin's."

* * *

Genevieve squirmed as Lucius's silver eyes swung in wide arcs across her face.

"Genevieve," he said, smiling pleasantly. "How lovely to see you."

She said nothing, already regretting coming here. The fact that Lucius had anticipated her visit made her supremely uneasy.

"Thank you," she said stiffly.

"If you don't mind me saying," Lucius continued. "You are positively glowing. Your new—_situation_ suits you."

She fought to keep her expression neutral and he watched her struggle and smiled.

"You're going to be an excellent mother, Genevieve," he continued.

"Thank—" she began, but he cut her off.

"Or rather, you _would_ have been. Oh dear, what will we do when dear Draco finds out?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she stammered.

She wasn't sure why she was lying about it; she would have to tell him the true if she truly wanted his help.

"Oh come now, darling; don't be naïve. Before I was Minister I was the Lord of Knockturn Alley. Did you really think you could sneak into the apothecary with a secret as big as yours and I wouldn't hear about it?"

"I—" she said, throat tight. "I don't know."

"Of course you didn't," he supplied. "No one could be that arrogant and stupid."

The barb stung and she bit her lip, feeling desperate.

"I admit it's _quite_ the dilemma. I'm afraid Leolin has all but won Draco away from you, baby or no, and when he finds out the truth he will run back to her without a second glance."

She bowed her head and he gave a cool smirk.

"Aren't you going to tell me I'm wrong?"

She was choking back tears now.

"How can I," she said bitterly. "When I know it's true?"

"Good," Lucius said, nodding. "Good girl. Now we can be honest with each other."

"Can you help me?" she asked in a soft voice.

He considered, folding his hands and resting them on his desk.

"Help you with what, exactly? The way I see it, you have more than one serious problem on your plate. Draco's already halfway out the door, and the only thing keeping him is a lie. That contact ploy was clever, I'll admit, but without a baby it's null and void."

"I know," she admitted. "That's why I need help withLeolin," she said after a moment.

"And what exact would you like me to do about her? Kill her?"

"No!" she burst. "I—I don't want her blood on my hands. Besides, that—isn't enough at this point. If she were to die, she would just be Draco's perfect martyr. I would cease to exist for him."

He nodded.

"Fair point. Besides, when he finds out there's no baby, it won't matter if Leolin was never born; Draco would _never _forgive you for lying to him like that."

"I know," she said dolefully. "But I—" she trailed off.

"Yes," he agreed. "One problem at a time."

"Please," she said. "Is there—is there anything you can do about Leolin?"

He smiled.

"As a matter of fact, there might be."

She swallowed.

"I'm listening."

"It just so happening I have some…leverage. A game-changer, if you will."

"Enough to send her away again?" Gen asked softly.

"Enough to turn the tide. When Draco hears what I have, he'll never want to speak to Leolin again. He'll come back to you at once."

"What could you possibly have—"

"Ah, ah, ah," he said in a cool voice. "Don't be greedy, Genevieve."

"And you're sure it will work?"

"Believe me," Lucius said. "Even the armour of their love has a small chink in the chain. It's a weakness they've both forgotten, but I guarantee when it comes to light Draco will never forgive her."

"I can't imagine anything—"

"Have you forgotten already how much Draco hated her when she showed up in England after so many years away?"

"No," she said resolutely. "But he's forgiven her for that, and he doesn't even know why she left."

"Lucky you," he said slyly. "That _would_ be a deal-breaker, I'm afraid. My influence only stretches so far, you understand."

She considered and her heart plummeted like a lead broomstick.

"You," she whispered. "You're the reason she had to leave."

"She never would have left him on her own," he admitted. "She needed a little…_nudge_."

"Draco can never know," she said.

"And he never will. I'm fully aware she's looking for a way to break her silence, but I promise once I let my secret fly the fight will bleed right out of her. This time she'll go on her own and she'll never come back. You have my word on that."

She nodded. She felt a small modicum of hope bobbing in her chest.

"Now," he said slyly. "Let's talk about your other little problem. You could have a miscarriage, I suppose, but that would admittedly push Draco away a little. You could also continue to try with Draco, but the acceptable window for that is closing rapidly. Even with Leolin out of the picture, it would be difficult for the two of you to conceive. He's been taking preventatives since you two's little scare two years ago, and that takes time for that to disappate in the body. You, however, are primed for conception. All those potions to offset your contraceptives will he purged your hormones rather quickly."

"What are you suggesting?" she asked. "I go back to my cousin?"

"If you'd like," he said calmly. "After all, he's blonde like Draco, and things like eye colour can be manipulated. However, bone structure cannot. Given my and Draco's resemblance, I suspect he's expecting to see much of himself in the baby."

She considered in puzzlement as he raised his eyebrows.

"What you really need, my angel, is a Malfoy heir."

"No," she said at once. "You? I could never. You—I couldn't bear to let you touch me."

"Am I so ugly?" he smiled, teeth dazzling. Even half dead he was alluring.

"I—"

"I assure you this is a business arrangement," he said dispassionately. "I have no desire to take you as a mistress."

"Still," she said, trying to ignore all the ways in which it could make sense. "I could never betray Draco like that."

"Don't be so parochial," he snapped. "You've _already_ betrayed him. When you rip Leolin from his arms, you'll betray him again! Besides, if your eldest child doesn't resemble the others, Draco will start asking questions. I can't allow that."

She looked at him again, at his glittering silver eyes, his long nose and strong jaw and perfect lips. If she were to drink several glasses of wine, he would be Draco.

"Is this part of your price?" she asked softly.

"Yes," he said bluntly. "And if it fails then I'll help you fake to near full-term and miscarry. Leolin will be six months in the past by then, and Draco will be grief-stricken and need your comfort."

She bowed her head.

"Fine," she said. "I have no choice. I'll do it."

He smiled at having gotten his way.

"Don't look so glum," Lucius said in a smooth, rich voice. "I'm an excellent lover. If you don't believe me, you can ask Leolin."

She nodded tightly, choking back tears before standing.

"Ah, ah, ah," Lucius said. "We haven't talked about payment. You can't have something for nothing, you know."

"What could I possibly offer you that you don't already have?"

His eyes glittered and she wrapped her arms protectively around herself. He shook his head in annoyance.

"I don't want anything so common as sex," he sneered. "I'll ride you once and that will be pleasure enough. Besides, your possess something far more valuable than your beauty, formidable though it may be. Three years ago Adrian found a spy in my administration. An accountant named Alannis Kemp from Virginia. We rarely hire Americans, of course, but she came so highly recommended. Naturally, though, we had to kill her when we found out, but we did manage to find out before she died that she was part of a larger organization. I sent Adrian stateside at once, but progress was slow. Still, at some point he started gaining ground. He followed a Gage Martin back to the States. Imagine our surprise when he met with your good friend Beau Tanner!"

Gen's mouth was bone-dry.

"I—"

He held up a hand and continued.

"The problem was that when we bled Martin dry, he still didn't give up any secrets. As if he _couldn't. _That's when we began to suspect that he was under a protective spell. I sent my Spanish metamorphagus assassin after your friend Beau, but he was more cautious than Martin, and we never could lay a hand on him. He was too close to Draco though his association with you, and I couldn't afford to tip Draco off at that time. We realised ages ago that he wasn't involved in the ring, and we didn't want to give him leverage.

So we kept digging. It seemed that there was a kingpin that was just out a sight. And that Beau and perhaps your cousin were involved. Of course, the link between them seemed to be you. The problem was that you didn't seem to move around enough to be controlling anything. That's when Adrian put something rather brilliant together. The kingpin would also need a secret keeper to protect his identity, and he'd want someone outside of the hierarchy. It kept him safe and his agents along with him. Still, he'd need an outsider he could trust, someone unassuming but loyal. Someone like you, Genevieve."

She shook her head.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" she cried. "Please, you've got it all wrong!"

"I'm going to let you in on a little secret," he spit. "I am _miles_ ahead of your new Order. My victory is already assured. If you don't give me what I want, you'll lose Draco and I'll _still_ burn your world to the ground. I will bring down this house of cards, I promise you that, and you'll have _nothing_."

"No," she said. "Even despite that I could never—"

With a flick of his wrist two silvery figures appeared in the room.

"I love you," Draco's wraith begged, his misty form kneeling at Leolin's feet. "With everything I am."

She stroked his hair as he continued.

"How could have I ever been so stupid to think I could love again in your absence?"

"Please," she begged. "You don't have to lie to me. I know you loved Gen once."

He shook his head violently.

"You confuse her feelings with mine. I may be the love of her life, but you are the love of mine. I could never love her as long as I have you. You're my sun and stars."

But the time the apparitions faded, Gen was in tears.

"Give me what I want or lose the one love you'll ever have," Lucius pressed.

"I can't!"

"Give me the kingpin and I'll give you you're happy ending."

"There are hundreds of lives at risk!"

"Give me a name now and I promise to give the kingpin a quick, painless death. Fail to tell me and I flay the skin from his bones."

"He trusted me!"

"Last chance, Genevieve," he warned."It's now or never. Give me what I want before I change my mind and give Leolin and Draco the life together they're both so desperate for!"

Gen bit her lip. She thought of her mother, her father, the look in Draco's eyes as he dropped to one knee and asked her to be his wife.

"No, wait!" Gen said, heaving from the tears.

She was still a moment as her eyes fluttered closed and several fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I'll tell you."

He gave a sickening smile.

"You have my rapt attention."

"Max," she said at last. "It's Max Brankovitch. He's the one you're looking for. He's the one controlling the operation. Beau and the others are just his agents."

The minute she said his name a cold wind encircled her. She prayed he'd felt it too and knew to run.

Lucius laughed.

"Draco is as good as yours," Lucius promised, triumph gleaming in his eyes. "Now let's remedy your other little problem, shall we?"

He rose, shedding his coat and slithering around the desk. She flinched as he slid up behind her. A sob bubbled up and she didn't stop it. He reached around to grab a fistful of her skirt and pull it up. He pushed a hand into her knickers and she squeezed her eyes shut. She imagined watching Draco hold the baby in his arms.

"Relax," Lucius commanded softly but imperiously. "It makes my job easier."

His fingers were skilled, and she felt a small tingle. However, it was quickly swallowed by her swelling disgust.

"Bend over," he said when satisfied she was wet.

She didn't move.

He pushed her roughly down onto the shined mahogany.

"I said bend over," he demanded, pulling her skirt up again. "And try not to cry too loudly. It's terribly tedious."

* * *

A/N: Things are unraveling fast now! How do you feel about Gen now? What about Adrian? Lucius's leverage? What is Draco going to do? Is Max safe? Can Gareth be trusted? His and Gen's pictures had been added to the image bank. As always, **REVIEW! **The more feedback the faster I write!


	32. Chapter 31: Calm Before the Storm

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Calm Before the Storm**

"Turning and turning in the widening gyre…"

_Draco sat at the bar, swirling his tumbler of whiskey and listening to the chilled stones inside rattle against the crystal. It was barely five in the afternoon, and he and Jaime Quinn—who was behind the bar—were currently the only two people in The Em. _

"_I thought I might find you here."_

_Draco looked up as Blaise strode in and carefully shrugged out of his trench coat, indicating for a vodka. Jaime doused Draco's whiskey stones with a second drink and he nodded gratefully._

"_Where else would I be after that picture ran this morning?" Draco said, looking down into his drink again._

_Blaise nodded in agreement before sinking down next to his friend._

"_So, what do you think?" Blaise said after a minute or two of charged silence._

"_About what?" Draco snapped._

"_Do you think it's her?"_

_Draco considered._

"_It certainly looks like her," he replied simply._

"_Ginny thinks so, too," Blaise admitted. _

_Draco nodded but said nothing._

"_I'm going over to the Burrow later," Blaise elaborated for no particular reason. Perhaps he couldn't bear the silence. "But I figured I would come see you first. Ginny's worried."_

"_She shouldn't be," Draco said, taking a sullen gulp. "I'm fine."_

"_What are you going to do?" Blaise said finally. "If it is her?"_

"_What do you mean?" Draco snapped again. " Obviously I'm not going to do anything."_

"_You're not even considering—"_

_Draco cut him off._

"_I didn't go after Leolin when she turned up in Geneva four and a half years ago, and I'm not chasing her to Dublin now. Even if that picture in the Prophet is her, I don't care. She's my past."_

_Blaise considered._

"_So you've really made up your mind?"_

_Draco drove a hand into his pocket and produced a ring so large the diamond didn't even sparkle, just glinted dimly in the low light._

"_Gen and I are going to Paris at the end of April, and when we do I'm going to propose."_

"_And what about Leolin?"_

"_Stop asking that!" Draco snapped. "She has no bearing on me or my future. I love Gen and I'm marrying her. Everything else is completely irrelevant."_

"_It's not just that," Blaise pointed out. "What if Leolin comes back?"_

"_She wouldn't dare show her face here," Draco sneered. "She has to know I would destroy her."_

"_And what do you think Ariadne and Adrien would say to that?" Blaise prompted. "You know Ariadne is desperate to have Leolin home. So is Ginny, to be perfectly honest with you. Not going after her is one thing; actively keeping her away is another."_

_Draco took a large sigh to indicate he knew Blaise was right._

"_You need to start asking yourself what this could mean for you," Blaise cautioned. "If she comes back, I mean."_

"_It won't mean anything either way. I washed my hands of that vipress a long time ago."_

"_Drake_—"_ Blaise sighed, but realising he had nothing to say he simply shrugged instead. "You're right," he finished. "You have to handle this the way you see fit, and I trust you know what's best. Let me know if you need anything from me or Ginny. We're here for you."_

_Draco nodded stiffly as Blaise shrugged back into his coat and took the last sip of his drink. He gave Jaime a stiff, imperious head nod before clapping Draco on the back._

"_Take care of yourself, mate. I'll talk to you tomorrow."_

_Draco nodded again as Blaise strode out. When he was gone, Draco considered the whiskey stones in his glass before standing. He'd promised Adrien an hour ago he would come over, and much as part of him didn't want to, he knew he owed this to Ariadne._

_He shouldered his coat, throwing galleons on the bar and leaving without a second glance at Jaime. He arrived at the manor a minute or so later, and it seemed so if the door was swinging open even before he could knock._

"_Mr. Malfoy," Benton said, voice stiff. Still, it seemed as if tone somehow said that he was relieved to see Draco._

"_Benton," Draco said, handing him his coat. "Where is everyone?"_

"_Monsieur and Madame Lefevre and in the lounge with Monsieur Burgis. Madame Madoc is…in the library, I believe."_

_Draco nodded._

"_Will you bring me a whiskey?" I'll be in the lounge."_

"_Certainly, sir."_

_Draco swept off, softly pulling open the French doors that led to the lounge. Adrien and Amelie stood near the fire speaking in low tones, the sixth month old Henri tucked protectively between them. He was snoozing softly against Amelie's chest, and Adrien had a soft hand on his back._

_Adrien broke away as soon as he saw Draco, going over to shake his hand and pat him on the back._

"_I'm sorry I'm late," Draco said, trailing from Adrien to Amelie and kissing her cheek. He looked down at Henri, pained. "I…"_

_Adrien nodded his silent acceptance._

"_I know."_

_"Where is Ariadne?"_

"_She and James are in the library," Amelie offered. "She'll be happy that you're here."_

_Draco nodded this time._

_Benton had arrived with this drink, and Draco took a grateful sip before handing it back. _

_He touched Henri's soft head affectionately before heading to the adjoining library. He opened the second set of double doors and admitted himself. The library had a higher ceiling with hundreds of rich-smelling leather books, and the fire cracked softly in the corner. The large windows looked out onto the garden, which was covered in snow._

_Ariadne was on the couch, head bent, and James was at her side, rubbing her back. When he heard the door open he stood._

"_Draco," he said in greeting. "Thank you for coming. I'll give you two some space."_

_Draco nodded before coming to kneel at Ariadne's feet. Despite what he'd told Blaise at the Em, seeing Ariadne's tear-stained cheeks reminded him that he was ever her loyal servant; if she asked something of him, it was as good as done._

"_Do you want me to go to Dublin?" he said at once. "I can have this sorted by the morning."_

_Ariande shook her head, her hand covering her mouth to stifle a sob.  
_

"_It doesn't matter."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_It wasn't her."_

_"How can you be sure?"_

"_I didn't want—I was afraid to get too excited before I knew for certain; you know that Skeeter woman would do anything for a quick sickle. I had James put pressure on her and she finally send this over."_

_She pulled out a photo that was creased from being folded and folded a thousand times and handed it to him._

_It was essentially the same photo that had run in the prophet, where Leolin was emerging from a shop on Conley Street, shopping bags in each hand. She was dressed impeccably in a dark shirt and tight jeans with a long camel coat on top and spindly heels on her feet. There was enormous diamonds stuffed in her ears and an expensive watch on her right wrist. Her dark hair was fashioned in stylish curls._

_The only problem the woman wasn't Leolin. She was pretty, to be sure, but she was nowhere near as beautiful as Leolin. Her lips weren't as full and her eyes weren't as blue. Draco felt an odd ache in his throat. Was that disappointment or a welling relief? He couldn't be sure._

"_I'm sorry," he offered. "I know how badly you wanted it to be true."_

"_I think I knew deep down she wasn't my Leolin," Ariadne admitted. "I need to accept that I've lost her."_

"_Don't give up," Draco urged her, even though every part of him wished she would._

"_I have to," she whispered. "For the sake of my sanity."_

_He touched her knee softly._

"_Would you like me to stay?"_

_She shook her head._

"_I'm going to have James take me home. It's be a long day."_

_He nodded._

"_Floo me tomorrow, then."_

"_When are you going back to America?"_

"_When you don't need me anymore," he offered. "Goodnight."_

_She touched his cheek affectionately._

"_Goodnight, darling."_

_She swept from the room. When she was gone he sank onto the couch. She'd left the picture, and he'd gazed at it again. Latently he wished he had the doctored copy to look at instead. _

_He stood. He ought to say goodbye to Adrien and Amelie. However, he glanced at the glittering pot of floo powder on the mantle and bit his lip. In truth it __**had**__ been a long day. He just wanted to go home. He made to leave the photo, but eventually he tucked it into his pocket instead. He arrived back at his own flat in a single crackle of the fire later, and he immediately shrugged out of his coat and went to the bar to fix himself a drink. _

_He plunked a large hemispherical ice cube unceremoniously into the crystal, watching it gyrate around the highball before finally resting in the centre. Dousing the sphere with whiskey, he glanced up at a picture of him and Gen. It had been taken at Pansy's wedding eight months ago, and they were flushed with drink. Draco watched himself as he wrapped an arm around her neck and kissed her passionately. Somehow the photo was making him feel guilty, and he turned it face down._

_He dropped onto his own couch and unfolded the picture of Leolin again. He started at the imposter for another minute before tearing the photo to bits and throwing it into the fire. After a minute he considered._

_He kept a cache of vanished things he wanted kept hidden on his person at all times, and suddenly his mind was drawn to one in particular._

"_Revelio," he said lazily, a worn photo materializing in his hand. In it, Leolin had her left hand pressed to Draco's chest, her diamond sparkling magnificently._

_She was impossibly beautiful as she smiled into the camera, and Draco hardly recognized himself; he rarely looked so unguardedly happy. Draco watched as they silently exchanged words, and even though they were mute Draco knew what they were saying._

"_I love you."_

_He considered this photo another moment, running a distressed hand through his thick hair before making a decision. He gave Leolin's image one last sneer before tearing up this photo as well and sending it to meet its companion among the flames._

* * *

Draco knew the minute he returned home from Ariadne's what he needed to do. He needed to find Max Brankovitch then he needed to find Leolin; needed to fall at her feet and beg for her forgiveness and her hand in marriage. Brankovitch was the only person Genevieve seemed to respect and trust, and he was the only one who had a prayer of talking sense into her. When he did, Draco would finally set things right. Even if he failed, Draco and Leolin would find a way to bring Gen and the baby back. It was a far from perfect plan, but he could no longer bear the road they were currently on. He was miserable, and he knew in some way Gen was too. He simply couldn't live this way anymore.

More important than either his or Gen's happiness was Leolin's. She had paid the steepest price for all of this, and he couldn't bear continuing to inflict such agony on her. She was his everything, his alpha and his omega, and it was ailing him to see her so anguished. He was ashamed he had even let it get this far. No one, including Gen, was happy, and it was so senselessly destructive to carry on the way they were.

He'd arrived home in the early evening, finding a note from Gen on the marble counter saying she'd gone out and would be back before the party. He bit his lip; he suspected that she simply couldn't bear staying in the flat and had gone out to clear her head. He looked at his watch. They didn't have more than an hour or so before they were due at the Potter's safe house to review the plan before heading to the embassy.

He knew he should probably get in the shower and start getting dressed. He admitted to himself that he mostly wanted to get into the shower so he wouldn't have to talk to Gen when she came home. He wasn't sure if he would tell her the news before the gala or after. Ultimately decided he ought to wait until he had Brankovitch's support; if he couldn't have it, he would have to resort to more desperate lengths to keep her from bolting.

He heard her step through the floo just as he reached the top of the stairs. He leaned over the balcony, unable to ignore her outright. She looked up when she saw him, and it was clear she'd been crying. That wasn't totally surprising given their current situation, but she also looked scared and extremely distressed. Her usually perfect hair was a bit mussed and her fluffy skirt was somewhat askew.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, padding down the stairs and approaching her.

He didn't want to give her the wrong impression, but her expression was worrisome. She didn't answer, just bit her trembling lip and bowed her head.

"Hey," he said softly, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to look at him. "Talk to me."

She gave into her tears, pressing her cheek to his chest. His arms tentatively encircled her.

"What's going on with you?" he said in a quiet voice.

Finally she pulled back, wiping her eyes and even laughing a little.

"I'm sorry," she said. "The baby's just knocked my hormones out of whack. I'm just being silly. I just—" she touched his cheek affectionately and he tensed. "I'm worried about tonight. What if something goes wrong?"

"It won't," he assured her, pulling her hand away and stepping back.

Now that he knew she was all right he couldn't maintain the charade, as much for her sake as for his.

"I have to get in the shower," he offered, and she nodded and eyed glinting Spanish medallion hanging atop his tight t-shirt.

"Of course," she said. "I should, too."

He was worried she was latently trying to suggest they do so together. He nodded before she could say more, advancing purposefully and pressing a kiss on her forehead.

"I'll go in the guest room, then," he said. "We don't have that much time."

She bowed her head and put a palm to his chest.

"See you in a bit."

He nodded, peeling her hand softly off. The diamond of her engagement winked up at him. He'd secretly hoped she'd stop wearing it; it was selfish, he knew, but it made him feel horribly guilty. Finally he turned and headed up the stairs, nipping into their bedroom and grabbing his suit before padding to the guest room. It was just as large as their own bedroom, and the shower just as sumptuous.

As always he stood until the stream for a long time, thinking. Gen was right; what if something did go wrong? He remembered watching Adrien run his hands over Leolin at the mansion and he shuttered. It would have made him sick to watch any woman be treated so poorly, and watching Leolin endure it was unbearable. He tried to imagine how Leolin's meeting with Gareth had gone, but the thought was admittedly so stressful that he simply couldn't ponder over it for more a moment or two. He'd had an owl from Blaise saying that Rhydderich was officially in, but he hadn't pressed for more details. He imagined the look on Gareth's face as he snapped his wand, and it inspired a feeling of grim satisfaction in Draco's chest.

His thoughts trailed away for Gareth and towards Leolin, and he imagined what she might wear. Something red, most likely, or perhaps black to blend in. She had always been his beauty in black. None of that really mattered, though. This mission was serious and fraught with danger, and there was very little time to indulge in a game of "Who Wore it Best". Besides, Leolin could wear a burlap sag and she would be exquisite.

He continued to ponder as he ran some sort of rich-smelling shampoo through his hair as the water pummeled his tense shoulders and back. Finally he felt like he was getting pruny, and he stepped out and dried off. He performed his usual ablutions as his mind tumbled over the same four issues. What if Rhydderich betrayed them? What if his plan failed? What if Adrien got his hands on Leolin? What if the embassy's defensives didn't hold?

He considered this as he got dressed and adjusted his bow tie. In the end, it was too much to try and ingest. They would just need to take each hurdle at a time; looking too far ahead would only lead to disaster.

When he was done he sprayed cologne and affixed diamond cufflinks before smoothing his hair into place. He glanced in the mirror. He looked outwardly perfect; there was no sign of his inner turmoil. That was just as well. He didn't want to tip Gen off.

He headed down the stairs and made himself a drink. He knew he couldn't get too drunk tonight, but he needed something to take the edge off, at least until he could speak to Leolin in private. He was standing at the bar with his back to the stairs as he heard Gen beginning to descend. He turned, and his bottom lip fell momentarily away from his top. A loose braid had been woven across her head like crown, and soft curls lay nestled around it. Loose tendrils framed her face and the back had been tucked up. Her dress looked as if it had been adorned with glimmering silver tinsel, but it the most stylish way. As she moved, her hand trailing gracefully down the banister, the dress winked at him. Seeing his expression, she gave a smile that glittered as bright as her gown.

"What do you think?" she asked as her silvery heel touched the gleaming hardwoods of the bottom floor.

"You look lovely. As always."

Her smile widened, her white teeth a stark contrast to her blood red lips. He felt a little queasy.

"Do you feel any better?" Draco said, turning away.

It was unfair to gawk at her considering he was getting ready to leave her.

"Much," she said, her hand on his back. "I had an odd day, is all. But you're here now, and being close to you makes me feel safe."

She wrapped her arms around his waist, and hesitantly he turned, wracked with guilt as she beamed up at him.

"I want you to be careful tonight," he warned, gazing down at her.

She had to crane her neck to look up at him.

"Me? Reckless? Well I never!"

"I'm serious," he admonished, peeling her arms from his waist and turning to take a sip. His shoulders were pinched tightly together. "It's going to be dangerous, and I don't want you to get tangled up with Adrian."

Gen's smile dampened as he looked at her, expressionless.

"I'm not the prize he's after," she said softly.

"I'm going to tell Leolin the same thing."

At this, she dropped her gaze.

"Why don't you let Felix or Blaise worry about her? She's not your responsibility."

"Gen—"

"I'm your fiancée," she defended, her deal with Lucius making her bolder. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Genevieve," he repeated, stepping back. "I'm not going to do this with you right now."

"Why can't you just give her up? For the baby's sake, if not for mine."

"Enough."

"Is this you're going to treat our child when they come? With aloofness and contempt?"

"I said _enough_," he growled, his frown deep and dark. "We're done having this conversation."

In truth her words were plaguing him, and suddenly he was wavering on his decision. Some part of him knew she was right, and it killed him. He looked back at her with all her ungodly beauty. Perhaps he could learn to…

No, this was madness. He couldn't keep on like this, even for the baby. He would love the child unconditionally, and that would be enough.

"When did you stop loving me?" she demanded. "At least tell me that much."

"I don't want to fight with you," he said tiredly. "Don't make me say something regrettable."

"Like what? That you_ don't _love me? That you love her now?"

She snarled the word _her_ as if it tasted foul.

"Genevieve," he growled in a chilling voice. "You are the mother of my child, and you know what that means to me. We are _not _having this conversation."

"You aren't even going deny it?" she asked, tears welling in her eyes.

He looked at her, pained. He supposed some tiny part of him still did love her and probably always would. She'd saved him from a life devoid of meaning, and that did mean something to him.

"What do you want me to say?" he snapped, agitated.

"That you love me and not her!" there were tears in her large brown eyes.

"I—" he began, not sure why he felt so compelled to give into her. After all, any love he did have for her were table scraps compared the banquet of his love for Leolin. Still, the baby weighed heavy on his mind. "I—" he repeated, and her eyes glittered hopefully. "I can't," he finished softly. "You know I can't."

She bowed her head and put a hand up to shield her eyes as she began to cry in earnest. He watched her for a second, unsure what do to or say. He clenched his jaw.

"We have to go," he said.

She nodded, wiping the excess makeup from beneath her eyes. She must have been wearing false lashes, because the damage was minimal.

She gave him a last doleful look and another nod before they each stepped into the floo and spirited away.

* * *

Leolin stood in the large dining room at the Potter's, pacing. She was too agitated to join the others in the foyer, and no one had objected to her breaking away. Her long velvet gown kept getting tangled around her feet as she moved, and she kicked it away angrily with every step. Her floo was clutched tightly in her hand, and she clicked it open and shut, open and shut. Just before she'd arrived she'd gotten a frantic message from Swish saying that he was inches away from finding the key to destroying the coins. He'd refused to say where he was or who he was with, but Leolin thought she could hear Turkish in the background. He told her to wait for his call and be ready to move.

She bit her lip. It was just their luck that this was all coming to a head at the same time. Perhaps she ought to stay back and—no, she couldn't do that. There were no many cogs in motion to interrupt the war machine now, and she didn't want to let her comrades down. Or rather, she didn't want to disappoint Draco.

She stopped pacing for a moment, smoothing her hands nervously down the bodice of the gown. Her dress was painfully simple, cut from plain black velvet with no adornments, just simple straps and—unsurprisingly—a plunging neckline. She knew whatever Gen wore would surely outshine her, but it didn't matter. The competition was over between them, and Leolin didn't want to encourage Gen by continuing to pick fights. Leolin's throat ached as she fought the straining anguish locked deep inside her mind. Even thinking of Gen, who turned Leolin's stomach, made it harder to breathe. Unpleasant as the fighting had been, it still represented a time in which Leolin had still been permitted to hope. Sadly, Leolin's fighting spirit had dried up with the hope, and if Gen were to attack now, she would tear Leolin to pathetic bits.

Before she could stop herself, Leolin thought of the baby, and she went back to fiddling with her floo again. Gen would begin to start showing soon, and when she did Leolin wasn't sure she could bear it, even with her cerebral prison. She would have to keep her distance. She would have to keep her distance and try to focus on something else; Merlin knows there was enough going on to serve as a suitable distraction. Still, when war broke out they wouldn't be able to avoid one another.

Besides, this was forever now. It wasn't just a difficult stretch; it was a new reality. Gen would only be pregnant for nine months, that was true, but they would have the baby for the rest of their lives. Draco would never stop being a father, and being a father would always keep Leolin at arm's distance. She knew Gen well enough to know that Gen would insist on a binding marriage contract, and when they wed Draco would be hers forever. It would be her price for giving Draco a child, and he would pay it all the days of his life.

Leolin bit her lip. She couldn't think about that now. She had to focus on the task at hand. They had a long and dangerous light ahead of them, and being even a little distracted could cost her dearly. She flicked her floo open and closed again. As everyone kept reminding her, Adrian was more desperate than ever to possess her, and she would rather die than let him. She needed to stay off his radar tonight or she would likely find herself in dangerous waters. Besides, she had to stay vigilant. She flicked the floo again. She didn't know when Swish would call again. Flick, snap. Flick, snap.

At least they had Gareth now. Though no one seemed to like or particularly trust him, he'd spent the afternoon pointing out flaws in their defensive strategy, and from what Leolin had heard from Blair, Gareth had, under Felix's withering supervision, spent the afternoon weaving spells. His plan of defense was rather brilliant, if not totally foolproof. He was arming each of them with perimetre protection spells, which kept any unwanted attacker at a ten-foot minimum distance. These protection spells also came with a mild cloaking spell. That's not to say they would be invisible, but it would keep unwanted eyes off them. If Adrian's crew did decide to show, they'd have them running in circles. Leolin doubted it would hold them at bay forever—Adrian was far to clever for that—but it would at least buy them time. Leolin wondered if Crofton Teller would be there. She was sure he would be. She bit her lip. That was a battle all its own, and one she wasn't particularly keen to fight given the current climate. She only had to hope that Crofton felt the same.

More than Crofton, however, she prayed she wouldn't run into Adrian. If he managed to catch up to her, it would be game over. The legimency she was using to keep her pain at bay had made her somewhat weak, and she was not even sure she was a match for Adrien on her best day. She was a skilled dueler, but he was exceptional, and she'd seen him perform magnifiscent magic on more than one occasion. Before she could stop herself, she imagined herself lying naked on her back as Adrien drove into her. She put a hand to her mouth, afraid for a second that she might actually be sick. Flick, snap. Flick, snap.

She wondered what Draco would do if she was captured. Would he come after her? She knew he'd want to, but she doubted he'd be allowed. He was an invaluable Order member. Besides, he had the baby to worry about now. He couldn't chance making the child an orphan, even for her. Leolin was so used to being the center of Draco's universe, and it was excruciating to accept that she wasn't anymore.

She pushed the pain down farther, creating more steel bars and locked vaults to keep the feelings from escaping. Draco wasn't hers anymore, she reminded herself for the billionth time. She couldn't expect him to risk everything for her; his life was no longer his own to risk.

"Leolin."

Her heart leapt to her throat, and she clutched her gleaming floo tighter. After Felix destroyed the one Leolin had given her, she'd designed a new one in a cold and unforgiving silver. She finally turned and gave a soft frown.

"Please," she replied, turning her back to Felix. "I'm not in the mood."

He ignored her directive as he shut the door and approached.

"I come in peace," Felix said, sliding forward and tucking his hands in his trouser pockets. She could feel the pleading in his gaze even with her back turned, and it made her throat ache. "I'm not here to pick a fight."

"Good," she said in a tight voice. "Because you'd only lose."

"Listen—"

"Please," she said, cutting off as she spun around. "I can't keep doing this with you. You betrayed me, and I can't bear any more apologies for it. I get that you're sorry, I really do, but I just—I can't go back to the way things were, even if part of me wants to."

"I know that," he said in a pleading tone. "And I understand. But I—tu me manque, bitchette."

"Felix," she pleading. "Please don't do this."

"Est-ce que je te manqué?"

"Of course I miss you," she said softly, squeezing the floo again. "You're one of my best friends."

"I just want to protect you," Felix continued. "I love you and I can't bear to see you in any more pain."

"Some of this pain is your doing," she pointed out.

"I know that, too," he admitted. "And I know I failed you when you needed me. I should have been there to protect you from Max, and I was a coward for running away. But let me at least try to make it up to you. Let me protect you from Adrian."

"You can't," she croaked. "No one can."

"Then I'll lay down my life trying."

She bit her lip at his impossibly sincere gaze.

"Ren—"

"I love you," he repeated. "Please, don't drive me from your side. Not now."

Her throat ached.

She loved him, too. In fact, he felt like the last person she had left. Perhaps they were meant to be together after all. Not as lovers, but as platonic soulmates.

"I never meant to hurt you," Felix said, her voice pained. "I'm sorry."

"I know," she repeated. "So am I."

"No," he said. "Don't be. You did nothing wrong."

She bowed her head. He was right; she had no idea what she was sorry for. She was sorry it had happened, she supposed.

"I'm not asking you to forgive me," he said, taking a tentative step forward. "Just don't ask me to leave your side. I can't bear the exile anymore."

"You don't understand how badly you've hurt me," she whispered.

"You're right," he admitted. "But I would do anything to make amends. Anything. I would die for you if you asked me to."

"I know that," she said. "Felix—"

Part of the pain Leolin was pinning down was missing Felix, and she could feel it churning in her stomach like the waves of a tempestuous storm. It made her feel ill. It pushed against her anguish over Draco, and suddenly it all felt like too much. Tears were burning in her throat.

"I'm not sure I can ever fully forgive you," she admitted in a soft voice.

He nodded

"I wouldn't forgive me either."

"It doesn't mean I don't still miss you," she said. "That I don't still need you."

He surged forward and folded her into his arms, and she melted into his embrace, burying her face in his shoulder and clinging tightly to his smart dinner jacket.

"I've missed you," he admitted, still holding her tightly. "You have no idea how much."

"Yes I do," she said softly. "About half as much as I've missed you. But I don't think you realise how much I need you."

"Yes I do," he repeated. "About half as much as I need you."

"I just couldn't do this with you anymore," he explained. "I have a feeling we're going to need each other tonight more than ever."

She nodded, flicking her floo again. It was becoming a tick. He watched her keenly and with comment.

"I think you're probably right," she replied softly.

They were silent a moment, and it wasn't as easy as it once had been.

"Is everyone here?" she asked.

"Not yet," he replied carefully, obviously afraid to probe too far into her obvious unhappiness. "Malfoy still isn't."

She needed to change the subject, so she picked the first thing that came to mind.

"No Reagan Sharpe?"

He gave a faint smile.

"I wish. But she can't risk blowing her cover by being seen with us."

"You have worst taste in women," she commented. "She couldn't be any less emotionally unavailable."

"That's not true," he said candidly. "She could be you when I met you."

Leolin smiled softly again and the warmth in his tone.

"I suppose you'll let that fact be your guiding light in the chase for her attention," she surmised.

He shrugged.

"It certainly blazes bright enough."

Leolin gave an uncomfortable laugh.

"It's going to be an uphill battle at this point," she reasoned. "Elle te déteste."

"C'est vrai," Felix admitted. "But I have to try. I'm not one to give up a worthy cause."

He was smiling warmly at her, obsidean eyes glittering.

"I know," she said. "And I'm glad."

"I would never give up on you," he assured her. "I will be by your side until you force me away."

"Then you should plan on being there a long time," she said softly.

"It will be my honour," he said, touching his heart in a genteel gesture.

She nodded and went back to flicking the floo.

"Why do you keep fiddling with that thing? What's going on?"

"Swish flooed earlier," she said carefully. "He was a little frantic, but he said he was close to finding out where the coins are. I have to be ready to move when he does."

"Don't you mean we?" he said more coarsely than he'd probably meant to.

"Not this time, Ren," she said. "It's too dangerous."

"Which is precisely why I'm going," he insisted. "To protect you."

"This is a thieves' errand," she said, touching his cheek. "It's better if it's just Swish and Eff. I know you want to protect me, but I promise I will be fine. When I get back you and I can celebrate."

He nodded, kissing her forehead.

"Of course, lapin. Tu sais que tu peut toujours me faire confiance," he reminded her.

She leaned into his warmth again, pressing her face to his chest so hard the diamond in her ear dug painfully her skin. He embraced her without comment, smoothing her hair and likely reveling in the opportunity to once again fight at her side.

"Alright," he said, tugging her forward finally. "Let's go."

Finally he dropped his hand, and they swept from the banquet hall to the foyer where everyone else was waiting.

As Felix had said, almost everyone had assembled by now, and Leolin's eyes swept over her bevy of allies.

Gracie, who'd had the baby—a boy named Graham—two weeks before, stood in her robe and pajamas near the large staircase leading up to the second story. She had finally agreed not to accompany them to the embassy, though Harry had to all but beg on hands and knees to convince her. She'd sent the girls to stay with her mother in their country house in Kent as a precaution, but the baby she kept with her. She was not yet at a place where she felt comfortable being away from him.

Pansy stood next to her with a sleeping Graham in her arms. She was rocking him gently back and forth, her embrace protective and nurturing. Grace watched her with approval, as did Tieran, who over behind Pansy's shoulder and peered down at Graham, his gaze unusually soft. Pansy hadn't said a word to Leolin, but Leolin was sure that they, too, were trying to conceive. That caused a now-familiar ache in Leolin's throat, but she ignored it.

Cara stood a ways off from them, though she too was watching the baby. She wore a white dress with black overlay, and her curls had been tamed into an updo of sorts, though several disobedient ones around her face and nape had sprung free. Despite her beautiful gown she looked fretful as ever. She'd tried to hide it, there were dark circles under her eyes, and her cheeks were somewhat hollow. She stood with arms crossed, as if she were physically trying to hold herself together. Kelly had left three days before to report back to Adrien, and she had begged him not to go. Obviously, he'd refused her.

Luke and Ieuan were somewhat separate, and though they didn't speak to one another, they held hands.

Harry and Blair were nearby them as well, and where Harry looked tense, Blair looked downright dour. All the business with Leolin and Gareth had riled him up, and he looked somewhere between fretful and livid. Every few minutes he checked his floo. His wife Charley had also given birth not too long ago, and Leolin was sure it was difficult to leave them at home given the current political climate. The idea made her throat ache again. Would that she could share that same worry with him.

Severina was closer to the fire, but she was ignoring the others. She wore a magnificent purple gown, and her breasts were barely covered by the appliqué flowers on top. There was a slit up the thigh that revealed miles of toned leg, and as always she was the most dazzling woman in the room. She was standing wrapped in Xavier's protective embrace, and she was leaning against his chest with her head tipped back and resting on his shoulder. They were speaking in hushed tones to one another, but in Spanish, as if to prevent any eavesdroppers. Leolin could hear and understand only the errant word, but she knew they were discussing their girls. Severina had not been back to Rome in several weeks, and she was growing distracted by being so far from her children. No matter what happened at the Embassy, Severina planned to go back to Italy indefinitely after the party. It was, perhaps, an unpopular decision but she couldn't be convinced to do otherwise, and not for lack of trying.

The last person Leolin laid eyes on was Reagan, who looked even more sullen than usual. She was dressed casually—they'd all quickly agreed it would be too dangerous to have her come, lest Jaime or Adrian should find out—and she crossed her arms and sneered as she glanced around at all the couples scattered about. When she saw Felix her scowl deepened, and she turned slightly away to indicidate he ought not approach her. Leolin exchanged a glance with Felix at seeing this, and he shrugged in an attempt to convince her and himself it didn't phase him. He instead offered Leolin his hand, and she gratefully took it.

"Where's Gareth?" she asked, looking around. Not seeing him was both a disappointment and a swelling relief. It was admittedly exhausting to be in his presence for all the anxiety it caused her.

"He's with his keeper," Blaise said casually. "They are meant to be along soon."

"Keeper?" Leolin repeated.

"We had to assign someone to keep an eye on him. Preferably someone who wouldn't kill him if given the chance," Harry replied.

"You're out then, I suppose," Reagan said snidely to Felix, who frowned.

"So was Draco," Ieuan said.

"Where is Malfoy?" Leolin asked carefully. "And where's Brank?"

"Max flooed me an hour ago. He said he'll meet us there. He's trying to line things up for tonight," Felix supplied.

"Malfoy should be here by now," Tieran said in irritation. "We don't have time to mess about."

"You know him," Harry sneered. "Always eager to make a bloody grand entrance."

"Never mind that," Xavier snapped. "Where's Rhydderich? Time is running out. If we're not through the doors by seven we will have missed our chance with the Americans."

No sooner had Xavier asked the question then Gareth came tumbling out of the hall floo, stumbling and nearly collapsing onto the floor as he fought to keep his balance. He was dressed in much the same way he had been when Leolin had seen him earlier that day, making it abundantly clear he wasn't accompanying them to the party.

He'd somehow lost his balance during the trip, and he struggled to remain on his feet. Just as he was about to right himself, another figure emerged from the floo, giving Gareth an almost casual tap on the arse with his foot and sending him sprawling to the floor.

"Evening all," Beau drawled self-importantly as Ieuan moved to help Gareth to his feet. Beau noticed and frowned.

"Leave him," Beau demanded, smiling smugly at Gareth and holding out an arm to impede Ieuan. "No need to help the General. He is more than capable of minding his own. Isn't that right, sir?"

Beau tapped Gareth with his toe as he tried a second time to rise to his feet. It once again unsettled Gareth's balance. Years in prison had made Gareth slow and somewhat ungainly.

Leolin watched him with bright eyes. It was hard to admit even to herself, but seeing Gareth so powerless felt good. Even now that they were on the same team, his very presence made Leolin sick to her stomach. It wasn't true what her father had said about forgiveness; there was no wiping the slate clean with Gareth. Even after all these years, she still hated him bitterly.

Gareth finally managed to get up, though it had taken him at least ninety seconds before he'd been able to do so. He clenched his jaw and glared at Beau before letting his eyes fall to the floor. Beau gave an imperious smile in response to Gareth's submission.

"Stop it," Leolin demanded in a quiet voice, feeling like a hypocrite. "That's not helping."

"I thought you of all people who approve," Beau said lazily. "It's just a bit of Southern justice."

"This isn't the South," Ginny pointed out sharply. "Learn to behave or get out."

Beau rolled his eyes.

Gareth's eyes bled from the floor upwards, taking in Leolin's gown as they went.

"Thank you," he said softly, eyes dancing across her face.

He still scared her. There was a light shimmering in the deepest blue sections of his eyes she couldn't bring herself to trust. Part of her expected him to pounce, and she stiffened automatically.

Felix came to her side, scowling at Gareth. Gareth's gaze fell to the floor again, though not so much out of fear as distaste.

"Where are the charms you promised us, Rhydderich?" Harry said, stepping forward. "Show us."

Gareth clenched his jaw, looking annoyed. Leolin could see traces of the arrogant boy she'd known as he rolled his eyes.

"Taylor has my wand," he said, and Beau beamed and raised his eyebrows.

"You're not helping," Ginny seethed at Beau.

"Oh don't tell me you're on his side, gingersnap," Beau cooed at Ginny.

Blaise scowled.

"Enough!" Tieran said. "We don't have time for this shite. Give him his fucking wand back, Taylor. Rhydderich, do what needs doing and let's get on with it."

Tieran had only been a few years older than Gareth in school, and there had been no love lost between them even then.

"Espera," Severina demanded, narrowing her eyes as she held up a hand. She had long, almond-shaped fingernails that looked somewhat dangerous. "Review the charms again. I want to be clear on what your shield is meant to do."

"_If _Pucey and his crew show up, they will be compelled to look away ever time they see any one of you, and there is a ten second delay," Gareth explained. "That means you have ten seconds before Pucey or whoever remembers they've seen you. There's also a blanket polyjuice for added protection."

"You couldn't have done better than ten seconds?" Blaise demanded mildly. "That's bloody nothing."

"Better ten than five," Gareth pointed out, sounding the slightly bit defensive. "Besides, the spell should keep them running in circles for awhile if they show."

"But not forever," Harry pointed out. "Adrian's clever. It won't take him all night to figure this out if he's there."

"Then you lot had better work quickly," Gareth reasoned.

Beau slapped him upside the head.

"Get off me," Gareth demanded sullenly, turning and finally pushing Beau.

Beau, who was taller, stronger, and more muscular, shoved Gareth back so hard he fell down again.

"Don't mess with me, boy," Beau spit nastily.

For all his glib remarks, Beau was somewhat terrifying when riled up. Leolin thought she'd seen him mad when he and Blaise had tussled in Charleston, but it as nothing compared to the menacing scowl he was giving Gareth now.

As before, Gareth was slow to his feet, and he huffed to indicate he had no intention or furthering the fight, though it was clear some part of him wanted to. Beau sneered.

"I didn't think so, General."

""Merlin, Taylor, _stop it_," Cara snapped in nervous agitation, folding her arms across her chest. "Save it for the real enemy."

"Apologies," Beau said smoothly, his snarling temper back in check. "Proceed."

"Right," Ieuan said seriously. "What else, Gareth?"

"A ten foot shield," Gareth explained. "It can't repel curses, but it will keep any attacker at a ten foot minimum distance."

"What good is that supposed to do?" Blaise said coolly.

Gareth was clearly growing frustrated by his maltreatment, and it was making him impetuous.

"From what I hear, It might keep Pucey from raping Lefevre," Gareth spit venomously

Beau, possibly spurred by his innate sense of Southern chivalry, grabbed Gareth by the scuff of the neck and slammed him to his knees. It must have hurt a great deal, and between the nasty sound the bone had made when it connected with the floor and his nasty jibe, she felt ready to vomit.

"How dare you of all people say that to me," she said in deadly voice.

For all her venom, she couldn't keep her voice from quaking a little. Her head throbbed, but she willed herself to stay calm. She couldn't let one snide comment bring down her house of cards. Finally, she got better control and the throbbing stopped. She slapped him again for good measure.

"Watch your worthless mouth, Rhydderich," Blaise warned dangerously. "Or someone's going to wring you neck one day."

"Not time like the present," Severina sneered, drawing her wand.

Her eyes were flashing dangerously, and the arrogant boy in Gareth retreated to hide behind the beleaguered, prison-ravaged man. As always, it was only Xavier who seemed equipped to calm Severina down, and he grabbed her by the wrist and murmured something in Italian, and she ceased lowering her wand. Her gaze, however, remained deadly.

"I'm sorry," Gareth said, looking latently scared. He seemed to realise what a mistake he'd made, though it was hard to tell if the remorse in his eyes was genuine or inspired by his fear. "That was a poor choice of words."

"I think the barrier will be more useful than we think," Luke said evenly, giving Leolin a soft nod before addressing the group more broadly. "Thivierge's weapon of choice is the stiletto blade, and Pucey is still out for blood. He's not looking to crucio; he's looking to flay. If we do run into him, we'll need as much protection as we can get."

Cara shuddered, probably thinking about poor Kelly.

"Oh gods," she murmured.

"Is that all, then?" Blair demanded, scowling.

Gareth seemed a bit wounded by the harshness of his old friend's gaze, though he took the cold look without complaint.

"Yes," Gareth replied.

"How do we know these charms work?" Pansy demanded, still rocking Graham softly. She was eying Gareth critically. "How do we know that he's not leading us on only to betray us later?"

"I've looked over these charms," Felix supplied, his eyes no less hateful as he too looked at Gareth. "They're well-crafted and tightly woven; there are no loopholes."

"And Gareth made the unbreakable vow to Leolin," Ieuan said solemnly. "He can't willingly betray her."

"And unwillingly?" Reagan demanded.

"I was there when they made the vow," Felix said more authoritatively. "There is no way for him to betray her or us. Not if he wants to keep his miserable life."

Felix and Leolin exchanged a familiar glance in which each seemed to be reassuring the other.

"Besides," Leolin said with finality, making eye contact with Gareth for a moment before feeling a swelling panic and looking away. "He is the only person who hates Adrian more than we do."

"Fine," Tieran said, satisfied. "If Chaisson agrees, there's no reason to delay."

Felix and Leolin exchanged another meaningful look and he nodded at her. She nodded back.

"I do," Felix said. "Go on, Rhydderich."

"What about Draco?" Blaise said. "We have to wait for him."

"Oh bullocks," Harry growled. "I forgot about him."

"Where the bloody hell is he?" Pansy demanded.

"It doesn't matter at this point," Blair snapped. "We don't have ti—"

The floo crackled and flamed green, and Draco emerged looking suave but harried. Leolin's her skull throbbed as she observed him for the first time since he'd left for good. His eyes snapped immediately to her, drinking in her face and gown even as he extended a chivalrous hand to help Gen through. Like Draco, Gen's eyes immediately found Leolin. It was clear that Gen had recently been crying, and though she took Draco's hand at once, the tension between the couple was sharp and acrid, like the smell of rotting fruit.

"I'm sorry we're late," Draco said with finality, glancing down at Gen and daring someone to challenge him on this score.

No one did.

There arrival had submerged the group into a chilly pool of mistrust and unease. No one was immune to the effect, least of all Leolin. She felt the straining ache in her skull again. She wanted so badly to give into the pain, but she knew she couldn't. Still, watching Draco and Gen, even in their current state, was killing some small part of her. It was a part that she'd currently locked away but that she'd someday be forced to mourn.

"Where have you been?" Reagan demanded finally, breaking the cold silence. "We don't run on your personal timetable, Malfoy."

It seemed she'd kept Draco from noticing Gareth, because his eyes dragged from Gen to Leolin to Harry as he sneered.

"What are you doing here?"

"Helping, obviously," Reagan snapped.

"Quinn won't be missing you?" Draco shot back.

"Fuck off."

"This isn't helping," Pansy pointed out sternly.

"Y'all are like children," Beau drawled. "We don't have time for this dilly-dallying."

It was then that Draco's eyes finally found Gareth, but they only lingered there a moment before flicking back to Leolin.

"Whatever thuggish thing you're getting ready to say," Tieran warned Draco as his diamond gaze fell heavily on Gareth again. "Don't. We need to get these charms in place and get out of here."

Draco looked at Leolin, who was avoiding his gaze for fear she might fall apart, again before glancing at Gen, who looked desperate and pained.

"Fine," he sneered. "Go on then, Rhydderich."

Gareth drew his hand, twirling it easily through his fingers as he considered how best to cast the charm. It was clear that while prison had slowed his general physical power, he was still sharp and equipped with quick reflexes. Leolin caught Draco's eye for a split second, and she was sure he was thinking the same thing she was.

Finally Gareth began churning the air in front of his wrist until he'd created a glimmered white tower of air that resembled a small cyclone. It swept in and out of the assembled group, touching each of them. It wasn't a wholly pleasant sensation, and it sent an uncomfortable shiver down Leolin's spine. Finally, the cyclone stopped.

"How do we know it worked?" Beau said lazily after several seconds.

"Look at yourself," Blaise pointed out.

Beau turned towards the mirror in the hall and scowled.

"Ginger?" he snapped at Gareth. "You made me a ginger?"

Gareth gave a smug shrug.

"What's wrong with that?" Ginny snapped, smoothing her new ash blonde hair.

Beau shut his mouth but continued to scowl at his reflection, looking like a disgruntled Narcissus. Leolin tentatively touched her hair, which she could see was a mousy brown, before looking down at herself.

"Where did my curves go?" she demanded, vainly dismayed. "I look like a ten year old boy."

Gen rolled her eyes.

"Don't be so superficial," she warned.

She'd seemingly drawn the long straw, and she was still quite pretty. Compared to Draco, who'd become a slavic-looking bloke with hunched shoulders, she was a goddess.

"I think you're still beautiful," Felix assured her.

"I'm not," Severina huffed, tossing her blonde hair imperiously. "I'm hideous."

"Is everyone done?" Tieran snapped. "This isn't a sodding beauty pageant."

"Or a wet robe contest," Gen sneered at Leolin.

"Why doesn't Rhydderich give you something more homely, then?" Leolin snapped. "See how you fancy it."

"Look, we're going for unassuming here," Harry pointed out. "We don't need extra attention, especially if Pucey shows up."

"He's not going to come after you so long as you look like that," Gareth pointed out, almost as if he was trying to win brownie points by making Leolin particularly plain.

"Shut up," Ginny sneered.

"I have to say that I'm loving this," Reagan said mirthfully. "Any way you can make this permanent, Rhydderich?"

"Can it, Sharpe," Leolin snapped.

"We know you miss those obscene knockers, Lefevre, but there is not need to be so dour," Reagan said, smirking.

Leolin put her hands on her skinny hips but said nothing, making Reagan laugh.

"At least we know it works," Blair reasoned.

The charm hadn't touched him, either. They'd decided he'd keep an eye out on the outside instead. Keep them abreast of any events going on in greater London to avoid a trap after leaving the Embassy.

"For now," Draco said, frowning at Gareth.

Just then Reagan's floo began to smoke and she flicked it open.

"Who is it?" Pansy asked.

Reagan rolled her eyes as she read the message.

"I'll give you three guesses, and the first two don't count," she said, clearly irritated.

"What does he want?" Felix asked.

"What do you think?" Reagan snapped. "I have to go. I don't want him to be suspicious. See you miserable lot later."

With that, she apparated away. Her disappearance was followed by a half second of unease while everyone processed. Draco was the first to speak.

"You don't have a ward, Potter?" Draco demanded. "Why don't you just bloody _invite _Pucey over here?"

Harry shook his head, all the blood draining from his face.

"She shouldn't have been able to do that. Someone's been tampering with our wards."

"Did you know?"

"No until just now," Harry admitted, drawing his wand.

He swished it and shimmering strands of light fell like snow from an invisible origin point.

"It's still there," Harry said. "It's just—it's not fully functional. It's still holding from the outside, but barely."

"That's not really the point," Severina said, exchanging and uneasy glance with Xavy. "How did Sharpe know she could just apparate out of here?"

"She probably didn't even think about it," Grace said. "Apparation is sort of a natural reflex."

"Or maybe she just knew the wards had been weakened," Ginny pointed out.

"How can we be sure we can trust her?" Beau asked.

Silence reigned.

"We can't," Luke finally admitted, and everyone exchanged tense glances.

Leolin and Draco caught eyes again, and he looked fiercely protective. She looked away, snapping her floo twice. She was practically fretful by now.

"Joder," Xavier breathed. "We could be walking into a trap."

"She signed a contract when she joined the Order," Grace reminded them. "She couldn't betray us even if she wanted."

"No contract is ironclad," Felix admitted stonily. "Could be she's found a loophole. If she tells Quinn or Pucey what we have planned tonight, we're screwed."

"Change of plans," Leolin said, turning on Gareth. "Get dressed. You're coming with us. I don't want to take any chances. Taylor, go with him."

Beau nodded, grabbing Gareth roughly by the arm.

"My pleasure," he said in her direction. "C'mon, General. Let's keep Goldie Locks from spilling the porridge on us."

Before anyone could stop them, they too apparated out.

"Shit!" Harry said. "Stop doing that! You're weakening the barrier!"

"Who are you talking to?" Draco sneered. "They're long gone."

"We don't have time to sit and debate this," Xavier said in agitation. "We're almost late."

"You and Graham go to your mother's," Harry instructed Grace, who looked visibly shaken. "I'm sure it's fine, but we don't want to take any chances."

Grace nodded, accepting the baby from Pansy. He began to fuss, but Grace rocked him gently.

"I'll take the floo," Grace said, pecking Harry. "Come home safely, please. Your children need you and so do I."

Harry nodded.

"I love you," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "See you soon."

She nodded, stepping into the floo a disappearing.

"We need to go," Luke urged. "We can't be sure this place is safe anymore."

They filed quickly through the floo, and Leolin felt Draco's eyes on her when it was her turn. Her skull throbbed. Shit, she had a bad feeling about this. She squeezed her floo tightly in her palm.

Finally they arrived in front of the stately mansion, where all manner of well-dressed witches and wizards were pouring in from fancy cards and the outside floo ports.

Draco looked around, seeming to realize something.

"Where's Brank?"

Gen stiffened, but he didn't seem to notice.

"He's on his way," Felix said. "He just flooed me."

"Right," Tieran said, taking Pansy's hand and squeezing. "It's time."

They all headed across the gravel and towards the door, and Draco caught Leolin by the crook of the elbow just as they reached the stately front porch.

"Come find me after we meet with the Americans. We need to talk."

She gave him a bewildered look, but it was too late; he was already offering Gen his arm and escorting her stiffly across the threshold. Felix appeared from somewhere behind Leolin and offered her the same. She could see the pain she was feeling over Draco doubled in Felix's eyes, but they remained impassive and composed.

When Leolin crossed the threshold, she felt something chilly cascade over her, like a waterfall, and she felt a kindling panic beginning to grow in her chest. When she looked down, it was to find she was in her own body again.

"What was that?" Ginny hissed. "And the charm is gone."

"We shouldn't be here," Blaise said. "We need to go."

Leolin made to leave the way she'd come, but something stopped her. The panic was a full-fledged blaze now.

"We can't leave."

"What do you mean?" Cara demanded fretfully. She looked ready to break down.

"We're stuck."

Leolin could see someone tall cutting through the sea of people and her heart hammered in her chest. However, she realized after a moment it was Beau, and he had Gareth in toe.

"What's going on with the barrier?" Blaise snapped.

"Shit, you lot look like you again."

"The barrier, Rhydderich!" Ginny reminded him, sounding a bit panicked. "Why the hell can't we leave?"

"It's some sort of protection seal," he explained. "American-made."

"What does that mean?" Blaise hissed, looking around and making sure they weren't attracting too much attention.

"It means you're very safe here," Gareth said carefully. "No one can throw hexes so long as it remains intact, so look on the bright side."

"Don't be cute," Xavier warned in a low voice. "I'll slit your throat."

"Why can't we get out?" Pansy demanded.

"It's a side effect of the charm. In order to give blanket protection, the charm's sphere of influence has to be impenetrable. We won't be able to get out until it expires."

"Well, what time does it expire?" Ron demanded. "And how did you not bloody know about this?"

"I can't know everything," Gareth snapped, glancing at his watch. "This is old-school magic; no one does charms like these any more."

"Why's that?" Luke asked softly.

Gareth clenched his jaw.

"People started to realise that being stuck in one place is not very advantageous."

Then was a beat of tense silence.

"What time does the fucking charm expire?" Tieran hissed.

"I would guess at the stroke of midnight," Gareth replied.

Felix showed Leolin the face of his watch. It was 8:01.

"You guess?" Draco repeated snidely.

"Do you think you could do better?" Gareth snapped. "This isn't an exact fucking science, Malfoy."

"I do think I could, yeah," Draco sneered. "You're made a proper cock-up of this whole thing."

"Enough," Harry inserted

"What's happens at midnight?" Hermione pressed.

Gareth glanced at her.

"There's a reason the American's put this thing in place; they're expecting serious trouble tonight."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Beau demanded, shaking Gareth by the collar. "What happens when this stupid charm expires at midnight?"

Gareth looked a bit green, but Leolin had already connected the dots. She'd broken into a cold sweat. Shit, she hoped Swish didn't call in the next four hours. Finally she answered for him

"More likely than not, all Hell breaks loose."

"Cara?"

They all turned to look at her. The voice was coming from the earpiece. It was Kelly, who'd returned back to Adrian several days before.

"Kelly!" she croaked. "What's going on?Are you alright?"

"We have a problem. We're here. At the Embassy. Pucey was keeping it hush hush. I didn't know we were coming until we were already here. Please tell me you haven't left yet. Once you come in, there is no going out."

"We—" Cara croaked. "We just walked in."

"Fuck," Kelly breathed.

"Is Sharpe with you?" Draco demanded.

"She showed up with Quinn a few minutes after we did. Why?"

"Fuck," Blaise repeated. "Fuck. She's flipped on us."

"It's a trap," Leolin said fretfully. "We've walked into a trap."

"What made Pucey decide to show up here?" Xavier said seriously.

"I have no idea," Kelly replied. "I think—I'm afraid it's because—"

"Of me," Leolin croaked. "He won't get another opportunity like this to come after me. I'm a sitting duck here and he knows it."

Leolin glanced at Draco, and his face was full of concern.

"Fuck," Kelly said in a hurried whisper. "I have to go. Be safe."

He clicked off and they all exchanged a tense look.

"We need to get out of sight," Tieran said finally. "We have a long night ahead."

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry for the cliffie, and sorry for the wait. The next chapter is already halfway re-written, so the next update should come sooner. REVIEW


	33. Chapter 32: Hickory Dickory Dock

**Chapter 29: Hickory Dickory Dock**

_Hickory, Dickory, Dock_

_The mice ran up the clock._

_The clock struck twelve,_

_The mice ran down,_

_Hickory, Dickory, Dock_

* * *

_Adrian had been waiting for over an hour, and he'd begun to grow impatient. He twirled his ebony wand through elegant fingers as he stood stock still, glittering eyes scanning the throng of seedy passers-by for a man called Edouard Galafete. He adjusted the collar of his shirt, which was sticking to his neck from the sweat. Eventually he unbuttoned another button and sneered; he was in an irritable mood. He'd spent far too much time Stateside in the last eight months, most of it in the South, which at this time in the year sweltered with a wet, sticky heat. The whole bloody country was far too…American for his taste. He was sick of the bleeding accents and the annoying division between regions, particularly the North and South. . He was sick of chasing twats like Beau Taylor around, waiting for them to mess up and make a mistake. Their attempts to crack the American spy ring had largely been in vain, and more often than not, weeks of work would go wholly unrewarded._

_This trip was different, though. The American spy chain, Lucius had said, were no longer Adrian's main concern. At first Adrian had been pleased; if he had to spy on one more useless Yankee conversation, he was going to beat someone bloody. However, after three days without instructions, Adrian's mood had quickly soured. To start, he hadn't been allowed to bring anyone with him, including Torrii. She was both helpful in extracting information and a welcome distraction, and he'd grown used to relying on her from the things he was either unwilling or unable to do himself; not having her around to do his dirty work was tedious and irritating. What was more, he knew that she spent her nights with Langdon McNair when he was away, and despite the fact he had no interest in her, it annoyed him to have to share._

_The minister had kept the details of what he wanted Adrian to do maddeningly vague, and the ambiguity, paired with everything else, was grating Adrien's last nerve. The owl Lucius had sent had simply said, "Go to the French Quarter and bring me Jean du Bones."_

_He'd given no indication of who this Bones was or how Adrian ought to go about finding him. Adrian had spent nine and ten hours days asking around, but he had yet to be reward for his efforts. The people of New Orleans treated the name with either annoyingly flippant laughter or blatant fear. Either way, no one seemed eager to tell him the story. It wasn't until seventeen days into the trip that he'd had any success._

_By mere coincidence, he'd walked in a dingy bar on the very edge of the Quarter and was greeted by a pretty barkeep who was in the place alone. She had smooth dark skin and equally dark eyes, and her hair was piled atop her head and held in place by a silk scarf. _

"_Can I help you?" she said, her accent slow and musical._

"_I hope so," Adrian said, approaching._

_He had a fierce presence, he knew, and she seemed to sense it and backed away a step or two. He gave her a glittering smile, and she released some of the tension she'd been holding in her shoulders. He also knew how to be charming when it suited him._

"_I'm looking for a man," Adrian continued casually. "Jean du Bones. Do you know him?"_

"_No," she said at once. There was fear flashing in her ebony eyes. "I don't."_

_Adrian approached, pushing a chair aside with a foot and leaning over the bar. She was a tall woman, solidly built, but he was taller still._

"_Are you sure?" Adrian pressed._

"_Yes__," she repeated more emphatically, as if trying cover her fear with a more definitive tone. "I don't know him."_

"_Hmm," Adrian said in fake ponderance. "Are you sure you're sure?"_

"_Yes," she said._

"_I hate being lied to," Adrian warned her._

_If she didn't start cooperating, he was going to bend her over the bar and teach her a lesson. He wanted to know if her nipples were as dark as her skin._

_She considered, her fear more blatant now._

"_It's just a story," she said at last, fretful. "A ghost story mothers tell disobedient children."_

_She was not the first to tell him this. Unfortunately for her, he'd grown tired of that response._

_He grabbed her by the upper arm before she could retreat any further._

"_What do they say?"_

"_They say—" she paused, clearly at war with herself. "They say that he was a bokor once, a witch doctor, and for the right price he can bring people back from the dead."_

"_And are these stories true?"_

_She shook her head too quickly to be convincing in her next lie._

"_No. Of course not."_

"_You seem _**_awfully_**_ certain," Adrian pointed out fiercely._

"_Bones is not real," she said, trying to misdirect him. "And there is no such thing as bringing people back from the dead. Even for the bokors."_

_She clearly didn't believe that was true._

"_I don't think I like that answer," Adrian snarled. "Why don't you try again?"_

"_I have already told you!" she pleaded. "Please, I don't know any more than that."_

_Her lying had grown tedious._

"_Stop to lying to me," he demanded. "And you tell me what you've heard. If you don't, you won't like what I do to you."_

_He squeezed her arm harder and she cried out._

"_Tell me," he demanded. "Is Bones real? Where can I find him?"_

"_I don't know!" she whaled. "Just a story mothers tell their children. The stories never give specifics. They are just stories!"_

"_If the stories are made up, hen why are you so afraid?" he repeated._

_She didn't answer._

_Still gripping her right arm with his left, he reached back with his right hand and slapped her as hard as he could across the face._

"_Answer me!"_

_He'd run out of patience._

"_I—I do not know anything! I have only heard rumours. Whispers."_

"_If you don't know, then who does?"_

"_The bokors! Down near the Rue Dauphine!"_

"_Names," he demanded. "Give me names."_

"_Hypolite Fazande," she stammered. "On la Rue Bienville."_

_Adrian jerked her closer until his cool breath fell on her face._

"_If you're lying to me, I'll be back."_

_She nodded, backing away when he finally released his grip and rubbing her arm ruefully._

_With that he'd swept out, making his way immediately to the Rue Bienville. He'd found Fazande within hours, but he too had insisted that Bones was simply a myth, and unfortunately for him, Adrian knew that he too was lying. He could see in the man's dark eyes that the man knew more than he was saying, and Adrian had slit his throat for his trouble. However, that was not before Fazande gave him another name. Leonide Surasses on la Rue St. Louis._

_Surasses was immediately more forthcoming, though it had admittedly earned him little advantage; he'd met the same bloody end as Fazande. He'd not admitted that he knew Bones was real, but he confirmed that from time to time the quarter buzzed with a stranger from afar seeking the supposed myth. When they came calling, Surasses sent them to Edouard Galafete. He was one of the most senior—not to mention most sinister—of the Quarter's witch doctors. If anyone was going to have the answer, it was Galafete._

_Adrian stood in the shadows waiting for Galafete now. Everyone in the Quarter, even Fazande and Surasses, seemed afraid of him, but Adrian certainly wasn't. Let this Galafete do his worst; when Adrien did his, Galafete would be begging for death._

_He waited patiently as Galafete emerged from a shadowy alley full of dark shops, looking around to make sure no one was following him. He had a fierce and haunted look about him, and his cheekbones protruded almost grotesquely from his otherwise gaunt face. His hooded eyes were an unnatural violet, and he moved with a jaunty, skeletal grace._

_When Galafete was halfway down the alley, Adrian started after him. Galafete immediately sensed his presence and turned, throwing a crucio at once. Adrian casually caught the curse with the flick of his wrist, and it hovered as a ball of glittering light before Adrien hurled it back at Galafete. The elder man screamed, falling to his knees at once._

"_ki moun ou?" the croaked in a hoarse whisper._

_Adrian had regrettably come to know some of the more common creole phrases. The words made his lip curl; Haitian creole was such a poor excuse of a language._

"_Nevermind who I am, Galafete."_

"_ki jan ou konnen non mwen?" the man asked, and Adrian leveled another crucio just for good measure._

"_Speak English, you piece of filth."_

"_How do you do know my name?" the man asked through a thick accent._

"_I make it my business to be well-informed," Adrian sneered._

"_What do you want?" Galafete asked._

_Adrian could tell he was trying to distract him so he could get a good curse in, so he cursed the man a third time before advancing and kicking him in the face._

_Galafete cried out before crumbling to the cobblestones, blood dribbling from this mouth._

_Adrian stepped forward, grapped Galafete by the back of his collar, and half-dragged him down the street to a shop he knew was abandoned. He preferred not to torture in public; it raised too many complications._

_He tied Galafete to a rickety old chair and bound his hands. Galafete's head rolled forward; he was clearly fighting to remain conscious._

"_Please," Galafete slurred. So much for his fearsome reputation. "What do you want?"_

"_Jean du Bones," Adrien said, twirling his wand through elegant fingers. "What do you know about him?"_

"_It's a story for children," Galafete said in a practiced tone. "There is no truth in it."_

"_That's not what your friend Surasses told me before I slit his throat," Adrien sneered._

"_Leonide is young," Galafete defended. "And loves tall tales. He knows nothing."_

_Adrian grabbed Galafete's jaw, which had already begun to swell, so they were nose to nose. He cried out in pain._

"_If Bones is a myth, why is he so feared?"_

"_Who wouldn't fear a man who could raise the dead?" Galafete defended lamely._

"_No need to fear him if everyone knows it's a fairytale," Adrian pointed out._

"_There are some who believe," Galafete ceded, "but they are ignorant. They do not know."_

"_Are you one of those?" Adrian pressed._

_Galafete shook his head emphatically._

"_I am a bokor; we know better the laws and limits of magic."_

_Adrian leaned down so they were nose to nose again._

"_Then why do you seem so fucking afraid?"_

"_I am not!" Galafete pleaded._

_Adrian crucioed him, and he twitched pathetically in his chair._

"_I swear, Bones is not real!"_

_Adrian crucioed a third time._

"_Stop lying to me or I'll take a finger next."_

_Galafete was heaving and sweating._

"_Well?" Adrian demanded._

"_Please," Galafete wheezed. "No more."_

_Adrien drew a long, thin knife, knelt down, and drove it into the man's foot with an incredible amount of force. Galafete screamed in pain._

"_Tell me about Bones!" Adrien cried._

"_Yes," Galafete cried. "Please. I will. Don't hurt me."_

"_Is he real?" Adrian pressed, removing the blade._

"_Yes," Galafete breathed at last. "The stories are true. li se yon nekromanyen"_

"_How do you know?"_

_Fear flashed in Galafete's violet eyes._

"_I have seen him."_

"_Where?"_

"_Not in this realm. Bokors, we can pass into shadow for short periods. Living men in the world of the dead. I saw Bones there. It is his kingdom."_

"_And he can bring the dead to this realm?" Adrian pressed._

_Galafete didn't answer and Adrien drove the knife into the opposite foot._

"_Yes!" Galafete cried. "li se yon nekromanyen!"_

"_How can I find him? How can I bring him here?"_

"_Don't ask," Galafete croaked. "Only dead men ask."_

"_Tell me!" Adrian said, twisting the knife._

"_Them! Them! You seek Bones's payment."_

"_What are they?"_

"_I don't know."_

_Adrian twisted the knife._

"_Please, please, I don't know!"_

_Adrian could tell he wasn't lying._

"_Who does?"_

"_Only Charon knows. Only Charon could say."_

"_Charon?" Adrian demanded. "The ferryman?"_

"_Charon taught Bones the way back; he knows Bones's price."_

"_Tell me more!"_

_The man feebly shook his head. There was blood soaking his leather boot._

"_I don't know. Only Charon knows. Only Charon could say."_

"_If I find Bones's payment, will he bring someone back?"_

"_Yes," Galafete croaked. "Find them and you will find Bones. Find them and bring them to Bones and he will do what you ask."_

_Adrian gave a grim smile._

"_Avada Kadavra."_

* * *

"We need to get out of sight," Gareth hissed after a second of tense silence following Kelly's announcement. "Or I will have done a fat lot of work for nothing."

They all exchanges glances fearfully. Leolin tried and avoided catching Draco's flashing quicksilver gaze. Cara, she noted, was trembling like a leaf.

"In there," Ginny hissed, gesturing to a door to their left. They all looked around again, but no one moved.

"Well do you have any better ideas?" Ginny snapped at them, and finally Blaise nodded, grabbing Ginny's hand and edging to the spot she'd indicated. After a moment everyone followed. When Gareth, who was the last one filed in, Beau snapped the door shut behind him. The space seemed to be a library of sorts. The light inside was low, and it felt deceptively safe.

"Now what?" Harry said finally, sounding shaken.

"We should split up," Gen said at once, her gaze flitting to Leolin so briefly that only Leolin noticed. "Divide and conquer."

"Conquer what, though?" Blaise queried. "We came here for the meeting. I don't think any of us envisioned spending the evening with Adrian and his goons."

"I'll start hunting down the contacts I know and look for Max," Felix volunteered. "And I'll manage Sharpe."

They'd seen her when they'd first come in standing at the top of the stairs, a champagne flute in her hand as she gazed up at Jaime, looking bored as she listened to him speak. Felix and Leolin exchanged a glance. She knew he'd never admit it, even to himself, but she could see he was wounded by the knowledge she'd betrayed them.

"Take Rhydderich with you," Draco insisted. "He can help you manage Sharpe and you can keep an eye on him."

"I don't need a bloody babysitter," Gareth sulked.

"Until you prove we can trust you, General," Beau drawled. "You most certainly do. I'll start rounding up the lieutenants we know we can trust," Beau continued, already looking around. "When we do find Brank, we'll want to be ready to meet. All of us in the same room is a recipe for disaster."

"Good," Tieran affirmed. "We need to be ready to form our united front. We need the Americans on the same page."

"Chaisson," Draco ordered, making Felix clench his jaw in annoyance. "Take Gen with you. She can help the two of you look for Max and organize the others."

Draco eyes flitted to Leolin. Gen looked pained that Draco was ordering her away from him.

"No," Felix said automatically. "We don't have enough people to go three at a time. Gen can go with Taylor and help him round up the Americans while Rhydderich and I keep an eye on Sharpe and look for Brank."

"No," Draco snapped at once. "I don't want her going alone."

"She won't _be _alone," Harry said in irritation. "She'll be with Taylor. Keep up, Malfoy."

Draco narrowed his eyes at Beau. "I don't trust him with her."

"C'mon," Felix snarled. "Between Sharpe and this cretin," he jerked his thumb at Gareth. "I'm going to have my hands full. She a low priority for Pucey's crew."

"I've dealt with him before," Beau drawled. "I assure you I know how to handle myself. I'll have Genevieve's six if something comes up."

Draco frowned.

"I said no," he scolded firmly. "She's pregnant. I won't risk the baby's safety."

"You don't trust me to take care of her, General?" Beau sneered.

Leolin had forgotten that Beau and Gen had a past.

"No," Draco snapped. "I really don't."

"Jealous that I had her first?" Beau goaded.

"Beau!" Gen cried indignantly. "Please."

"I'll rip out your heart, Taylor," Draco said almost casually. Still, hatred glittered in his diamond eyes.

Leolin's throat ached. She hated watching Draco protect Gen, even if she understood why he was doing it.

"I'm with Chaisson and Taylor," Tiernan insisted. "She's tougher that you think, Malfoy, and Chaisson's right; we can't afford to go three at a time."

"I said no, goddamnit!" Draco growled.

"Then take her with you," Beau drawled. "Though that will honestly only put her in _far _more danger."

Gen looked at Draco hopefully, but he avoided her gaze.

"Alright," Draco said flatly. "G, you and I will look for Max and keep an eye on Adrian. Keep him off-balance. Taylor can round up the Americans."

"What about you, Lef?" Tieran said. "You're the one we really ought to be worrying about."

"I think you should stay here and wait for one of us to fetch you," Draco said.

"Absolutely not," Leolin said firmly. "We can't afford that."

"Consigue tu cabeza fuera de tu culo, Malfoy," Xavier snarled at Draco.

Draco clenched his jaw, infuriated by the fact Xavier was right.

"My head's up my arse, is it?" Draco demanded. "Why don't I shove my foot up yours, Borgia?"

"Stop," Pansy snapped in a thin voice. "This is neither the time nor the place."

"Looking at you, Malfoy," Harry said pointedly.

"Suck my cock, Potter," Draco shot back.

"Enough already," Beau drawled. "Y'all are _not _at Pig Pimples anymore."

"It's Hogwarts and you know it," Blaise grit out.

"Blaise, not now," Ginny warned.

"You infuriate me," Blaise snarled at Beau.

"You aren't my favourite either, Mocha Latte," Beau said casually, giving Ginny an obvious up-down.

"Oh my _gods_, Taylor!" Cara said fretfully. All the sniping was making her almost manic. "Stop being a twat or we turn you over to Adrian and let him torture you."

"A bit of an overkill, don't you think?" Beau defended, his tone still bored.

Gareth, perhaps seeing an opportunity to win some group favour, slapped Beau upside the head. Beau whirled at once, his hand clamped around Gareth's throat. The lack of oxygen turned Gareth's face red.

"Touch me again, you little rapist creep," Beau demanded. "I dare you."

"Let go," Ieaun urged.

Beau relinquished his grip grudgingly, and Gareth gave a hoarse cough.

"Are you done?" Tieran demanded of Beau, who tugged on his lapels to straighten his tuxedo jacket before adjusting his bowtie, which had gone escrew.

"For now," he sneered at Gareth.

"Right," Pansy said, her nervousness getting to her. "Lai, what is it you're going to be doing?"

"Looking for escape routes," Leolin said. "That way I'm out of the way and we have an way out for when the clock strikes twelve. I have a feeling we'll need to get out in a hurry."

"You can't go alone," Draco said at once. "It's out of the question."

"Merlin, Malfoy," Harry groaned. "Pick a side already."

"I saw the Faulkners when we came in," Pansy said, wanting to avoid another fight. "Tieran and I will put pressure on them and see what we can find out."

Tieran nodded.

"What about you two?" Harry asked Severina.

"We'll take Rawle and Thivierge," Severina said, face grim.

"What about Leolin?" Draco demanded. "We're going to let her be the only one who doesn't have someone to watch her back? Explain to me, after New Orleans, how that makes any goddamn sense."

"She won't be," Xavier said. "Potter can keep tabs on Leolin and make sure Adrian doesn't get a whiff of her."

"Hell no," Draco sneered. "Need I remind anyone what happened last time Potter was in charge of protecting Leolin? She almost _died_."

"Still not my fault," Harry snapped.

"He's right," Leolin cut in at once. "It was mine, Drake. You know that."

She gave him a pleading look, and he turned away, looking at Gen instead.

"What about me?" Cara croaked.

They all traded glances.

"Perhaps you ought to stay here for now. You can run point," Pansy offered kindly.

Cara gave a grateful nod. After hearing from Kelly, she didn't seem up to a firefight.

"I'll be ready when the time comes," she agreed, and Ginny—who was closest to her— took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"We'll keep an eye on Rosier," Luke said, looking at Ieuan. "He always seems to be up to something odd he shouldn't be. I'm afraid it might be his job to distract the Americans. We'll make sure he doesn't succeed."

"Be careful," Blaise warned. "He's not nearly as dumb as he looks."

Luke nodded, and Ieuan squeezed his hand.

"And you?" Draco asked to Blaise.

"Gin and I will eavesdrop as much as we can. We'll keep it moving and see what everyone's job is. We'll have a better handle on how to fight back if we know their plan of attack."

"The tricky part is going to be communication," Gareth explained. "This charm will interfere with comms, make them more susceptible to hacking."

"Great," Harry groaned. "It was starting to get too easy."

"Only communicate when necessary, then," Tieran said. "And keep it brief."

"This is a disaster in the making," Beau growled.

"Nothing we can do about that," Felix pointed out.

"We've lingered here too long," Xavier pointed out. "We need to start moving."

They all looked at one another. Leolin's heart was in her throat, making it hard to breathe.

"Good luck," Ginny whispered. "Everyone be careful."

Draco caught Leolin's eye.

She nodded.

"Venga, Rina mia," Xavier said to Severina, jerking his head to the door. "Vaminos."

She nodded, accepting his hand. She turned back for a moment.

"Be careful, amici," she warned.

With that they slipped from the door.

"We should go, too," Ieaun said. "Rosier could be anywhere, and Merlin only knows what he's up to."

"Us too," Pansy said. "We need to make headway while Adrian's still in the dark. When he figures this out it's going to get infinitely harder."

She and Tieran followed out.

Cara wordlessly retreated a corner of the room and sank into a plush armchair that faced the fireplace, her back to them.

The crowd was thinning now, and as it did the tension in the room grew.

Harry turned to Leolin, ignoring Draco.

"I'm going first and scout," he told her. "Wait for me. I'll let you know when it's clear."

She nodded numbly.

"Floo if you're in trouble," he said in a soft plea. "I mean it, Leolin."

"I will," she intoned. "I promise."

She could feel Draco eyes on her back.

Harry gave Draco a grim look before turning to the door.

"C'mon, Drake," Gen said, tossing head in latent agitation. "We need to go."

Leolin tentatively turned to look at them. Gen's look was downright hateful, and she made a point of putting a hand to her stomach, her sparkling dress winking cruelly up at Leolin.

"Wait," Ginny said, surveying Gen.

"Now what?" Gen snapped

"That dress needs to go," Ginny pointed out. "It's too conspicuous. It's way too conspicuous."

Gen looked on the verge of frustrated tears, sneering at her counterpart.

"You can't do it using magic," Gareth interjected. "Too much magic on her is going to weaken the charm keeping her hidden."

"What do you propose then?" Felix said.

"I saw someone wearing a plain black dress when we came in," Ginny said. "It not perfect, but it's the best we have."

"You take Gen with you, then," Blaise said to Ginny. "Find this girl. Draco and I will do a preliminary sweep and met you two back up."

Ginny and Gen traded a nasty look.

"Fine," Ginny said. "Let's go, you."

Gen looked back at Draco mournfully, and he nodded.

"Go on, G. I will find you soon."

A singing tension hovered in the air, making it hard to breathe. Felix jerked his head at Beau and Gareth before leaning in to kiss Leolin's cheek.

"Be safe, ma belle. Je t'aime."

She nodded, touching her cheek.

"Always. And je t'aime aussi. Revenez me."

He nodded, ignoring Draco's hateful glare at Leolin's declaration of love and plea that Felix return to her.

"This century, foxy-boy," Beau drawled.

Felix followed without a word.

Now if was just Leolin, Gen, Draco, Ginny, and Blaise.

"C'mon Gen," Ginny said in a clipped tone. "We need to get you out of this dress before someone sees you in it."

Gen sneered at Leolin again but pushing herself against Draco, kissing him heatedly. He was stiff and wooden, but she didn't immediately relent. However, finally she was forced to, and Draco and Leolin both seemed to relax a little.

"I'll find you as soon as I can," Draco affirmed.

She nodded.

"I love you," Gen pressed.

Draco nodded tightly.

"I know," he said in a pained voice. "Take care of yourself and the baby. Please."

Gen nodded, eyes filled with tears. Leolin clenched her jaw, feeling oddly guilty.

"Gen," Ginny prompted. "We have to go."

Gen turned finally, wiping her eyes as she followed wordlessly out the door.

It was just Leolin, Blaise, and Draco now.

"C'mon Drake," Blaise said in a soft voice, eyes flicking between the couple. "It's time."

Draco nodded, but his eyes haven't left Leolin.

"Be careful," Draco demanded. "I mean it."

She nodded.

"I promise," she said.

He glanced at Blaise, who looked away in deference. Taking advantage of the privacy, he advanced, taking her cheeks and kissing her softly.

"I'll find you before the clock strikes twelve," he promised. "Wait for me."

She nodded, raising her chin again for another kiss. He dropped his forehead to hers.

"Until midnight, then," he said.

She nodded, biting her lip to keep the ball of emotion in her throat from rising like bile.

"Until midnight," she affirmed.

As they disentangled and Blaise jerked his head towards the door, Leolin's comm clicked on.

"We have a problem," Felix said. "Pucey has the ballroom completely sown up. There's no way through."

"Or back," Xavier replied. "Rawle and Nott are in the outer rim to form the dragnet. You're stuck."

"Can't you distract Rawle?" Blaise demanded, trading a hardened glance with Draco.

"Not without giving away Chaisson and the others' position. If we move on them, the trap's going to snap shut on anyone in the ballroom."

"So we're sitting ducks," Beau snapped. "Is that what you're telling us?"

"Borgia's right," Tieran said, unable to keep his voice from quaking slightly. "Pucey clearly studied this place inside and out. This whole thing is about go to Hell unless we act now."

"What are we supposed to do?" Ieaun all but pleaded. "We can't just sit here and wait for them to catch us!"

Leolin, who'd remained silent throughout the exchange, made up her mind. She turned to give Draco one last look before taking off. He seemed to anticipate her action from the look in her eyes, but he wasn't quick enough to grab her, and she was immediately off like a shot.

"Leolin!" Draco hissed through the comm as she weaved expertly to the ballroom. She naturally knew the layout far better than he did.

"What side of the ballroom is he on?" Leolin demanded, ignoring Draco.

"East," Severina replied. "What are you going to do?"

"Leolin, goddamnit," Draco cried more emphatically through the comm. "Don't even fucking think about it."

"What are you—" Harry began, but in a second his question was answered as Leolin burst full speed through the Easternmost doors of the grand ballroom. Her unceremonious entrance drew eyes like wildfire, and despite how crowded it was, she cut through the swell with ease.

"Leolin," Felix hissed. "What the _hell_—"

"Everyone get ready to move," Leolin instructed in a breathless whisper. Her heart was running mad in her chest.

"Leolin, don't!" Pansy warned, but it was too late.

"Adrian!" Leolin announced loudly, still shouldering past people and making her way towards the balcony at the Western end of the room. "Adrian Pucey!"

She was at the centre of the ballroom now, and she spotted him instantly at the top of the balcony surveying the crowd. Like Leolin, he was dressed all in black, and he looked fierce as ever. Torrii stood at his left, Annalysee at his right. She met his gaze boldly, opening her arms and letting him drink in her fitted gown and the serpentine figure underneath.

"Here I am, you prick," she called in challenge. She hoped desperately that she sounded brave, because in truth she'd never been more afraid. "You want me? Come and get me!"

He was already snarling orders at Torrii and Annalysse as she turned tail and fled, fighting through the crowd, which had become considerably less pliant following her outburst. Adrian, instead of following her into the melee, took off down the upper corridor that overlooked the ballroom. Tieran was right; Adrian knew the layout of the building intimately, and instead of chasing her, he was going to try and head her off.

However, knowing this only made avoiding him nominally easier, and she tried to take the most illogical route, cutting sharply back several times. However, the building was a circular design and no matter how you sliced it, Adrian was either going to end up chasing her or running into her.

"Scamander, Lefevre," Beau chided. "Are you crazy?"

"Rina," she said breathlessly in reply. "Ginny, Blaise, Ren. Did it work? Did you get out?"

"Yes," Tieran replied. "You were brilliant, Lefevre."

"Lai," Ginny breathed. "Where are you? Adrian was headed East, the last we saw him."

"I'm not sure where I am," Leolin admitted, spinning to try and find her baring. "The circle is throwing me off."

"Imagine it as a clock," Draco instructed. "The balcony was midnight. Now what time is it where you are?"

"I don't know," Leolin said, trying to judge the curvature of the darkened hallway she was in. "Four, maybe? Or seven, I can't really tell."

"I would guess Pucey ended up around nine/nine-thirty," Tieran said. "So be careful."

"I will," Leolin agreed. "But I honestly think I lost—"

"_Lay-oh-leen._"

"What was that?" Draco demanded.

"Fuck," Leolin whined to herself, trying each door, all of which were locked "Fuck. Fuck. _Fuck."_

_"_Is that Adrian?" Severina demanded.

The throaty purr was closer now, bouncing off the walls and trapping Leolin in.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are."

"Callie!" Draco called desperately, but Leolin immediately shut her comm off to avoid detection.

"I'm tired of all your childish antics, Lefevre," Adrian warned, voice steelier now. "Come here and face me."

She only had one more hall to try, and she was bleeding through hope fast.

"When I find you," Adrian promised, voice sounding closer still. "I'm going to rip that gorgeous little dress off of you and finally give you that lesson in respect."

Leolin slunk around the last corner, fighting hysteria when she unexpectedly slammed into a figure who'd emerged from one of the locked doors.

"Thenard, what are you—"

"Crofton!" Leolin hissed in relief, half-collapsing against her old rival. He stiffened at her touch, though his brow furrowed in concern when he saw the look on her face. "Help me," she pleaded as Crofton looked up towards the sound of Adrian's voice. "Please!"

He nodded, immediately pressing a palm to the door from which he'd just emerged. It shuddered in recognition of his touch and he pushed her inside.

"No matter what happens," he warned. "Don't open this door unless I tell you to."

They met eyes and she nodded wordlessly. There weren't an overabundance of things she admired about Crofton Teller, but his bravery was admittedly one of them. With one last grim look, he shut the door and she all but collapsed against it.

"You," she heard Adrian sneer. "Where's Lefevre?"

Leolin could practically see Crofton bristling self-importantly.

"I fail to see how that's any of your concern."

"Do you have any idea who I am?" Adrian demanded. "Step aside, yank."

"I know _exactly_ who you are, Captain Pucey. But this is American soil. I'm afraid being the British Minister's attack dog doesn't hold much weight here."

"I know Lefevre is behind that door," Adrian said. "Give her to me. _Now._"

Leolin held her breath.

"I haven't seen her since she arrived," Crofton countered coolly. "And even if she were with me, I assure you that you are the last person I would be handing her over to."

"This is your last chance," Adrian snarled. "I'm warning you."

"Then consider me warned," Crofton replied.

"Give her to me or I will kill you and drag her out over your corpse."

"An empty threat," Crofton pointed out. "Your wand won't work inside the embassy, and my men outnumber yours ten to one. You're in over your head, Captain. Back. Off."

"I—"

"Adrian!" came Annalysse's voice through this comm. It was faint, but Leolin could still here it clearly. "I just saw Lefevre. She must have doubled back. I'm following her now."

After that the her voice died away, and Adrian gave a growl of frustration.

"After I find Lefevre," he warned Crofton. "I'm coming back to deal with you, Teller."

"When you see her," Crofton snapped back. "Tell her I'm still looking for her."

Adrian gave one more throaty snarl before heading off. When he was gone, the door shuddered again and Crofton appeared. He was paler than usual, but his annoyingly self-righteous expression was otherwise unchanged.

He nodded to her grimly, and Leolin exhale a breath and clicked her comm back on.

"Leolin!" Severina burst. "Where are you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Leolin said with another exhale as she eyed her dubious new ally. "I'm with Tex."

"Teller?" Severina said, laughing prettily in relief. "Tell him I say bona sera!"

He sneered at Leolin, who was smiling faintly now, too.

"Only the two of you could remain glib in the face of mortal peril," he accused.

Leolin's smile widened slightly.

"Did you hear that, Ri?" Leolin said mirthfully.

"I just saved your ass," Crofton sneered. "Is that really all the thanks I get?"

Leolin sobered up considerably.

"You're right," she admitted in a soft, sheepish voice as Severina clicked off the comm. "I'm sorry."

"So how do you know the good Captain?" he asked after a beat or two of silence.

"We were schoolmates at Hogwarts."

"And what does he want with you? It seems—" he paused uncomfortably. "—personal."

"I suppose it is," Leolin said, biting her lip."I think if you hadn't of showed he might have—"

He shook his head.

"You're stronger than that, Thenard," he said in a gruff but reassuring gesture.

"Please," she said quietly, smiling sheepishly again. "Call me Leolin."

Leolin comm cracked again.

"Callie!" Draco's voice croaked. "Tell me you're alright."

"I am ," she affirmed. "I'm with Crofton Teller."

"Camden Tanner?" he asked dryly. "How is he?"

Crofton scowled.

"Not in the mood for jokes, at the moment," she said delicately.

"How did you shake Adrian?"

"Blake threw he off the scent after Teller covered for me," Leolin said.

"Leolin," Draco said more seriously. "Don't _ever_ do that again. Do you understand?"

"You know I can't agree to that," Leolin said, wishing she didn't have to share her private conversation with Crofton Teller, of all people. "I'm his weakness, Drake. I have to exploit that."

"You scared me," Draco said softly. "I was afraid I was going to lose you."

"You know I'm tougher than that," she assured him. "See you at midnight."

Her tone was full of meaning, and Crofton seemed to sense that what she was really saying was '_I love you_', because he rolled his eyes and grit his teeth.

"I'll be waiting," Draco said, and with that he clicked off.

Leolin turned to Crofton.

"You ought to know that Pucey brought his whole crew for a reason. I think he's going to try and take this place tonight and quell American support before it starts."

"Then he's going to be disappointed," Crofton said in a hard voice. "There stars and strips aren't so easily broken. You can tell him I said that."

"I'd prefer not to," she admitted. "I'd rather you lot just showed him."

He nodded.

"Consider it done, then."

He turned to the door, but she grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Wait," she said.

"What?" he snapped. "Let go."

"We need your help, Crofton," Leolin said. "We need official support. That's why we came here tonight."

He contemplated this.

"You don't know what you're asking for," he said finally. "If you did, you'd know the price is too high."

"I'm not doing it lightly," she said. "I have no idea how much the IAO knows about the American spy strain in the Malfoy administration, but they can't work alone. They need backing from you lot. From your president and the congress."

"That operation is unsanctioned," Crofton said. "And it's coincidentally also treason. Its not for civilians to spy on foreign powers."

"Then make it the IAO's job,' she reasoned. "Talk to your people and meet me at ten thirty. We can make it formal then."

He considered this proposition.

"There is a painting of Amarillo Lestoat on the third floor. Press a drop of blood to his lips and you can go in. That's where we can meet."

She nodded gratefully.

"Thank you, Crofton," she said, extending her hand for him to shake. "You won't regret it."

He eyed it for a moment before accepting it.

"Leolin," he replied, tone almost unbelievably devoid of malice or distain.

She gave a small smile he practically returned.

"I misjudged you," he admitted candidly after they let go. "You're not quite the woman I thought you were."

"Same," she said, retrieving an extra comm from her vanishment cache and tossing it to him. "I'll be in touch. See you at ten thirty."

He nodded and she turned the the door.

"Lefevre," he called. "One last thing."

She turned.

"Yes?"

His gaze had hardened again.

"I know it's you."

"Know what's me?"

"I know you're La Genie," he continued, un-phased by her feint of miscomprehension. "And you should know that when this is all over, I'm coming after you with everything I've got."

She smiled despite his threat. His expression wasn't vindictive, merely resolute.

"I know you know," she replied candidly. "And I would expect nothing less."

At this he did give a grudging half-turn of his lips, relieved in some way to have gained the truth from her.

"Have a good evening, then," he said calmly.

"Take care of yourself, Tex," she said."I'll see you later."

He nodded, and with that she slipped from the room and out of his sight.

She switched the comm so it was sounding just in her ear and clicked it on.

"Teller is going to bring the IAO around," she told the group. "Ten thirty, third floor. There is a portrait of a vampire on the third floor. That's where we're meeting."

"Good work," Tieran said.

"Has anyone made proper contact with Brank yet?" Leolin asked.

"He said he lost his comm," Felix said in reply. "But he's being flooing me. He's here, just trying to get his contacts in order."

"He lost his comm?" Blaise repeated dubiously. "Does that feel not right to anyone besides me?"

"He has a lot on his plate tonight," Gen snapped in defense. "Give him a break."

"It's not like him to let details slide," Beau pressed. "For once I'm with Zabini; I don't like this."

"Should I floo him?" Felix said.

"The line won't be secure in this building," Gareth said. "Don't relay any sensitive information over floo."

"We need to find him and get him a comm," Draco reasoned. "Taylor, take Rhydderich's comm and give it to Brankovitch. He doesn't need it anyway."

There was silence from Beau.

"You may have to delegate that task to someone else, General," he said gravely. "I am a bit preoccupied at the moment."

"With what?" Blaise snapped. "Stop being cute, Taylor."

"I just saw Sharpe and her slimy little boyfriend, and he looked none too pleased with her."

"So what?" Tieran said. "She said they fight all the time."

"He had her by the hair," Beau said. "And he was practically dragging her. She looked afraid."

"Joder," Severina breathed in comprehension.

"I think her cover blew and she got sprung in this trap same as us."

"Oh gods," Pansy breathed.

"When was it you saw them?" Leolin demanded. "And how long ago? We need to help her."

"Are you kidding me?" Draco said. "Absolutely not. Leolin, stop trying to push our luck."

"She would do it for us, if one of our places was reversed," Ginny said quietly. "She pretends not to care, but she does, and she would help us if we were in this kind of a jam. You know she would, Drake."

"It's too dangerous," Gen reasoned. "And for all we know, she could already be dead, and we could be risking our necks for nothing. Please, let's think this through!"

"Who asked you?" Ieuan said. "And how long ago,Taylor"About five minutes," Beau said. "They were headed to the Western part of the building, as far as I could tell. That's must be where Pucey's holding court."

"We can't just chase after them blindly," Tieran reasoned. "We need a plan first."

"I don't think we have time for one," Leolin said, throat feeling dry. "She's been making a mockery of Jaime for months, and think of how much of Adrian's intel she weaseled out of Quinn and funneled to us. We'll be lucky if they both aren't dead already."

"That's exactly my point," Gen said. "We shouldn't go."

She sounded fretful.

"We don't have a choice!" Ginny said. "We got her into this mess; we have to help get her out."

"It could be a trap," Xavier pointed out.

"Doesn't matter," Ieaun said resolutely. "We have to protect our own or we're no better than Adrian."

"Vale, tienes razón. Which way, Taylor?"

"I told you, they were headed counterclockwise around the circle at around three o'clock when I saw them. That was about fifteen minutes ago now. Maybe more like twenty."

"There is a a fairly big room at around ten forty five," Leolin affirmed, trying to remember the exact layout. "I would bet that's where they're camped out."

"When was the last time anyone has seen one of his crew?" Blaise asked. "I'm concerned they're all going to be there. We'll be outnumbered if they are. And no wands means hand to hand."

"I'll go first," Xavier said in a fierce voice. Leolin could imagine him now, muscles coiling as he drew his formidable power around him like a cloak. "This isn't about finesse. It's about creating fear, and that's my speciality."

"You can just burst in there swinging, Borgia," Pansy said. "We need more of a plan than that."

"A tactical plan does us no good," Xavier said. "We can't try and steal the upperhand quietly. We have to go in there and take it by force."

"We have to trust him, Pans," Blaise said. "He knows what he's doing, and he's right; this is going to be ugly either way. Better it be ugly on our terms."

"Go on, then, Borgia," Draco said gravely. "We have your back."

"Ginny," Blaise said seriously. "You and Gen can't be involved."

"What?" Ginny burst. "No! That's two more Adrian's going to have on us."

"Doesn't matter," Harry agreed. "It's too dangerous for the two of you."

"No—" Ginny began, but Blaise cut her off.

"Gin," he said softly. "If something happened to you or the baby, I would never be able to forgive myself. Please, for once, set aside that bravery I love so much and do this for me."

"Fine," Ginny bit out. "I am going to double back and check in with Cara. When you find Reagan, bring her to us. Cara has healer training, I think. She can look out for her."

"Agreed," Leolin said. "Now we have to go."

"Good luck," Ginny croaked. "Take care of yourselves. All of you."

"We will," Harry promised. "Borgia, lead the way."

"Meet us in the corridor in front of the room," Severina instructed.

They all did as instructed, and in mere minutes they were in position.

Leolin went immediately to Severina's side to squeeze her hand. Xavier already had his back to them. Tensing for the fight. As much as Leolin loved and admired him. In that moment she couldn't have been more frightened of him. She knew some part of him was yearning for this fight, looking forward to spill blood.

"Are we ready?" Felix said, eyes on Leolin.

She nodded as if he'd said it only to her.

"Let's do this," Ieaun croaked.

Leolin glanced at Draco, glad that everyone was looking at their own loved ones and not paying attention to her.

"I know you're thinking you have to protect me in there," she whispered. "But don't. Focus on the mission and I promise I'll be fine."

He touched her cheek briefly even as Xavier twirled the blade in his hand, preparing to advance the troops.

"Never," he said. "I'll defend you with my last breath."

"Then we have to work together," she said. "You watch my back and I'll watch yours."

He nodded.

"Agreed."

"Listos?" Xavier asked.

"As we'll ever be," Beau said. His prescence was nearly as fierce as Xavier.

"No mercy, amici," Severina warned. "Give no quarter, because you won't be offered any from them."

"Now, Borgia," Tieran said, and with that Xavier charged forwards, bursting through the door with incredible force.

"Bona Sera amici," he snarled as everyone in the room leapt up and once.

Dom Godfrey, who was even beefier than he'd been as the Hufflepuff quidditch captain, charged first, but Xavier was ready for him. When Dom was close enough, Xavier grabbed him on either side of his head and snapped his neck like a twig.

He stepped over Godfrey's body even as it fell to the group, and Leolin and the other rushed in behind him, grabbing targets at will.

"You next," Xavier snarled at Adrian, twirling the stilleto in his hand deftly.

Adrian appeared undaunted as he too bared his pearly teeth.

"Tate," he sneered. "Bring Borgia down."

Severina looked up at Tate in alarm as he advanced on Xavier, but before she could react Torrii had lunged at her, knocking her to the ground.

Leolin met eyes with Annalysse, and she latter nodded the slightest amount. Sufficiently protected by the melee, she forced Teddy Nott down, and Leolin kicked him in the temple, knocking him out cold.

Draco, as promised, kept an eye on Leolin even as he showed down with Evan Rosier and Leolin grappled with Landon McNair. Severina was still struggling with Torrii when Tate, who'd been working in tandem with Adrian, managed to bring Xavier down to his knees. He tossed Adrian Xavier's knife and forced his arms behind him back.

"Say your goodbyes, Borgia," Adrian snarled, raising the blade and preparing to plunge it into Xavier's chest.

"NO!" Severina screamed, scrambling free and in front of the blade. Adrian slashed her arm as she raised it to shield her face. The cut bubbles rubies, but she didn't relent, She kicked a leg out and forced Adrian back several steps. Leolin, who'd gotten free of McNair, took the opportunity to catch Tate unawares and knock him out.

"Severina!" she cried as Adrian advanced again on a defenseless Severina. She was still shielding her husband's unconscious form, and she had no place to go.t

"Sev!" Leolin cried, dodging around leaping at Adrian, grabbing him by the waist and driving him to the ground with her momentum. The knife clattered to the floor and his head smashed against it with a sickening crack, knocking him out cold.

She looked around wildly. The room was empty now. She's seen Draco chase Thivierge from the room, and Blaise had already retreated back to Ginny.

"We have to get Xavy out of here," Severina said in a panic. "Help me lift him!"

Leolin didn't move. She was staring at Adrian and the knife, which lay only a few feet from him. THis was her chance to end this once and for all.

"Leolin!" Severina cried in a panic, already half-dragging Xavier. "Aiutatemi Please!"

Leolin looked back at Severina's wildly panicked gaze, which was stricken with tears. Turning her back to Adrian and the knife, she did as she was bid and helped Severina carry Xavier to safety. By the time they'd managed to get him to a secluded room several doors down, he was already coming around.

"Rina," he croaked as they eased him into a chair. "Rina mia."

"Oh my gods," Severina sobbed. "Grazie di Merlino."

"Are you alright," he said, eying her bloody arm. "You saved my life."

"I'm fine," she sobbed. "It's nothing."

Leolin stood as they embraced.

"I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" Xavier said weakly.

"To finish this once and for all," Lelin said gravely.

"No!" Severina said, grabbing her arm.

"Yes," Leolin countered, shaking her off. "I have to do this, Sev, and you have to let me. I'll never have a better chance."

Severina finally nodded.

"Make it quick and come right back."

She offered Leolin her own knife, which Leolin gripped tightly.

"Thank you," she said.

With that she headed back, holding the knife so tightly her knuckles were white. Her ears where buzzing. This was it.

She burst back into the room, knife in hand, only to be thrown against the wall.

"Looking for me?" Adrian snarled. "I'm touched."

She raised the knife in her left hand, but Adrian slammed her wrist against the wall, forcing her to let go reflexively with a cry. He forced her head against the wall again, making her dizzy

"You're so pathetic," he snarled, eyes sparkling with triumph and sick desire. "You and your _pitiful _heroine's complex. You should have disappeared when you had the chance, Lef, because now I'm going to make you pay."

She struggled against his grip and he held tighter as he studied her. After a moment of looking the crease between his eyebrows vanished and his hooded eyes sparkled as he licked his full lips.

"You really are incredibly beautiful," he purred almost reverently. "You always have been."

"Let go," she whispered. "Please."

He ignored her.

"I used to think that Isobel was my greatest prize, but now I see it's been you've I've wanted all along. Since school, even. Since you were Malfoy's little toy."

"Get off," she said, their so close that her breathe fell on his expectant lips.

To her eternal surprise and unexpected horror, he acquieced, stepping back and raising his arms in surrender. His beautiful smile made her sick.

"You don't get it," he taunted, gold eyes glittering. "I'm not going to take you by force; I'm going to _own_ you, body and soul. I'm going to rob you of who you are and make you my creature. When I'm done, your world is going to rotate on my axis.

Her heart was pounding so hard her ribs had begun to ache. She'd thought she'd been afraid of him all the times he'd struck her, but she realised in that moment she hadn't known true fear until then. Her bold had gone so cold at his utterance that her teeth were practicaully chattering.

"So run along," he goaded. "I'm not going to chase you; I don't have time to deal with you properly now anyways. So go, run and hide. Go and enjoy your freedom while it lasts, because I promise you there isn't a place in the _cosmos _you can hide that I won't find you. Go on," he prompted with a smile. "_Run. _I'll see you soon enough."

She was glued to the wall by her terror, arms wrapped protectively around herself.

"Have you gone deaf, Lefevre?" he laughed, giving her a blithe smile. "Get out of here!"

Finally his words began to resonate and she took off, running until she couldn't breathe and she was convinced he was miles behind her. It was only then that she switched her comm back on, at which point was she inundated.

"Leolin!" Ginny cried. "Where have you been?"

"Are you alright?" Felix demanded.

"Callie," Draco breathed. "Tell me you're safe."

"I am," she affirmed.

"What happened with Pucey?" Severina demanded. "Is he dead?"

"No," Leolin croaked. "He was playing me."

"How did you get away?" Harry said.

"I—" she croaked. "He let me go."

"What? Draco said. "Why?"

Leolin put her hand to her mouth to muffle her tears before replying.

"I don't know," she lied, unable to bear reliving Adrian's promise. "I don't know."

"I hate to bust up a reunion, ladies and gentleman, but we have a problem," Beau said in a serious drawl. "Rhydderich and I got seperated in the duel and I can't find him."

"I will see your problem and raise you mine," an unexpected voice croaked.

"Kelly!" Cara cried.

Leolin had admittedly forgotten she'd even come.

"He knows," Kelly intoned. "Adrian knows we have the coins and he's making a play for them tonight. I convinced him to head to Rome, but I can't be sure he bought it."

"Who tipped him off?" Tieran demanded.

"I don't know," Kelly admitted. "But that's not all. Adrian has Sharpe and Br—fuck, I have to go."

His comm went dead.

"Fuck," Draco breathed.

"Found Rhydderich," Gareth intoned gravely. "He's dead."

"Adrian killed him?" Harry said.

"He broke the vow," Felix surmised. "He betrayed us. That's how Adrian knows."

"Oh gods," Pansy pleaded. "What the fuck are we going to do?"

"The only thing we can do right now," Tieran said. "Go meet with the Americans. It's time."

Leolin turned the comm off and made her way there quickly, praying Adrian's crew was still recovering from the fight. She approached the painting, knicked her thumb with a small blade and offered it to the vampire, who licked his lips greedily.

"Much obliged," he said, and she winced as she pressed her finger to his lips. When opened her eyes again, the portrait had swung in.

"Leolin!" Severina breathed, gathering her in her arms. "You weren't followed, were you?"

"Not that I know of," Leolin breathed, giving Xavier a warm look as well. "They are still trying to pull off toppling this embassy. My guess would be they're busy with that."

"Thank Merlin," Ieaun replied, entering with Luke in tow.

"No Americans yet?" she queired.

"And no Brankovitch," Xavier said.

"He's coming," Felix said, entering and immediately folding Leolin into his embrace. "I just spoke to him through the floo."

Leolin nodded, pressing an ear to his chest and allowing herself to be soothed by his heartbeat.

"Are you sure the IAO is going to show?" Tieran said, having just arrived.

"Teller's not an idiot," Leolin said. "He knows this is in their best interest as well as ours." "Has anyone seen Draco?" she asked.

Nearly everyone had arrived now.

"Not since the fight," Blaise admitted. "But I've talked to him. He's alright."

"Where are the Americans?" Harry asked, consulting his watch. "It's already eleven fifteen."

Just then a panel in the back wall swung around, and a group of strangers filed in, Beau behind them.

Crofton Teller's eyes snapped to Leolin at once, and he gave her a terse nod. It was reassuring. It meant things were likely to go there way.

Olivia Westmoreland was behind him, and her eyes were teeming with fear. She looked around nervously. Leolin sensed that she was ill-at-ease without Max there. Leolin understood the feeling; she was anxious for him to arrive as well.

There was also a strapping Hispanic man and a small, watery-eyed man with only wisps of grey hair on top. The next two were a pair of fierce-looking blonde twins. They looked more like private security than diplomats. After them was Peter Fairchild, Teller's direct superior and the assistant director of the IAO. He had closely cropped hair and a perpetually bland look on his face. He pushed the spectacles up his nose with a pudgy finger before catching sight of Leolin and giving a slight frown. He looked at Crofton for confirmation before looking back and giving her a grim look.

"Where are Draco and Max?"

The portrait swung in.

"Drake," Leolin breathed.

"I'm here," he said, coming immediately to her side and smoothing her hair. "That Merlin you're alright."

It was then that Gen appeared, and she stiffened at seeing Draco and Leolin's quasi-embrace. Still, after a moment her face grew resolute.

"Brank?" Tieran repeated.

"He just flooed me," Beau said, looking down at his floo. "He'll be here in five."

"So," Fairchild began, voice hard. "Special Agent Teller tells me that want to negotiate a formal alliance with the United States Wizarding Government. However, I am hesistant to recognise this group as a legitimate body of government."

"That's because we aren't," Pansy said in her practiced lawerly way. "We never claim to be. We merely represent the British Ministry and the British Wizarding Nation, whose authority has been usurped by Lucius Malfoy and his administration. The United States has long since been an ally of the British Wizarding Nation. We formally ask your honour that alliance and support our effects against the Malfoy regime."

"Alliances and treaties are generally the tools of war. Are you suggesting this is wartime?"

"It soon will be unless we do something," Pansy replied calmly.

"If I may, sir, this behooves us," Crofton said, glancing at Leolin. "Our intelligence informs us that Minister Malfoy's gaze extends across the Atlantic. With all due respect, the president's splendid isolation policy is misguided. To pretend this conflict isn't a threat to American freedom would be a mistake."

"This is the third British Wizarding War in a generation, and never have they extended to our door," the hispanic man pointed out. "I'm afraid this is your fight, not ours."

"The first two wars were against a completely different power," Draco said sharply. "Do not mistake my father for Lord Voldemort. They operate on two different agendas."

"Still," the watery-eyed man said. "We are not in the business of funding rebel forces. Furthermore, Max Brankovitch may see himself as a diplomat, but it's treason for him to promise to do so on the United States government's behalf."

"Forget Brankovitch, then," Blaise snapped. "We are making this petition to this delegation. Do you _not _represent the Federal government."

Fairchild bristled at this barb.

"What is it your asking for?"

"An American presence here in London. Money, supplies, and troups, if need be."

"Why is it always our job to protect Europe?" Fairchild said. "When will she learn to protect herself?"

"Where were you when the Dark Lord rose last time?" Pansy demanded. "_Thousands_ of witches and wizards died, not to mention thousands of Muggles. Your arrogance didn't lend a hand. France was there. Switzerland. Italy. Greece. Spain. Where were you?"

Teller clenched his jaw. Leolin suspected that he'd been one of the ones who'd fought for American intervention. She knew he had a staunch sense of justice.

"And we need you to hold this building tonight at whatever cost," Leolin said seriously. "Malfoy's men are planning a coup here, and if they succeed we will all be in danger."

The Americans exchanged fearful glances. Diplomats in tuxes were rarely up for a firefight.

"I will lead to defense myself," Teller assured Fairchild. "Along with Ramsey and Marx." He gestured to the beefy blondes. "We have more than enough IAO officers to hold this building."

Fairchild nodded, but the Hispanic man piped up

"This doesn't undo the laws that have been broken," he assured them. "Those of you who were involved," he looked at Beau and Olivia. "Will have to stand trail when this is over.

Beau rolled his eyes and crossed one arm over the other.

"Cry me a _river_, General. We were trying to preserve the Wizarding world. We would be in this position if Brank and our organisation weren't willing to bend a few rules. Besides, if y'all had done your civil duty, we wouldn't have had to break them in the first place."

"Not rules," Fairchild snapped. "_Laws_, Mr. Taylor. You may think the American justice system doesn't apply to you, but I assure you that it will."

"Not if you die in the conflict, it won't," Beau said nastily.

"Is that a threat?" Ramsey demanded.

"An observation," Beau amended fiercely.

"Taylor, enough," Blaise said harshly. "You knew the risks."

Beau sneered at Blaise.

"Easy for you to say, Zabini. You're not facing federal prison."

"You're missing the bigger picture, Fairchild," Xavier pointed out, ignoring Blaise and Beau. "We're trying to save lives."

"You'll get yours too in the end, Borgia," Fairchild sneered. "You and your wife both."

Severina was on her feet now.

"Your petty threats don't frighten me," she said in a commanding tone. "Ours is a higher purpose. We have no time for your pale sense of right and wrong."

"If I were a judge and this a court of law," the Hispanic man said. "I would accept that as an admission of guilt."

"Well you aren't," Pansy pointed out. "And this isn't. This isn't about whatever bone you're obviously looking to pick," she reminded them. "This is about justice. Now will you help us, or will you let the manner in which we arrived at this treaty taint its importance?"

Teller and the Hispanic man exchanged a glance, and the latter was disapproving.

"Yes," Teller agreed. "We're natural allies in this. Let's make it formal."

"Brank has the contract," Felix said. "We have to wait for him."

The portrait swung open as if on cue.

"Sorry I'm late!" Max said with an affable smile, winking at Leolin for a split second before looking down at the table. "Fucking Pucey's dogs are everywhere."

Everyone looked relieved to see him, save Gen, who was biting her lip. Leolin might have normally found this odd, but under the circumstances Leolin didn't have much time to consider it.

"Any trouble?" Draco asked, Max glanced up at him for a brief moment before looking back at the table.

"None," Max said. "Though playing cat and mouse is wicked exhausting. I feel like I need a whiskey."

"Then were have you been all night?" Blaise demanded.

"I had to keep this out of the wrong hands," Max said, soundingly a little irritated now.

"Where's the contract, General?" Beau said.

Max looked at him momentarily before looking down to fish in his coat pocket.

"Here," he said, offering it to Felix before glancing away towards Olivia.

Unlike the others, he held her gaze was several steady seconds before he looked at Crofton, meeting his eye for an equal span of time.

"Teller, right?" Max said, smiling at Crofton. His eyes flicked to Leolin, but only for a half second. "Good to see you again."

"Where have you been?" Teller asked, scrutinising Max. "We've been discussing the terms you apparently laid out."

"I've been dealing with some last minute business," Max said.

He nodded to Draco before his eyes seemed to snap back to Teller. It was odd the way he was looking around. He seemed on edge. Perhaps he was just as nervous as the rest of them.

"Mr. Taylor says you have an extensive spy chain in the States and here. I want all those names from you, Brankovitch."

Brank waved a hand at him noncommittally.

"One thing at a time."

The clock struck eleven forty-five.

Max glanced at Felix again before they bled swiftly down to the contract he'd unfurled.

"You each need to sign."

He offered the quill to Felix without looking at him.

"Brank, you alright?"

Max glanced at him, smiled, and then looked down at the contract, indicating where Felix ought to sign.

"I admit I'm nervous," Max said, laughing a little. "Aren't you guys?"

His eyes swept over the Order members before he bent his head. Felix passed the quill to Draco who passed it to Blaise and so on. Max seemed to grow more impatient with every signature.

"Hurry up," he said as the Americans began to sign. "We are running out of time."

"Haste makes waste," Pansy said, eying Max critically. "We can't rush through this or we might get locked into something incorrect."

"Who asked you?" he demanded, not looking at her.

"Easy Brank," Beau cautioned. "We're on the same time, remember?"

Max looked at Beau then looked away.

"Sorry," he said, licking his lips eagerly as the parchment came to him at last. "You're right."

He dipped the quill in ink and moved to sign the scroll. As his left hand descended onto the parchment, Leolin frowned.

Max Brankovitch, she could have sworn, was right-handed.

"Wait!"

The door burst open, and Annalysse stood heaving, a sinister red fingernail pointed at Max.

"That isn't Brankovitch!"

All eyes snapped to Max's as the illusion melted off of him, leaving a snarling Anaïs in his place. Severina was momentarily stunned at this betrayal, and it was she her cousin targeted first.

"_Avada Kadavra!"_

Xavier countered, firing a curse of his own. She fired against and his shield defected it, missing Severina by several feet. Unfortunately, it didn't miss entirely. It struck Olivia square in the chest, and she slumped in her chair, dead.

"Liv!" Beau cried, whirling on Anaïs and casting another curse.

The door burst open even as he did, and Rawle, Thivierge, and the Faulkners, and several other of Adrian's crew stormed in.

Rawle immediately fired a curse at Draco, who fired one back

"Lefevre, go!" Teller screamed, dueling with Liam Faulkner. "Get out of here! We will cover you."

"Get the contract," Draco screamed.

Anaïs hadn't managed to sign it, and it was still valid.

Leolin snatched it, tossing it to Felix before shouldering past Rawle and disappearing from his sight.

"Twos!" she screamed over her shoulder. "The password to open doors is _sociorum_."

She didn't look back to see what the others were doing, simply tore for the far East wing. She wanted to be the one to go the farthest; it kept the others in the least amount of danger. Below, the ballroom had erupted into a full blown firefight, signaling Adrian had managed to puncture the protection charge ten minutes early. She felt a pang of guilt as she watched Kai Morris kill a young American woman, who slumped next to a corpe Leolin thought might be her husband. Leolin felt a coward for running, but she knew she had to. She had to get to Sweeney and the coins before Adrian could catch up.

"Secured," Tieran said as she sprinted, kicking off her heels as she ran. Her heart raced along with her pounding feet. "Pansy and I."

"I have Gen," Beau said, panting. "We're safe."

"We're headed far West," Severina said. "We have Thivierge and Rawle on our heels, but we will handle them."

"Dead centre," Blaise said. "Ginny and I are already inside."

"Shallow West," Luke and Ieuan said.

"Shallow East," Felix said. "And I have Cara Troy with me."

"Leolin!" Harry called. "Where are you? I'm in the West!"

"Just find a room," Leolin urged. "I'm too far East already."

"I'm not going to abandon you!" he cried. "Not this time."

"You only put me in more danger!" Leolin snapped. "Think of Grace and the girls. I will be safe, I promise. I'm five feet from my door."

"Where's Draco?" Gen demanded frantically. "Has anyone seen him?"

"He stayed behind to defend the Americans," Beau said.

"We have to find him!" Gen screamed.

For once Leolin agreed.

"She's right," Leolin said at once. "I'll double back."

"No!" Felix said. "He knows what he's doing!"

Leolin had reached her door now, and she said the password, flung it open, and burst inside, slamming it behind her. She laid against it, panting. She'd never been so scared in all her life.

"I'm here," Leolin said. "I'm safe. Where's Draco?"

"He'll be fine," Harry affirmed. "Ten minutes."

Leolin wiped tears of adrenaline from her eyes.

The comms were beginning to give out. Everyone's voices were growing faint. She felt so utterly alone.

"Brank," she choked. "And Sharpe. Probably Blake, too. She blew her cover warning us."

"I know," Beau said solemnly.

"Do you think they're—" Blaise began.

"Don't say it," Felix replied fiercely. "They're all stronger than that, and they still need them. When we get out of here we're going to rescue them, not matter what it takes."

"Agreed," Tieran said. "We owe him that."

"Everyone be safe," Ginny said. "Lie low. We will regroup and meet up in a..few...days..."

Her voice faded, and the comms went dead. Leolin was still breathing hard, and she wandered to the window, putting her hand to the frosted pain.

Seven minutes.

She looked out. What she wouldn't give to know that Draco was safe right now.

Five minutes.

If he died tonight, she would too.

She heard the door burst open and she screamed. How had they found her, and how had they gotten the password?

She turned, wand in hand, ready to defend herself. However, when she saw who it was she ran forward, throwing her arms around his neck as he lifted her gracefully off the ground.

"Draco!" she sobbed as he lifted her off her feet. "Oh my gods!"

"I told you I would find you," he said soothingly before kissing her fiercely.

"I love you," she affirmed. "Thank Merlin you're alright."

She stroked his cheek. There was a small cut along his left cheekbone, a thin violet bruise blooming along the ridge.

"I love you too," he breathed, dropping his forehead to hers. "Oh my gods, I love you. You were so brilliant tonight. I never get over how brave you are."

He stroked her hair.

"I've never been this scared," Leolin said.

"I know," he breathed. "But you don't have to be. I'm going to be at your side from now on. I've never leaving it again."

Before she had time to process, the clock began to herald the hour.

We have to go," she said, detangling herself. "We don't have much time."

"No," he said solemnly. "Wait."

The clock clanged again.

"Drake, not no—"

He shook his head.

The clock rang a third time.

"I can't do this anymore, Lai," Draco whispered, cool breath falling on her lips. "I can't be without you, baby or no. I love you too desperately, and I know after what I've put you through I don't deserve you, but I love you."

Fourth chime.

"Drake, please—"

Fifth chime.

Draco fell to one knee.

"No matter what happens going forward," he said solemnly, diamond eyes alight. "I need you by my side. Until the sun rises in the west and sets in the east."

"Draco—"

He produced her dazzling ring from his pocket. It was the same one he'd given her seven years ago, and the very sight of it brought tears to her eyes. It glittered brilliantly even in the semi-darkness. Merlin, she'd forgotten just how big it was.

Sixth chime.

"Leolin," he breathed, and it seemed like he was somewhat close to tears himself. "My beautiful, _perfect_ Leolin, will you marry me?"

She covered her mouth as the clock struck a seventh time.

"Yes," she croaked, tears rushing now her cheeks. "Of course I'll marry you."

She pushed the ring onto her finger as he rose, kissing her fiercely.

Eighth chime.

Her floo buzzed as the charms crumbled around them. They could hear faint shouts growing louder.

_It's time,_ Nay, the note read._ Bring the coin and meet us at King's Cross. We're headed to Greece._

Ninth.

"That's Sweeney," she said, looking up at hime. "I have to go. It's time."

He nodded, cupping her cheek and dropping his forehead to hers.

Tenth chime. Eleventh.

"I'll meet you back at your flat when it's done," he said. "After that you and I are going to disappear for awhile."

He kissed her as if it might be the very last time.

The clock gave a final chime before falling utterly silence. The emptiness was filled with more cries and curses.

The charm dissipated with a mighty gust of air, and Leolin shrunk against Draco as it blew around them like a cyclone.

"I love you!" she said desperately.

He nodded before kissing her with abandon.

"Come back to me, Callie. I mean it."

"I promise," she said.

She kissed him again as he raised his wand and shattered the glassed, heaving them through and into freefall. He disappeared first and she a second after. She swirled and convulsed for what seemed like an eternity before finally landing.

* * *

Leolin arrived at King's Cross a short while later, pulse hammering. _This is it_, she thought. _Heart, don't fail me now._

* * *

**A/N:** Worth the wait? And yes, thank you for your concern. I was fine. Just busy. xx Please review.


	34. Chapter 33: The Mouth of Hell

**Chapter 33: The Mouth of Hell**

Leolin_ sat at her breakfast table in the manicured interior courtyard of the Palazzo Farnese in Rome. The previous owner had recently gone bankrupt, and Leolin took the opportunity to buy the Palazzo. It was enough out of the way to keep her from getting annoyed with the bustle of the city, but it was still lavish enough to suit her tastes._

_She was still in her dressing gown drinking an espresso when heavy boot-tread sounded on the stone walkway leading back into the marble hallway of the palazzo. She turned to look and sneered when she realised it was Cristian. She turned back to her coffee, completely uninterested in him._

_He was undeterred by her reception. He was used to it by now. She knew it irked him that the power dynamic between them had shifted, but he was paid so handsomely he was forced to swallow his dissatisfaction._

"_We have a problem," Cristian said in a bored tone, crossing his arms._

"_Yes we do," she agreed. "You're ruining my appetite. I didn't summon you. Get out."_

"_Swish was picked up last night. Teller's holding him in Florence."_

"_What?" she demanded, on her feet at once._

"_Do I have you attention now?" he asked wryly._

"_You better have come right here with this information," she snapped. "If I find that you sat on this for more than ten minutes, I will rip your heart out with my bare fucking hands."_

_He sneered._

"_No need to be nasty," Cristian said sullenly. "And yes, I came right here. Teller's put out word that he''s caught La Genie, and the buyers are in a state."_

"_Did Teller release Sweeney's name?"_

_Cristian shook his head._

"_Has he been charged yet?" she demanded._

_Again, he shook his head._

"_He doesn't have enough."_

_Her floo buzzed._

"_Bullocks," she said. "It's Teller. I have to get to Florence and set this straight. Call Severina then stay out of our way," she said._

_He folded one arm over the other._

"_You know," he sneered. "It wasn't so long ago that you were under my thumb. I would be careful how you speak to me, Leolin. You never know when the winds might change."_

"_I will kill you long before it ever gets to that," she warned. "And do as I say."_

"_Yes, your majesty" he said sullenly, and she disappeared upstairs to get dressed._

_She strode through the glass doors of the IAO an hour later, and Teller sneered as he took in her fitted black blouse and flame red pencil skirt._

"_You're late, Thenàrd," he sniped. "And this office has a dress code."_

"_I was in Rome when you flooed," she said evenly. "And I'm a consultant, not an employee. Besides, this is business casual. I'm not technically in violation of anything."_

"_Technically not," Teller growled._

_She gave a cat-like smile._

"_Why does it bother you so much that I'm beautiful?" she queried._

"_I don't think you are," he replied at once. "Only heinously unprofessional."_

_She sat on the nearest desk, casually dropping her expensive bag before crossing one shapely leg over the other._

"_Oh liar, __**liar**_**, **_darling," she purred. _

"_Get off my desk," he snapped._

_She ignored his directive._

"_Where's the suspect?"_

"_Holding cell B-4."_

_He handed her a file and she pretended to peruse it. In reality she was spinning her rims, trying to think of a way to get Sweeney out a trouble._

"_What makes you so sure this is him?" she said, still reading._

"_He was convicted of petty theft when he was sixteen, he's been confirmed to have been in 18 of the 37 cities that have been hit, and he fits the psychological profile."_

"_Psychological profile?" she asked._

_Shit. She hadn't expected Teller to be that clever._

"_Both his parents were killed in the British War, and he's a loner. Keeps himself to himself. The few people that seem to know him say he's arrogant; thinks he's better than everyone else."_

"_Is that enough to convict?" Leolin asked._

"_No," Crofton said. "We need a positive id from one of the buyers we've caught."_

"_That's not going to work," Leolin said, rolling her eyes. "La Genie isn't stupid. He has a fence."_

"_You don't know this guy like I do," Teller said, snatching the file from her. "He wants recognition from his buyers. He needs applause. One of the buyers knows him. I'll have confirmation by the end of the day. I want to charge this little jerk by tomorrow."_

_Leolin rolled her eyes, secretly glad that Teller was so predictable. He was unknowingly going to play right into her hands._

"_This isn't going to work, Teller! This is a bloody waste of my time."_

"_You're being paid to work this case," he sneered. "Get on it."_

"_On what?" she demanded. "You haven't given me any marching orders, Captain."_

"_Go bleed his guy. If you squeeze him maybe he'll slip up or crack."_

_Good, Leolin thought, she would get a chance to see Swish alone._

"_Fine," she said sullenly. "That's no more stupid than you trying to squeeze buyers."_

"_I'm going to leverage their cooperation," Teller corrected. "With immunity on the table, someone is going to spill the beans."_

"_You're understanding of human nature is so simplistic," she said, picking up the file._

"_No more than yours," he called, already halfway out the door. "Floor me after you're done with him"_

"_Fine," she called over her shoulders, already swiping her wand over the door to the holding cells. On recognising her wand, the door swung in and admitted her. She gave a casual glance over her shoulder to see if she was being followed before letting the heavy oak boom shut behind her. _

_Leolin kept her gait normal as she strode down the long stretch, her eyes focused on the file as she went. A wandering eye, the Wizarding version of a security camera, watched this part of the corridor, and it would look suspicious if she didn't act normally. The cells were thankfully unwatched, and when she reached the cell her posture remain nonchalant, though she caught Sweeney's eye and nodded. She unlocked the cell and stepped inside._

_The cells weren't watched, but they were still guarded by an extendable ear, mostly to keep aurors from mistreating suspects._

_She gave Sweeney a reassuring nod before pulling out the chair at the table and sitting down._

"_Mr…MacAngus, is it?" she said casually. "Have a seat."_

"_I'd rather stand," he replied, and she nodded to say that this resistance was good._

"_And I'd rather be lying on a beach somewhere. Sit. Down."_

_Finally he did as he's told._

"_We know, Mr. MacAngus," she said almost casually. "Why don't you just own up to this and save everyone the trouble."_

"_Own up to what?" Sweeney demanded. "I haven't __**done**__anything wrong."_

"_So you deny you're the art thief La Genie du Mal?" she asked._

"_Yes," he said. "Is that what this is about?"_

"_I'm going to read a list of names. Go ahead and tell me if any ring a bell. Francesco Cybo."_

"_No."_

"_Allesandro Farnese."_

"_No."_

"_Kassim Beyhan."_

"_This is pointless. I don't know anyone on this list!"  
_

"_Helmut Wohl."_

_She nodded and he sighed._

"_Yes, I know him."_

"_Ah, I see," she said smugly._

"_And how is it that you know him?"_

"_I handled some of his investments. I'm an accountant."_

"_I see. And where you aware he was purchasing stolen art?"_

"_I—yes, he said. He knew where she was going with this. They'd turned Wohl in with an anonymous tip. "I reported him."_

_She winked. They'd set Wohl up using a tip. That would give him some credibility._

"_That will be all, then. Good day, Mr. MacAngus."_

"_Wait!" he said. "I turned him in! As soon as I found out about the art! I turned him in!"_

"_So you've said," she sniffed._

_I'll get you out of this, she mouthed, and he nodded._

_So pulled out her floo even as she exited the cell, sending a quick message._

_ Sev,_

_Get to Alessandro Farnese's house and goad him into signing a gag. Vlad's creeping around Rome somewhere, are we're going to set him up._

_ -Lai_

_She then flooed Teller._

"_Hello?" he said tersely._

"_You were right," she said begrudgingly. "I think this MacAngus bloke's our man. He did Wohl's books for him."_

"_I've already talked to Wohl. Wohl said he had an accountant that he was sure sold him out. He also said the fence was a Frenchman, not a Scot."_

"_Then should I cut MacAngus loose?"_

"_No," he said. "Wohl's got hundreds of people working for him. He admits he doesn't know any of them personally. MacAngus could have heard what happened from someone else, possibly the fence. I'm going to keep digging."_

"_Where are you headed next?" she asked._

"_Farnese," Teller said. "He was the first one we caught. It could be La Genie hadn't worked out all the kinks yet."_

_Leolin smiled. She knew he'd go after Farnese sooner or later._

"_What am I supposed to do until then?" she demanded._

"_I don't care," Teller snapped. "Just don't leave the office."_

"_Fine," she said. "Floo if you find out something. I want to get back to Rome."_

_Teller hung up just as Leolin's floo buzzed again._

"_Sev?"_

"_It's done," Severina replied. "They both signed a gag they didn't even know they were signing. Honestly, men are so stupid."_

"_Good timing," Leolin said. "Teller is on his way to Farnese now. I can't wait for this whole thing to blow up. While Teller's squeezing Vlad, we're free to plan the next grab. Teller will be spinning in circles before he can get his bearing."_

"_Call me when it's done," Severina said. "We'll make a grand celebration out of it."_

"_I will," Leolin said, kicking her feet up on her desk. "Merlin, this is going to be so fun."_

_It perhaps seemed cruel to set two men unassociated with the La Genie as scape goats. On the other hand, Leolin would do anything for her family and her choices hadn't been accidental. Farnese had been accused of beating his wife and daughter to death in a fit of rage, and though he was convicted, the judge had mysteriously gone missing, and the charges were dismissed. Vlad had a penchant for young girls, and he'd been accused of raping them on several occasions, though never convicted._

_About an hour later, her floo buzzed._

"_And?" she said, seeing it was Teller._

"_Farnese turned over his fence, and the fence says he barely saw La Genie, but that he's a German named Achterberg. It's probably an alias, but it's a start."_

"_Oh congratulations, darling," she purred. "Can I leave now?"_

"_Yes. Release MacAngus on your way out?"_

"_So I tell him you're sorry?" she said._

"_Go to Hell," he replied_

* * *

Leolin heart was hammering in her chest when she arrived at King's Cross, and she looked around wildly, still half-expecting a trap. However, there was none, at least that she could see. Immediately she drew out her floo and hailed the twins, first Effie then Sweeney, to no reply. She snapped the floo shut, forcing herself to relax before casually heading down the main thoroughfare towards the platforms. The terminal was surprisingly crowded for the late hour, and it hummed with the conversations of the hundreds of muggles who thronged around her.

Their indistinct murmuring was setting her teeth on edge, but she was grateful for the coverage. She needed more than anything to blend in. Unfortunately, her elegant gown and diamond necklace were drawing bemused stares, as was her wand, and she hurriedly concealed it in a hidden pocket of the dress. She wish she'd thought to bring a change of clothes. Hopefully Sweeney and Effie would have some. She wanted to be able to make a quick break if she needed, and the heavy velvet of the garment was less than ideal. At the very least, she hoped they'd bring trainers. She'd kicked off her shoes in her haste to get away from Adrian after the fight, and on top of everything else, she was also currently barefoot.

Still feeling absurdly ill-at-ease, she glanced around before drawing a gleaming cigarette case from her cache, slipping a fag between her lips and pretending to light it with her floo as a pretense for being the flame close enough to speak into it without arousing too much suspision.

"Sweeney!" she hissed into the flames. "Where are you? I'm worried and I'm flying blind. Floo me back straightaway."

She snapped the sleek lighter shut just as a surly conductor appeared.

"You can't smoke in here, Miss!" he snapped in exasperation, pointing to a sign on the wall which said the same thing.

"My mistake," Leolin muttered, stowing the cigarette back in the case and vanishing it without thinking about it. However, she realised her mistakea second too late, and she glanced up at the man to find him studying her with scrutiny.

"So, what?" he said. "You a magician, or something?"

His tone suggested how unenthusiastic he was about this prospect.

"Something like that," she said. "Would you like to see a trick?"

He wrinkled his nose in contempt.

"Not really, thanks," he said, not sounding thankful at all.

Leolin shrugged, eager to end the exchange and keep moving. She felt exposed standing in one place for too long.

"Your choice," she replied flippantly. "Have a good night."

He tipped his cap.

"You as well, ma'am."

She made a small salutatory gesture and hurried on as quick as she could without arousing suspicion. When she felt she'd made it a respectable distance away, she glanced back and found the man had long since disappeared back into the crowd. Leolin then turned and flicked her floo open, feeling increasingly dismayed when there was still not word from Sweeney.

Trying not to panic, she headed on, though she felt her heart grow cold and sink and centimetre or so lower in her chest when she looked up to see an sullen Augustus Rookwood prowling along a catwalk thirty or so feet above her head, surveying the crowd below him.

_Fuck_, this was exactly what she'd been afraid of. Adrian was still tied up at the ministry, but he'd sent Rookwood ahead to ensure they couldn't leave the city. Luckily for her, the train from Paris had just arrived, and there was a fresh swell of bodies populating the main terminal. Still, Leolin could see Rookwood's keen eyes searching for her, and she knew if she remained where she was for too long, he wouldn't undoubtedly find her.

When she spotted Kai Morris as well, she surreptitiously slipped behind and fought to control her hammering heart. Adrian's inner circle was clearly still tied up at the embassy, but she suspected Rookwood and Morris had at least one other accomplice with them. Peeking out, she spied Marcus Flint, and she swore quietly under her breath.

_Fuck_, she thought. Without Sweeney or Effie, she had no chance of taking on all three of them. That meant she was going to have to find a way past without being seen. When she tried both of the twins again and once again received no answer, she eased her wand down into her palm, took a steadying breath, and readied herself.

She was La Genie du Mal; if anyone could do this, it was her.

Carefully she eased into the sea of people, moving with the ebb and flow to avoid drawing attention to herself. She resisted the urge to look up, keeping her chin instead tuck to her chest in an attempt to hide the resplendent diamonds at her throat. She was only a hundred or so yards from the catwalk they were standing on now, and if she could find a way underneath them, she could hide out at Platform 9 and 3/4 until she found the twins. For a moment she considered what she would do if they didn't show, but it was ultimately too hard to stomach that prospect, so she forged ahead instead.

When she was a mere ten yards from the platform and almost directly in Rookwood's sightline, she heard a small voice exclaim, "Look Mummy! A princess!"

Leolin looked over in horror and alarm to find a girl no older than six pointing straight at her.

"Olive," her mother chided, urging her in the opposition direction. "It's rude to point."

"But Mummy," Olive protested. "She looks like Cinderella!"

Her mother turned to give Leolin an apologetic look, but the damage was already done. Flint and Rookwood were on the move, wands raised.

The crowd screamed as Flint fired a curse into the throng, stunning a man and sending several others reeling back. Leolin fired a similar hex in his direction before tearing off, hoping vainly she'd be able to lose the trio in the chase.

Unfortunately, Kai Morris was quicker than expected, and he was on her heels from the jump. Luckily for Leolin, he was a poor dueler, and even her fleeing back wasn't a good enough target.

Taking his loss as her gain, she turned and hit him squarely in the chest with a stunning spell that blasted him off his feet. Wasting no time, she dove head first at the pillar between 9 and 10, hoping too late that the powers that be would sense her distress and magically open the platform. Blissfully fate seemed to be on her side, and she passed through the brick with ease, landing in a pile on the other side.

Immediately she cast every protective spell she could think of, trying to ensure they didn't follow her here even knowing they somehow wouldn't be able to. Even from hundreds of miles away, it felt like the magic of Hogwarts was protecting her. Or trying to, at least.

It was dark and peaceful on the one the platform, and the old Scarlet steamer lay sleeping beside her. Suddenly she yearned to board it back in time to the very beginning. She looked up, and she could practically see 16-year-old Draco standing across the platform, watching her keenly

She exhaled a stale breath and inhaled a fresh one. Now wasn't the time for a doleful amble down memory lane. The most important task of her life lay before her, and she needed to be hardened and ready. As she was affixing her mental armor, her floo began to issue soft plumes of emerald smoke.

"Eff!" she cried. "Merlin's _beard, _where the _fuck _have you been?_"_

_"_I'm so sorry," Effie said. "Swish had some last minute arrangements to make, and we didn't know if the lines were secure or not. Are you alright?"

"For now," Leolin said. "I'm hiding out on Platform 9 and 3/4, but Rookwood saw me. He knows I'm here."

"Has he got anyone with him?" Effie said, sounding serious.

"Kai Morris and Marcus Flint," Leolin said. "At least that I saw. He could have others."

"Right," Effie said, clearly processing this information. "Did they follow you to the platform?"

"I'm not sure," Leolin said. "They may have guessed I'd come here, though."

"Right," Effie repeated. "Do you think you can make it to Platform VI?"

"I think so," Leolin said slowly. "But we're going to Rome? I thought Swish said—"

"Change of plans," Effie interrupted. "Can you make it? The train leaves in ten minutes."

"If I leave now, I can."

"Okay, good," Effie said. "Now it could be like you said; Rookwood and the others could be waiting for you to come out, so I'm sending Swish to cover you. After we hang up, wait thirty seconds and go. Once you're back in the terminal, you run like hell, you hear me? No matter what's happening you don't stop."

"But Swish—"

"No promise me, Leolin," Effie said sternly. "Promise me you won't stop for any reason."

"I can't do that," Leolin said earnestly.

"Listen to me," Effie said, voice stern. "If we want to pull this off, you need to trust me and do as I say. Do you trust me?"

"Of course," Leolin said.

"So what are you going to do when you get off the platform?"

"Run like Hell," Leolin repeated.

"Good girl," Effie said. "When you get here, board the train. Understood?"

"Yes," Leolin said, rising to her feet and running her thumb along the underside of her engagement ring.

"Alright," Effie said. "Good luck. See you soon."

Leolin clicked the floo shut and took a final shaky breath before barreling through the brick wall. She wasn't even completely through it on the other side when she felt a curse whiz by her face, knicking her cheek and shattering the brick closest to her head.

She countered the curse, which Rookwood had thrown, but Flint had emerged now, too, wand similarly drawn. She threw up a shield to defect both their hexes, but she had no means of escaping without leaving herself vulnerable to attack.

They stood facing off, Leolin's wand flicking between them as she considered what to do. Kai Morris had joined them, and Leolin fought down a swelling panic. However, she was saved when Sweeney emerged, firing cleanly and knocking Flint unconscious.

"Leolin!" He screamed, blocking a nasty hex from Morris and a cruciatus from Rookwood. "Get out of here!"

"I can't!" she cried, blocking a curse from Victoria's lover Robbie McNair.

Adrian had clearly emptied his reserve in hopes of catching her.

"You promised!" Sweeney countered, felling Morris as well. "Go! I'm right behind you!"

Reluctantly Leolin took off, velvet gown hiked to her mid thigh as she ran. She heard a thud and turned to find Sweeney had brought down McNair, and now he was faced off with Rookwood and a rather battered-looking Kai Morris. Wasting no more time, she began sprinting as fast as her feet would carry her.

"Miss!" A muggle transit authority called as she blew past him. "There's no running...in...here..."

Leolin's pulse pounded in time with her feet as she tore across the expanse, ignoring more muggle remarks as she shoved past them. Occassionally she glanced back, but she saw neither Sweeney nor any of Rookwood's crew. Finally, she arrived breathless at the stone divider between Muggle platforms 5 and 6, and she passed through the Southern face and onto the Wizarding platform VI.

The familar train bound for Rome steamed and hissed on the tracks, heralding its imminent departure to the witches and wizards still milling about on the platform. Leolin once again dodged into the crowd, ducking as the lanky Adolphus Yaxley appeared, eyes swinging in wide arcs across the assembly in search of her.

She needed to board the train before he caught up, but she realised as she watched others do so that she wasn't likely to get far without a ticket. She glanced at the conductor, who stood manning the door. She had no time to buy one properly; Yaxley would surely see her before then. She sighed knowing she'd have to settle for the next best thing.

Glancing back to ensure Yaxley hadn't spotted her, she purposefully bumped into a portly older gentleman and gracefully lifted the folio folding his ticket from his overcoat pocket.

"Me scuzzi," she sputtered, vanishing the ticket into her cache. "Io non ho visto voi!"

"No, no, no, signorina," he said, taking her slender hand between his two fleshy ones. "No apology is necessary."

"I'm sorry," Leolin continued in English. "I'm terribly clumsy."

She could see in her peripheral that Yaxley was edging closer and closer. She needed to go, but the gentleman's grip was rather firm, and she had no way to escape him without being rude and causing a scene.

"You, clumsy?" the italian repeated, sounded offended himself. "Never, signorina. You are a an angel! A swan!"

"Grazie," she said, gently tugging now. "You're too kind, but I really ought to be going."

"Do you have a bag, signorina? I will carry it for you."

"No, grazie mille, I really must—" she began, but she was cut off by Yaxley calling to her across the platform.

"Oy, Lefevre!" he bellowed. "Get back here!"

"Excuse me!" Leolin said to the poor fool, wrenching her hand away and stuffing several galleons in his palm. "And thank you!"

"For what, signorina?" he called as she retreated away, shouldering to the front of the line and thrusting her ticket at the conductor. Yaxley was attempting to do the same, but the crowd was less obliging towards him, and he was still stranded on the platform swearing as she slipped onto the train. No sooner had she started down the corridor then she was yanked into a compartment. She screamed and grabbed her wand, but her would-be abductor only laughed.

"Easy, lass," Sweeney said, folding her into a hug. "It's just me."

"Swish," she breathed in relief. "You made it. Thank Merlin."

"Course I did," he said, grinning as he touched her cheek. "I have no intention of dying tonight."

She laughed, but the looked faded as they heard Yaxley's rasp calling her name.

"C'mon!" Sweeney urged, tugging her hand and yanking her into the corridor again. "We need to move!"

"There you are!" Rookwood growled from the opposite end of the long hall. "Come here, you!"

"Time to go," Sweeney said, stuffing her into the nearest compartment and sending a twister ripping down the aisle towards Yaxley.

"Excuse me!" cried the compartment's occupant, a wealthy-looking English witch in her late fifties. "This is a private car!"

"So sorry!," Leolin said, scrambling over the woman's owl cage to the door on the door at the other end. "Good night!"

"My word!" The woman exclaimed as Sweeney followed.

They burst into the far hallway only to spot a bloodied McNair.

"Here!" he cried. "I've got them!"

Leolin threw a stinging jinx right into his face between Sweeney nearly tore her arm from her socket pulling her into another car.

This one had four blokes in it, and they seemed far from bother when Leolin burst in, breasts heaving and making the diamond strung across them sparkle.

"You alright, love?" one asked, reaching a hand down to help her to her feet.

She accepted the gesture even as she frowned at him.

"Oy!" another bloke exclaimed when Sweeney dove in. "What the fuck, mate?"

"Lefevre!" Rookwood roared. He must have been right outside the door.

"Bollocks!" Leolin whined.

They already knew McNair was guarding the other corridor.

"Quick," one of the men said. "Pop into that luggage rack. We'll cover you!"

Leolin and Sweeney traded a glance then nodded. At this point, what choice did they have?

Sweeney scrambled up and the first man offered Leolin a boost.

"Nice knickers," he smirked as she heaved onto the rack.

She responded by kicking the spectacles off his face. He gave a small smile.

"Fair enough."

Quickly the other four rearranged the luggage to cover Leolin and Sweeney before sitting down and trying to act casual.

Just then the door burst open to admit Rookwood.

"Oy!"one of the man snapped, but Rookwood shot him a look that silenced him.

"I'm looking for two fugitives," he said, flashing the badge at his hip, along with his wand. "A young woman and a red-haired man."

"haven't seen them," one of the blokes said flippantly. "Sorry mate."

Rookwood grabbed him by the collar and jammed him wand into the poor blighter's jugular.

"I have witnesses that say they came into this car!"

"Well we didn't see—"

"You're all four under arrest for obstruction of justice," Rookwood said. "Hand over your passports."

"Wait!" one of them said. "Alright, we saw them, okay?"

Leolin heart was hammering. Seven hells, they were trapped.

"They burst in here then climbed through the sodding vent. Don't arrest us!"

Rookwood released the man he'd been holding and glanced up at the vent. Leolin could see him through a small gap between two of the bags. _Please **Merlin**_**, **she silently pleaded_. Don't look over here._

However, he didn't. He simply blasted the vent aside and scrambled through it. When the sound of him clumsily crawling through the duct faded, the six of them all let out a sigh.

"_Fuck_ me," the one with glasses breathed.

Leolin and Sweeney were already climbing down.

"Thank you," Leolin said. "I wish we could pay you back for that."

"How about a quick snog?" one of them ventured, and she gave him a look so dark he laughed nervously. "Or not. Your choice, obviously."

It was here that the whistle sounded a final time and the trained lurched into motion.

"Bollocks," Sweeney growled. "C'mon, Nay, let's go. Thanks, mates."

"Anytime, fair lady," one said, and Leolin rolled her eyes and peeked cautiously into the hall.

"Coast is clear," she hissed to Sweeney. "Let's go!"

"This way," Sweeney said tearing down the hall and shoving Leolin into a compartment in first class.

Leolin burst in, turned, and cried out in surprise when she found herself face to face with...herself.

"What the bleeding Jesus is this?" Leolin exclaimed in a strangled voice.

"Our escape plan," Effie said. "Hello darling."

It was here that Leolin recognised that though there were six people in the compartment, she was seeing only three faces.

"Hiya!" the other Leolin said cheerfully. "You must be the real thing. Lovely knockers you've got."

Leolin looked at Effie, the _real_ Effie, in alarm.

"Who are you lot?" Leolin demanded, wildly uneasy.

"Merlin, Swish," his polyjuice twin chided. "You couldn't have given the poor thing a heads-up?"

"There wasn't time, Sweeney said. "Nay, take off your dress."

"Excuse me?" she snapped.

She glanced over at the other Leolin, who was heeling at of her black trainers and wrestling her shirt over her head.

"Now, Leolin!" Effie said, glancing at the compartment door.

This twins, Leolin realised, were already dressed like their counterparts.

Sweeney and not Sweeney turned away in deference as she stripped the dress off and handed it to her twin. She unfastened the necklace and handed it over before stepping into the soft leggings and tank top the woman had been wearing.

"And your ring, too," other Effie said, sounding sheepish.

"Are you fucking mad?" Leolin snapped.

"Just leave it, Maggie," facsimile Sweeney said to fake Leolin. "They won't notice."

"Sorry," not Effie said. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"No," Leolin said, swishing the ring back and forth. "I know you didn't."

"Right," other Sweeney said. "We ought to get going, darling."

"Be careful," Effie said, kissing them all on the cheek. "I mean it."

The other Sweeney gave a familiar grin.

"Always are!"

He cuffed real Sweeney genially on the shoulder.

"Stick to the plan," Sweeney said sternly. "Alan, that means no showing off."

"You're no fun," Alan said, smiling.

"I mean it," Sweeney warned.

"Right, right," Alan said. "Scout's honour."

"Floo when you're safe," Effie said.

"We will," Maggie agreed. "Good luck, you three!"

With that, she and Alan disappeared into the corridor. Leolin could immediately hear shouts and incantations, indicating that McNair, Yaxley, and Morris had caught up. It was three on three. Leolin hoped the trio was up to it.

"We don't have much time," Effie said nervously, glancing at the door and the meleé echoing beyond.

"Now what?" Leolin said.

"We're getting up this train," Effie explained. "Swish, give me a boost."

"How?" Leolin demanded.

"There isn't time to explain!" Sweeney said as Effie wiggled through the open panel in the ceiling. "C'mon."

He held out his intertwined hands to Leolin and she hoisted herself up as well. She and Effie then pulled Sweeney up. When he was through, he drew his wand and cried "_Bombarda!", _blowing a hole onto slightly big enough for them to wiggle through onto the top of the speeding train.

The wind screamed by them, biting at their clothes and hair as they all fought to keep their balance.

"Now what?" Leolin cried over the howling.

"We jump!" Sweeney replied.

"Are you fucking crazy?" Leolin said.

"Just trust me! _Aquamenti!" _

A small pool appeared in the distance, though it was fast approaching.

"When I tell you to," Sweeney instructed. "Jump!"

They all took hands, watching as the pool grew. In reality it was the size of a swimming pool, though it looked thirty or forty feet deep.

"Get ready!" Sweeney called, squeezing their hands. "Now!"

Leolin squeezed her eyes shut and screamed and they launched off, through the breath was stolen from her lungs and she made no sound. For a moment it felt as if they were in free-fall, but suddenly Leolin's feet broke the water's cool surface, and she was driven fifteen feet deep into the pool. Immediately she began clawing her way upward, and she gasped when she finally emerged.

She doggedly swam to the edge and scrambled out, collapsing onto her back and breathing hard.

"Merlin," she breathed. "I cannot believe that bloody worked."

"No sense in pretending you're not impressed," Sweeney said smugly.

"La Genie strikes again!" Effie laughed, breath labored as well.

"I'm just glad no one drowned," he brother replied. "After all that, it would have been a pretty rubbish ending."

They all laughed.

"So where are we really going?" Leolin said, standing and ringing out of her hair.

"Greece," Sweeney affirmed. "_Siccum Aestus."_

Leolin felt her clothes and hair drying at the spell.

"Cheers," she said. "How are we getting there?" Leolin asked.

"You'll see. C'mon, this way."

Leolin nodded, swishing her ring back and forth. Even in the dark it shone.

"Merlin's flowery pants!" Effie exclaimed. "Now _that_ is a diamond!"

"Oh this old thing?" Leolin laughed.

Effie's eyes sparkled.

"Did Draco give you this?"

Leolin nodded, and Effie squealed and hugged her.

"So you too—"

Leolin nodded again, beaming.

"That's brilliant!" Effie cooed. "Tell us everything!"

"Things got fairly harry tonight," Leolin said, trying to forget that part and focus on the happy ending. "And just when I thought I'd lost Draco he burst in, told me he couldn't live one more day without me, and got on one knee."

"Well done, you saucy minx," Sweeney laughed. "We knew you could do it. And without even breaking the gag."

Leolin nodded, smiling down at the ring again. To her it was a symbol of hope, a reminder that the night was darkest just before the dawn, and the dawn was finally on its way.

They lapsed into comfortable silence, trudging along the subterranean track lead only by their three torches. Every few minutes they would reach a fork, at which point Sweeney would draw a small object from his pocket. It would belch out a small tongue of flame, and they would go where it indicated.

"So I'm sorry to ask," Effie said, watching Leolin fiddle with her ring. "But besides you and Draco, what happened at the embassy?"

"It was a trap," Leolin said. "Severina's cousin Anaïs betrayed us, and Adrian was there waiting for us when we got there.

"You're joking," Sweeney said, stunned. "Why would she do that? Borgia blood is thicker than molten gold."

"But she's not a Borgia," Leolin said. "She's a Cortez, and she comes from a long time of backstabbers and tyrants. Sev told me her ancestor was a conquistador, and he used to roast Muggle chieftains alive.

"I can't believe it," Effie said. "Though it makes sense. That's the leak we were looking for."

Leolin nodded.

"We never could figure out how Adrian found out we were in Rome. In fact, I think she was the one who attacked us in the chapel."

"How is that possible?" Sweeney asked. "I thought you said Chaisson killed that bawbag."

"He did," Leolin said. "Or we thought he did. But metamorphagi have a different genetic makeup than we can shift forms to slow fatal injuries. That's what she must have done, because she was there tonight. She was posing as Brank. She probably would have killed all of us if Blake hadn't stepped in and saved our necks. Adrian grabbed her before we could. Merlin only knows what he'll do with her. I feel terrible."

"How was Anaïs able to pose at Brank?" Effie quieried.

Leolin bent her head, feeling disgustingly guilty.

"Rhydderich sold him out. He's the American ringleader Adrian's been chasing. Adrian's got Sharpe, too. Her cover blew sometimes this afternoon."

"How did Rhydderich know it was, Brank, though? I thought he had a secret keeper."

"He did" Leolin said. "They must have sold him out, too."

"Merlin," Sweeney breathed. "Every time I think things can't get any darker, they somehow find a way to."

"The only good news is that Teller got the Americans on our side. If they can hold the embassy tonight, we have a chance of fighting back.

"We're on Tex's team now?" Sweeney said. "Admittedly never thought I'd see the day, especially considering he almost caught me red-handed."

"I still don't really like him," Leolin said. "But you do sorta have to respect him. He stuck his neck out for me twice tonight, and he was literally die before he gives up control of that embassy. I have to admit, with him on our side, it feels like our luck is finally about to change.

"That ring certainly feels like a good omen. Merlin's _beard_, Malfoy has good taste.

"All I care about is that it's better than Gen's."

Effie laughed.

"So did he say he was going to do about her and the baby?"

Leolin felt some of the warmth in her chest going on. She'd secretly been wondering the same thing.

"I don't know," Leolin admitted. "But whatever we do, we're going to do it together. That's all I care about."

"What did he say when he proposed?"

"That I was perfect and that he loved me," Leolin said. "It wasn't over the top, but it was exactly what I needed to hear."

"Well it's about sodding time he said it," Sweeney grumbled, nudging her playfully.

"It still doesn't feel entirely real," she admitted.

At this Effie leaned over and pinched here, make her squeal in pain and surprise.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed. "That bloody hurt!"

"But at least now you know you aren't dreaming!" Effie pointed out cheerfully.

She stuck out her tongue and Effie returned the gesture as Sweeney affectionately tucked each of them under one arm.

"Are you happy?" he asked, kissing Leolin's temple.

Leolin looked down at her ring.

"I'm the happiest I've ever been."

"Good," Effie said. "That means I don't have to strangle Malfoy."

Leolin laughed.

"I'd definitely prefer you didn't."

They grinned at each other, though the merriment faded at a sound in the distance. They all tensed at the bevy of distant pops that rebounded from both ahead and behind them. on the dimly lit tunnel.

"What was that?" Leolin breathed as all three of them drew their wands.

The question needed no real answer, because if the sound of apparation wasn't proof enough that they were no longer alone, the muted crunch of heavy bootfall certainly was.

"Bollocks," Effie whined. "How did they find us down here?"

They immediately formed a triangle, their backs pressed together as they each covered a direction.

"We need a plan," Leolin said. They could hear muffled voices now.

"Fire at will," Effie said, twirling her wand in her palm in an attempt to released some pent-up energy. "That's my bloody plan."

Several voices were distinctly audible now, and they were speaking a Slavic tongue Leolin didn't understand. Serbian, she guessed. Perhaps Albanian.

At hearing this, Sweeney lowered his wand.

"Relax," he said. "These aren't Adrian's guys."

"Then who—" Effie began, but she was interrupted by the appearence of a thick-jawed man, who barked orders at his lieutenants before giving them several as well.

Sweeney, to their eternal surprise, answered them in the same tongue.

"nie sme tuk, za da govorya s Viktor," he explained, holding his arms up in a gesture of surrender before slowly setting his wand down on the ground.

"Swish, what the fuck?" Leolin grit out.

"Are you sodding crazy?" Effie added.

Sweeney ignored them, instead drawing his curious lighter from his pocket. It the light of the men's torches, she could now see it was a small brass dragon no bigger than a galleon. It had been crudely painted red and gold, presumably, Leolin thought, to resemble a Chinese fireball.

Though it had been curled up peacefully in Sweeney's hand, it was now pacing in agitation back and forth across the span his palm. Sweeney extended it out to the man, at which point he reached towards it. As he did, it belched out a small but potent flame, and the man winced but didn't pull away. That seemed to be the reaction he was looking for, because he nodded and the men on either side of them lowered their wands. Leolin and Effie glanced at each other before doing the same.

Effie turned incredulously to her brother.

"When did you learn to speak Martian?" she demanded.

"I'm allowed my secrets," he said, tucking the fireball back into his pocket.

"What's going on?" Leolin demanded, swishing her ring in agitation.

Sweeney shook his head before subtly indicating the Slavs with his eyes. Leolin and Effie exchanged their own glance and nodded. The less outsiders knew about their business, the better."

Leolin tried to push her shoulders from her neck and take a breath, but when they produced a blindfold and offered it to her, she grew uneasy again, shaking her head.

"Absolutely not," she said.

"C'mon, Nay," Sweeney said seriously. "Tonight could very well be our last chance to do this. We're vulnerable without Brankovitch's help, and if Pucey got control of the American Embassy, we could be trapped in London indefinitely."

Leolin bit her lip. He was right and she bloody well knew it.

"Please, just trust me," Sweeney implored, and she finally nodded and accepted the mask.

No sooner had she slipped it on then she was being tugged along what seemed to be a mile or two more of tunnel. Finally, the blindfold was removed. She blinded several time, letting her eyes adjust, and when they had she found herself inside a rather well-furnished hideout. There were various maps on the walls, a potions set along the back wall, couches, a vault, and a table at center, in front of which stood a round-shouldered figure, which back to them as he studied a parchment. At the sound of their approach, and she couldn't quite contain her surprise. The man before her was unmistakably Viktor Krum.

"Leolin," he said through a thick accent, extending a hand. "Viktor."

He was thin, dark, and sallow-skinned, with a large curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He looked like an overgrown bird of prey. He'd aged very little since she first seen him at the Triwizard Tournament. He was slightly bulkier, perhaps, though he still had a classic seeker's build, and he'd grown a short beard.

"Nice to meet you," she said, shaking it.

"Not to be rude," Effie blurted. "But what the hell are you doing here?"

Krum laughed gruffly, crossing his arms across his chest. The action tugged slightly at the top button on his shirt, revealing a small tatoo of a chinese fireball on the left side of his chest.

"This my side business," he explained, accepting his talisman back from Sweeney. "Welcome."

"Blimey," Effie said. "First Brankovitch and now you? Who knew the Quidditch World was so full of secret agents.

Krum laughed again.

"This was my father's trade during first war. After World Cup, I figure was time to start again. We go. We have long way to travel."

He turned to his surly lieutenants, giving them orders in Bulgarian. They nodded and headed back the way they'd come, presumably to go back on patrol.

"Yo are sure this what you want?" Krum asked Sweeney. "No security."

Sweeney nodded, and Krum shrugged.

"We go, then," he said, jerking his head and indicating they should follow him.

When they reached a grate in the ceiling issuing moonlight from above, Krum drew his stout wand and muttered a spell, at which point the grate covering the hole disintegrated and a rope latter materialized. He headed up and they followed, ducking as they emerged onto a narrow boulevard that snaked along Regent's Canal in Muggle London.

Docked on the bank was the colossal man-of-war the Durmstrang students had arrived in for the Triwizard Tournament.

"The muggle won't see this thing?" Sweeney asked incredulously.

It was a truly massive vessel, and Leolin was frankly surprised the canal was deep enough to float it. On the other hand, magic was—well—_magic_.

"Muggles never see anything," Krum replied casually. "Come."

They all boarded, and as soon as they did, the ship's maroon sails swelled with a non-existent wind and the ship sprang to life. Krum flicked his wand casually at the ancient wheel before retreating a ways and perching casually on one of the outstretched cannons.

They all watched him in bemusement.

"He does make a rather convincing pirate," Effie said appreciatively. "I'll give him that."

"Right," Leolin said. "Now that we're alone, where exactly are we going?

"Greece," Sweeney replied. "Krum says we'll be there by dawn."

"Where exactly in Greece?"

"I know this sounds crazy," Sweeney prefaced. "Though I suppose it's no crazier than a necromancer. Charonium is a real place. It's in Thesprotia in Espinus."

"Oh, right, Espirus," Effie said sarcastically. "My home away from home."

"Alright, wise arse," Sweeney said. "It's off the East coast of the mainland near the Ionian islands.

"So how do we find it?" Leolin asked.

"Sweeney produced a small torch.

"I got this off an oracle in Crete. It will lead us straight to the cave."

"I'm not sure why, as a witch, the existence of Oracles surprises me," Effie said. "But somehow it does."

"I donna know why," Sweeney replied. "They're basically like our seers, and now we know at least some of Greek mythology is true, is it really such a stretch to imagine someone has a beat on what these characters are up to?"

"I suppose not, "Effie admitted.

"So how do we destroy the coins?"

"We don't, exactly," Sweeney said, frowning in concentration. "It's more like we're returning them to their rightful owner."

"Oh hell no," Effie said. "Tell me we don't have to do a hand off with Charon."

Sweeney laughed.

"We just have to throw them back in the water. Apparently he's...expecting them."

"Why?"

"Because he's being trying to get them back since Bones stole them three hundred years ago."

"If he does show up," Effie said. "I am out. I will swim back to the UK if I have to."

"He won't," Sweeney assured her. "He can't come to this world."

"But Bones can?" Leolin asked.

Sweeney shrugged.

"Apparently."

"Why?"

"Search me."

"Should we be expecting any resistance?" Effie asked skeptically.

"Not from Charon. So unless Pucey shows up, which is literally impossible, this should be a bloody cake walk."

"And what about getting back. Is Krum taking us?"

"That ship's too conspicuous, and who knows how long this could take. I have no intention of getting jammed up on the way out."

"So how are we getting back?" Leolin pressed.

"Thestrals," Sweeney said. "We'll ride them to the Athenos villa and Aleco will have a portkey ready for us. He's already confunded it to fool the border charm. Once we get back, we are all going deep into hiding to weather the storm. The minister's not going to take a blow like this lying down. Once we've regrouped, we can strike with everything we have."

Leolin nodded, letting the plan sink in. The first thought that surfaced was the realisation that she'd be seeing a thestral from the first time. Suddenly she imagined Scabior's blood gushing onto her hands, and she shut her eyes.

"Just think of what it will be like to be bid of these sodding things," Effie said, breaking Leolin's reverie.

She let this thought sink in instead, and despite everything she smiled, causing Effie and Sweeney to smile as well.

"What are you grinning at, lass?" Sweeney said, nudging her playfully.

Leolin gave a soft laugh.

"I'm going to go home and shag Draco's brains out."

They twins laughed, too.

"Amen to that!"

Leolin smiled, looking affectionately down at her ring again.

"I'm so happy for you, Nay," Effie whispered. "You deserve this."

"I know I should be worried about what's coming," Leolin confessed. "And I am. But for the first time in forever, it doesn't feel impossible."

"I told you not to give up," Sweeney said.

"I know," Leolin said, squeezing his hand. "Thank you for that.

Sweeney nodded, and they all looked up to find Krum at the helm.

"We make port soon. Ten minutes."

"Already?" Leolin asked. "It's only been an hour."

"This fast ship," Krum said, shrugging.

"Just think," Effie said jovially. "Malfoy will be bollocks deep in you by tomorrrow."

"Elizabeth Fiona MacAngus!" Leolin squealed, flushing.

Effie shrugged affably.

"It's true, though!"

Suddenly a cold chill passed across the deck, leaving a frost behind.

"мамка," Krum muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Sweeney exclaimed.

"Gatekeeper charm," Krum said, already flicking his wand and muttering spells. "Sends alarm and strips off protective charms."

"Can you fix it?" Leolin said, panic already setting in.

"Already I disable charm," Krum said. "But ship still will need repairs. Will likely set us back hour, maybe two."

They exchanged worried glances, but Sweeney shook his head.

"I know it's not ideal, but what other choice do we have? It's 1,800 miles to Greece. We'll never make it without the proper cloaking charms. If we try to cut corners, Pucey might find us."

By this time Krum had docked the boat at a large deserted pier, and a boarding plank had appeared.

"I will be quick as I can," Krum promised.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Effie asked hopefully. Leolin knew why she was so anxious; she didn't want to sit around doing nothing for an hour.

"Sorry, but no," Krum said. "You will only slow me down."

"Stay out of sight," he said, gesturing to a worn warehouse one hundred yards off the water's edge. "I will come when I am done."

With that he turned and went back to his work.

"C'mon," Sweeney said, and they took off, slipping silently inside the warehouse and settling down on the ground. The vibe was tense, and they sat in silence for a long period.

"Should we take turns sleeping?" Effie suggested.

Leolin shook her head.

"I don't think I could."

"I would say we could tell riddles," Sweeney said. "but almost being eaten by that Sphinx sort of robbed the joy of them from me."

They both nodded, smiling faintly.

"How about a story, then," Effie offered, turning to Leolin. "Tell us about how you and Malfoy fell in love."

Leolin smiled, swishing her ring.

"It's sort of a long story," she said.

"We have plenty of time," Sweeney pointed out.

Leolin considered where to begin.

"Well it all started at quidditch trials my fifth year at Hogwarts."

Telling the story was like reliving the whole glorious affair, and the twins were an exceptional audience. They reacted to every new development with the appropriate level of delight and disgust, and when she finished, they cheered.

"And that brings us to today," Leolin concluded. "With me less than twelve hours away from shagging him senseless."

They all laughed.

"I do so love a happy ending," Effie said wistfully.

"So do I," Leolin whispered earnestly, looking down at her ring again.

"What time is it?" Sweeney said, consulting the phantom watch on his left wrist. "I'm half tempted to have you tell the whole bloody thing again!"

The smile slid off Leolin's face. She'd been so caught up in the story that she truly had lost track of time, but now that she thought about it, it had been far too long.

"Something wrong," Effie said, reading her thoughts.

"We have to split up," Leolin said at once. "We have to keep the coins separate just in case. Just until we know it's safe."

The twins nodded.

"But we should meet back up in fifteen minutes no matter what," Effie said. "And if you get into any trouble, send up red sparks."

"Be safe," Leolin begged. "I couldn't bear to lose either of you now."

They took off in different directions, wands raised and ready. Leolin covered the docks at the far end of the pier, jumping at every noise but ultimately finding nothing. She should have simply gone to Krum. Perhaps he was fine and had simply overestimated his skill or underestimated the damage. She started back towards the far docks, still scanning the sky for red sparks. Blissfully, there were none.

She saw no initial sign of Krum as she neared the man-of-war,but as she turned she saw a figure emerging from the opposite end.

"Swish," she breathed, tearing towards him. Relief flooding in and extinguishing her mounting unease. "Merlin, where the fuck have you—"

However, as he grew closer, hood still drawn, she backed away. He was far too tall and lithe to be Sweeney. When the figure pushed the hood off, she gave a shriek of surprise.

"Hello my angel," Adrian purred, sauntering towards her with a calm grace. He was backlit by the muted moonlight, and he looked like some terrible god from a scary story. She raised her wands to send up sparks, but he was too quick.

"_Expelliarmus_," he said lazily as she continued to scramble away, and her wand arced towards him.

His gold-flecked eyes drank Leolin as she retreated, and they glittered menacingly.

"Don't look so surprised, darling," he said mildly, raising his eyebrows. "I told you I was clever. _Petrificus Spachulas._"

"How—" she stammered, wriggling vainly against her immobility. "How—" she began again, but the terrifying look on his face robbed her of words.

"_How_—_how—_" he mimicked cruelly, his bright teeth glinted as he did so. "Did you _honestly_ think you were that far ahead of me?"

"Krum," she breathed at once, but he shook his head with a smile.

"Don't blame poor Viktor. Stupid blighter defended you with his last breath."

"You killed him?" she said quietly, feeling guilty and sick to her stomach.

"Of course I did," he said casually. "I had to. At this stage, I can't afford loose ends."

"How did you know where we were?" she demanded finally. "We didn't tell _anyone_ where we were going. How could you possibly—"

He held up a hand to indicate she be silent.

"Do you _really _not know the answer to that?" he asked in condescension.

"Rhydderich had no idea where we were going," she pleaded in answer. "I didn't even know until we got here."

Adrian shrugged, still slinking forward.

"You're right, of course," he agreed, smiling. "But haven't you asked yourself how exactly Rhydderich ended up a stiff?"

Her mind raced, and he laughed at her bewilderment.

"He was mine from the jump," Adrian explained. "Long before he came to you and made that unbreakable vow."

"How is that possible?_" _she demanded.

_"_Ieaun has always been such a bleeding heart," Adrian said in mild contempt. "I knew he wouldn't be able to resist helping Rhydderich after he saw how pathetic Azkaban had made him. Honestly, you couldn't have thought that was just coincidence, the two of them running into each other!"

"Why would Gareth want to help you?" she asked, mostly to herself.

Adrian raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"Oh my gods," Leolin breathed. "You have Merys."

Adrian's eyes glittered.

"Rhydderich thought he had her somewhere safe, but I'm afraid it just. wasn't. safe. enough." He punctuated every word then smiled again. "Once I had her, it was painfully easy to convince him. He would have done anything to get her back."

"Is she dead?" she said, voice trembling.

His expression darkened.

"Someone had to pay for Tommy's death. I figured she was a good place to start."

"Oh gods," she choked, feeling sick.

"As for Gareth," Adrian continued, unable to stop gloating. "He came up with a very clever way to keep tabs on you. Though I can't give him _all _the credit. You're the one who gave me the idea in the first place."

"What do you mean?" she asked fearfully.

"You really thought I wouldn't be able to replicate that tracker charm you slapped on me in New Orleans? I do admit it had me stumped for a time, but once I got Rhydderich and Geoff Blackburn involved, it was easy."

She must have reacted to the news of this new betrayal, because he laughed.

"You thought he would actually join your team knowing his brother Langdon was helping you? C'mon Lef, don't be so stupid."

"But the unbreakable vow…how did Rhydderich—"

"Ah yes," he said, as if only just remembering it. "I admit I didn't anticipate you'd take it that far. Luckily, Rhydderich is good at thinking on his feet. He slipped the tracker on you before he made the vow but didn't activate it. It wasn't ideal, I admit—I would have preferred having tabs on you earlier—but it did the trick. Once I had you where I wanted you at the embassy and I knew you were going to destroy the coins, I had him turn it on. He'd served his purpose by then anyhow. After that," he said casually. "It was easy. I just followed you, and you lead me straight here."

Her heart sank. She should have seen Rhydderich's betrayal coming, though she admitted even now that she had no idea how she would have avoided it. Even if they hadn't agreed to accept his help, he would have easily be able to slip the tracker on her during their meeting.

"Did you really think I would have let you go tonight if I didn't already have a way to get you back? I told you, there isn't a place in Merlin's black cauldron you could go that I wouldn't find you."

He gave a dark grin.

"Now," he said. "I'm bored with this. Give me the coin; I know you've hidden it in your little cache. Give it to me."

"What does it matter?" she said softly. "One coin's not going to do you any good."

Adrian raised his eyebrows.

"Then it's a good thing I have the other one then, isn't it?"

He held up the twin obol for a second before tucking it back into his pocket.

"Sweeney—" she began.

"He's not dead," Adrian said, nonplussed. "You can have him back when I get the coin. Consider it a—gesture of good faith. Now give me the coin, Lefevre."

"No," she said. "You can take it off my corpse when I'm dead."

"Very well. _Crucio._"

She buckled in pain, crying and twitching. At the second bout, she fell to her knees, the rough gravel digging into her skin though her trousers.

"How about now?" Adrian said forcefully.

"No," she rasped.

"_Crucio._"

The third time was worse, but it was easier to bear knowing that Adrian wouldn't be able to take the coin off her unless she gave it to him.

"Leolin," he breathed, crouching next to her and speaking in a soft, calm voice. "Don't make me hurt you again. Give me the coin."

She let out a ragged breath. There was a single tear on her cheek, which he wiped away gently with the pad of his thumb.

"C'mon Leolin," he murmured, tenderly stroking her cheek and tilting her chin up so he could study her face. "Just give me the coin."

"I can't," she all but pleaded, wishing he would stop touching her. "You know I can't."

He rose again, eyes furious.

"_Crucio._"

Her mind was going wild from the pain. Finally the feeling stopped, and a warm, contented feeling took its place. She knew at once what the feeling was, and she knew she had to fight it. She thought of Kelly and how he'd withstood the Imperius after being tortured for hours. She had to do the same.

"Leolin."

She was still lying on her back, and screwed her eyes shut, fighting the sensation with everything she had.

"Give me the coin, Leolin."

"No," she grit out. "Stop. I'm not going to let you control me anymore."

He crucio'd her a fifth time, and it seemed to drag all the fight out of her. When he cast the Imperius again, she could feel her resistance slipping away, even as she clung to it desperately. _After everything we've done_, she thought in agony, after everything they'd been through in the vault, Adrian was still going to win.

She felt the curse urging her to stand up, and after battling it for a minute or so, she felt herself rising as if she was being controlled by marionette strings. Adrian was waiting for her, eyes glittering. He eased her wand into her left hand.

"Fetch me the coin," he instructed in a quiet voice.

She squeezed her eyes shut and desperately fought off the warmth.

"Do it," he said in a harder tone.

She raised her wand with a trembling hand.

"_Prodio_," she whispered, and the coin materialized in her right hand.

She squeezed it tightly, her last shred of free will finally giving out.

"Now open your palm," Adrian instructed in a soft voice, and she did.

He plucked the coin almost gleefully from her outstretched hand. He held it up in the light, letting it gleam.

"_Finally_," he sighed, smiling cruelly at Leolin.

He tucked the obol in his interior coat pocket.

"Now," he said imperiously, turning his full attention to Leolin. "Kiss me."

He took a step towards her and she instinctively curled her arms against his chest, tilted her head up, and did as he commanded. His lips were soft, softer than she'd expected, and the hand that slid across the back of her neck and into her hair was pleasantly warm.

The imperius coaxed a breathy sigh from her lips, and he urged them farther apart with his, brushing his tongue to hers. She hesitated for a moment before intensifying the kiss. His breath was fresh, and the taste of it lingered on her tongue. She leaned farther into him, her breasts pressing against the firm plane of his chest as his hands migrated from her hair down her back to her hips, which he pushed suggestively against her own. Desperate to be closer to him, to devour him, she strung her arms around his neck, and he lifted her gracefully off her feet as the kiss intensified.

In her ruined state, she probably would have given him more, but finally he released the imperius, and she tried to jerk away in horror. He grabbed her by the wrist.

"Next time you do that," he told her seriously, eying her swollen lips again. "You'll do it on your own."

She didn't respond, just lunged for the interior pocket of his coat. They tussled for only a second before he cast her forcefully to the ground.

"Deal's a deal, Lefevre," he said, snapping his fingers.

Tate Rawle appeared, seemingly from nowhere, and pushed Sweeney at Leolin.

She and Sweeney both ran towards Adrian, but he threw up some sort of barrier that blocked their path. She pounded her fists against it in vain.

"Thank you fetching me these," Adrian said, smiling blithely at them. "You're probably the only one who could. Oh, and you can have this back."

He cast her wand at her feet, and the barrier between them rippled as it passed through. He turned to go, but seeming to think better of it he turned back, eyes glittering hatefully.

"Oh, and one more thing: the minister wanted me to remind you that no one steals from Lucius Malfoy."

"What are you—" Leolin began, but Sweeney began coughing, she fell silent.

When he pulled his hand away, there was blood on his palm. Leolin looked at Adrian in horror.

"Every decision has its price, Lefevre," he warned her. "And now it's time to pay the piper. You should have stolen that painting from Lucius yourself."

By this time Sweeney could no longer stand on his own, and he collapsed, more blood pouring from his mouth and ears.

"Swish," she called pathetically, not knowing how to help him. "Sweeney, hold on."

Adrian watched them for several seconds before disappearing with a final swirling pop.

Sweeney's breathing was ragged now, and she could see in his eyes he was afraid.

"Swish," she said, beginning to cry in earnest. "I'm so sorry. I never meant for you—"

"Don't…be…" he choked out between hiccups of blood. "I would do it again tomorrow."

She wanted to help him, to reassure him he would be okay, but she couldn't. She knew he was going to die, and so did he. Blood had begun to issue from his tear ducts now, and she wiped it away.

"If I have to die," he said. "I'm glad it's here. I'm—glad it's—with you."

"Swish" she sobbed pathetically. "Don't go."

She could feel the energy draining from his body.

"Tell—Effie—I—love her and—I'm sorry."

Leolin nodded, stroking his flaming red hair.

"I will," she promised, pressing her forward to his.

He began to choke in earnest, and she squeezed her eyes shut, still stroking his hair. When she opened her eyes, he was gone.

She lay gently cradling Sweeney's body long after he'd gone, sobbing quietly as she continually smoothed his fiery hair off his ashen brow. She'd cleaned the blood from his face, but the anguish of his final moments remained etched in his features.

"I'm sorry, Swish," she whispered quietly. "I failed you."

"Swish!" came a distant echo. "Leolin! Where are you?"

The sound of panic in Effie's voice churned against Leolin's guilt, making her feel sick.

"Here," Leolin croaked, fresh tears blossoming as she stroked Sweeney's cold cheek. "I'm here."

Effie appeared at the far end of the dock, bounding towards them. Leolin could see a nasty lump forming along her temple. She must have been knocked unconscious.

When Effie had about halved the distance, she seemed to understand what she was seeing because she stumbled slightly as she let out an agonised scream.

"Sweeney!" she cried, feet barely brushing the ground as she tore across it. "_Sweeney_!"

Spent from her sprint and her screaming, she collapsed next to her brother's body, cradling his head and sobbing into his bright hair. Leolin relinquished her grip as she fought down hysteria at witnessing Effie's anguish. Finally, Effie looked up at Leolin.

"What happened?" she croaked.

"Adrian had Rhydderich slip a tracker charm on me before we made the Unbreakable Vow, and he turned it on tonight and followed us here. He—he has the coins."

"So my brother was just collateral damage," Effie said flatly, eyes burning with hatred. "Just another casualty of Pucey's hatred for you."

"I'm sorry," Leolin choked, reaching to touch Sweeney again.

"No!" Effie screamed. "Don't touch him! Haven't you done enough?"

"Eff—"

"You killed him!" Effie choked through sobs. "My brother's dead because of you."

"I'm sorry," Leolin repeated sorrowfully. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

"You promised no harm would come to him!" Effie snarled. "You promise to protect him, but you lied! He trusted you, and you _failed_ him."

"I'm sorry," Leolin said a third time.

"You're poison," Effie concluded, wiping her eyes with the back of her left hand while still clutching Sweeney's blood-stained jacket with her right. "Everything you touch sickens and dies."

Her words cut Leolin to the quick, and she shrank away from the dark truth of them.

"I hate you," Effie whispered quietly, stroking Sweeney's waxy cheek. "I hate you."

"Effie—"

"Go away!" Effie snarled again. "Leave us alone!"

"Eff—"

"I said go," Effie whispered, defeated. "Get out of my sight."

Reluctantly Leolin stood, backing away in agony as Effie began to cry again, rocking Sweeney like a babe in arms. Finally she drew an apparation stone from her cache, squeezed it tightly in her palm, and disappeared.

* * *

She was numb by the time she arrived back at her flat, and she came in to find Draco waiting for her, eyes keen. He drank in her bleary expression and blood-soaked shirt. She rushed to hug him, but his touch was stiff. Soon after, he peeled her off of him, retreating to the bar and taking a swallow of his drink.

"What happened?" he said quietly, his back partially to her.

"Sweeney's dead," Leolin said flatly. "And Adrian has the coins."

She ran a hand through her hair, tipping her head back in a vain attempt to staunch more tears. Finally, she looked at Draco again.

"We aren't safe here," she said. "We have to go now. They could be summoning Bones as we speak. We have to get out of London while we still can."

He didn't move.

"Drake," she said, a small panic growing. "Did you hear me? We have to go." He watched her but said nothing.

"Drake!" she said again, more insistently. Effie's harsh words were still echoing in her mind, and she just wanted to get away from the whole night. "We need to leave. Please!"

She tugged at his hand but he let his fingers fall from her grasp.

"What the fuck is _wrong_ with you!" she demanded, feeling manic. "We have to go!"

"No," he said finally. "Wait."

"Drake—"

"How did you get to Geneva?" he interrupted.

His voice was stony.

"What?" she said, taken aback.

"The day of the wedding, how did you get to Geneva?"

"Please," she said, unsure where he was going with this but feeling sick all the same. "If this is about that photo, I swear—"

"I still had your passport," he continued, almost as if he hadn't heard her. "So how is it that you managed to get Switzerland without anyone noticing?"

"I—" she stammered.

Suddenly a realisation began to form in her mind, and on top of everything else she'd endured in the last several hours, she felt the dam of pain she'd built in her mind about to burst.

"Was it be because you had someone with you? Someone who was accustomed to circumventing International Travel strictures?"

"Drake," she begged. "Please, I—"

He advanced on her, diamond eyes full of blazing light.

"Look me in the eye, Leolin—_love of my life_—and tell me that on the day you were meant to marry me, you didn't go to your cousin and beg him to take you to Geneva instead."

"Draco," she said, and she could feel herself starting to cry again. The pain was straining against confinement now, and it was giving her a pounding headache. "_Please_—"

"Cristian came here earlier," Draco explained, voice cold and strained. "Slithered out of his hole to come looking for you. He told me everything."

"And you believed him?" she sobbed sadly.

"Can you tell me it's not true?" Draco burst. "That he's not the one who helped you sneak into Switzerland?"

"No," she said through tears. "But please, let me explain—"

She said the words even knowing she had no means of telling him the truth.

"Did you sleep with him?" Draco said in a deadly voice.

"What?" she croaked.

"You heard me. After he helped you get out of England, did you pay him back by spreading your thighs and finally letting him fuck you?"

"Draco!" she sobbed. "Please stop!"

"I know you did!" he roared. "I can see it in your eyes!"

"Please, you have to understand—" she cried, but not knowing how to go on she fell silent.

When she finally managed the courage to look back up at him, there were tears in his eyes.

"Why?" he begged softly. She'd never seen him look so helpless. A tear skidded down his cheek, but he made no move to wipe it away. "What did I do? What did I do to make you hate me that much? What did I do that made you want to run away with that fucking _creep_?"

He looked so pitiful standing before her, and seeing him so disarmed ached in a place she hadn't even known existed.

"Nothing," she bit out honestly. The dam had been breached, and sadness and bad memories were seeping through. "Please, I love you—"

"No," he, finding his anger again. "You don't. You obviously don't! I kept telling myself that you had a good reason for leaving and that it didn't matter because we loved each other, but this—this I can't excuse. Of all the people in the world you could have run to in that moment, you chose him. Not only that, but while I was tearing Europe apart on our wedding night looking for you, you were in his bed, giving him what was supposed to be only mine!"

"Draco," she implored a final time, even knowing it was over. "_Please._"

"I told you earlier tonight that I would never stop loving you, and that's true," he said in anguish, once again unable to mask his unadulterated grief. "I will love you until the day I die. But I never want to see your face again. You're dead to me, Leolin, and if you _ever_ come back here I will make you wish you were never born."

No longer able to keep herself composed, Leolin stumbled sideways clutching at him for support. He shook off her touch.

"Draco!" she cried.

"Goodbye Leolin."

He was gone with a pop.

It was just as Ginny had always warned her; Draco departure had finally broken the walls she'd built to keep the swelling tide of her grief at bay, and she collapsed onto her back, heaving as the undertow dragged her down, and down, and down, and—finally—under.

REVIEW PLEASEEEEE


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